Research Officer III – Seed Systems

About the Organization

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is an international autonomous, non-profit, research organization temporarily based in Beirut, Lebanon supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA is committed to the improvement of livelihoods of the resource-poor in dry areas by enhancing food security and alleviating poverty through agricultural research, and the equitable use of natural resources. For more details: www.icarda.org.

Job Summary

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) seeks to recruit a Research Officer III – Seed Systems who will support the planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of seed systems projects and activities in Ethiopia and across Africa. The position will contribute to strengthening formal and informal seed systems, scaling improved varieties, enhancing EGS production and delivery models, supporting seed sector capacity development, and facilitating partnerships among public and private sector stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the implementation of seed systems and bilateral development (with a seed component) projects interventions in Ethiopia and other African countries.
• Assist in designing and operationalizing seed system strengthening strategies and scaling models for cereals, legumes, forages, and other priority crops.
• Contribute to the development and dissemination of approaches for Early Generation Seed (EGS) production, seed quality assurance, seed business development, variety dissemination and scaling, community-based and village-based seed enterprises, and seed tracking and varietal identification systems.
• Assist in organizing varietal demonstrations, field days, seed fairs, and stakeholder consultations to create awareness and demand for improved varieties to accelerate varietal replacement and adoption in farmers’ fields.
• Support coordination among seed value chain actors, including national agricultural research systems, seed companies, universities, NGOs, farmer organizations, development agencies, and government institutions to strengthen seed production and delivery systems.
• Maintain effective communication and follow-up with project partners and stakeholders.
• Support the preparation and delivery of technical trainings, workshops, and capacity development programs on seed systems and seed technologies.
• Contribute to the preparation of technical manuals, guidelines, training materials, policy briefs, and communication products.
• Support documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and success stories from seed systems interventions.
• Assist in developing work plans, activity schedules, and implementation frameworks.
• Contribute to the preparation of technical reports, donor reports, progress updates, and presentations.
• Support seed system assessments, baseline studies, market analyses, and stakeholder mapping exercises.
• Assist in analysing seed demand, variety adoption trends, and bottlenecks in seed delivery systems.
• Any other task assigned by the supervisor.

Required Qualifications

Education

• MSc degree in Seed Science, Plant Breeding, Agronomy, Agricultural Economics, or a related field

Experience

• Minimum seven years of relevant professional experience in seed systems, seed sector, or crop improvement programs, or related areas.
• Experience working with national and regional agricultural institutions in Africa.
• Practical knowledge of seed production systems, seed value chains, and seed policy environments.
• Experience in project coordination and stakeholder engagement.
• Experience with donor-funded agricultural development projects is desirable.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong technical understanding of seed systems and seed sector development.
• Excellent coordination, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and report writing abilities.
• Ability to work in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments.
• Good organizational and project management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and data management tools.
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of additional African languages is an advantage.

How to Apply

Applicants should provide a cover letter and curriculum vitae; names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to be included in the curriculum vitae. The position and reference number: REF: ROSS/ICARDA/019/26 should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the cover letter.

All applications to be submitted online on our recruitment portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com on or before 30 September 2026.

ICARDA/ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training).

To find more about ICARDA, visit our Website at www.icarda.org.

To find out more about working at ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org/ilricrowd/

Suitably qualified women are particularly encouraged to apply.