Economist, Evaluation and Impact Assessment

REF: AE/PGI/08/11 Total salary & benefits package circa USD 105,000 (tax free*) Base salary from USD 60,000 per annum plus benefits (dependent on qualifications and experience)

Under the leadership of the team leader and in coordination with other research staff within the Poverty Gender and Impact team, the Economist will develop and implement research on the multiple roles of livestock in rural livelihoods and how livestock’s contribution to poverty alleviation can be enhanced. Main responsibilities will include developing and leading implementation of monitoring and evaluation strategies for the CGIAR research program of Livestock and Fish and other large ILRI programs. The appointee will bring strong quantitative skills to a multi-disciplinary team working with mixed methods and approaches to identify and evaluate livestock-based strategies and options to reduce poverty, inequity and vulnerability for livestock-dependent people and communities.

Essential qualifications •A Ph.D. or equivalent in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Agribusiness, or related discipline •Proven analytical and research skills through a track record of scientific publications, policy documents and related correspondence. •Experience of working in developing countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa, with strong preference given to livestock-related experience •Demonstrated ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams, and strong interpersonal and partnership management skills •Strong English language skills, both written and spoken (proficiency in other languages is an advantage); A passion for the generation of scientific knowledge that advances pro-poor development

Key responsibilities will include •Quantify the contribution of livestock to the livelihoods of the poor and the actual/potential impact of livestock-related strategies and interventions on poverty and vulnerability;
•Develop and support implementation of monitoring and evaluation strategies for ILRI programs including the CGIAR research program on livestock and fish, leading the collection, management, analysis and reporting of baseline, evaluation and impact assessment data; •Identify factors that constrain or enhance the ability of the poor to keep livestock or to benefit from innovations along the livestock value chain, and extract lessons for policy and program design; •Participate in team resource mobilization efforts, including donor relations and proposal development; •Work closely with the team leader and others to contribute to defining ILRI’s research agenda in the area of livelihoods, evaluation and impact assessment and in the building and managing a team to implement it.

Specific Qualifications: •Expert disciplinary knowledge related to agriculture and rural development, poverty analysis, and evaluation and impact assessment methods; •Excellent skills in data base management and quantitative data analysis, particularly econometrics, and experience analyzing farm and household surveys and panel data sets; •At least 5 years’ experience working on poverty analysis and quantitative evaluation of agricultural and rural development programs; •Experience with mixed-methods (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, spatial) evaluations and gender analysis will be highly desirable;
•Well developed understanding of the interface between research and development and experience using research and evaluation results to improve development programming.

Location: Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel to areas where there are ILRI activities

Position level: The position is Scientist/Research Level 2 or 3, dependent on qualifications and experience.

Benefits: ILRI offers a competitive international benefit package. *Benefits are tax free subject to compliance with tax regulations of country of citizenship. Benefits include: 15% pension contribution s Life insurance s International medical cover for staff and dependentss Education allowance for dependent children s Housing allowance sRelocation allowance s Annual home leave travel allowance s Annual holiday entitlement of 30 days + 11 public holidays.

Applications Applicants should send a cover letter explaining their interest, what they can bring to the job and indicating earliest availability. They should also send curriculum vitae and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to email: ilri-economists@cgiar.org by 30 September 2011. The position reference number ‘AE/PGI/08/11’ must be clearly indicated in the email subject line.

ILRI is an equal opportunity employer. Suitably qualified women and developing country citizens are particularly encouraged to apply.

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