ILRI Research Technician - Plant Transformation Job in Kenya (KShs 64,833)

Vacancy Number: RT/IITA/07/11

Department: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Duration: 1-year fixed term contract

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality livestock science, communications and capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development.

ILRI is one of 15 centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ILRI has campuses in Kenya (headquarters) and Ethiopia, with other offices located in other regions of Africa (Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria) as well as in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia (Laos, Thailand, Vietnam) and East Asia (China).

ILRI hosts the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nairobi. IITA (www.iita.org) with its headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria, works with partners throughout Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture.

ILRI seeks to recruit a Research Technician on behalf of IITA to provide support to the team working on Plant Transformation Project in carrying out research.

The candidate will be based at BecA hub and will be expected to collaborate with IITA partners across the region and Advanced Research Institutes across the world.

Specific responsibilities will include:

Routine work on Plant Regeneration and Plant Genetic transformationGeneral Plant Tissue Culture and Molecular BiologyMaintenance of bacterial culturesGenetic Analysis of engineered bacteria and transgenic plantsRecord keeping and Data AnalysisSome supervision of Junior staffs in the groupAny other duties assignedThe successful candidate should have:
First degree (B.Sc.) in Biotechnology /Molecular Biology/ Biochemistry or relevant field withAt least 1 year experience in Plant Transformation, Tissue Culture and Molecular BiologyComputer literacy, data organization and statistical analysis skillsAble to cope with heavy intermittent workloads extending beyond office hours and during weekendsGood interpersonal and communication skillsTerms of appointment: This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) open to Kenyan Nationals only and will be based at ILRI’s Nairobi campus.

This position is on a 1-year fixed term contract subject to six months probation period, individual performance and availability of funding. Salary and benefits will be in line with those provided within ILRI’s NRS scheme.

Job level and salary: This position is a job level 2A and starting is KES 64,833 per month. This is exclusive of other benefits provided within ILRI’s National Recruited Staff Scheme.

Applicants should send a cover letter expressing their interest and expectations from the position, detailed CV, names and contact details (Telephone and E-mail) of three professional referees to e-mail: recruit-ilri-Ken@cgiar.org by 20 July 2011.

The position title and reference number “RESEARCH TECHNICIAN-RT/IITA/07/11” should be indicated clearly on the subject line of the email application. We regret but only online applications will be considered and only short listed candidates will be contacted.

To find out more about ILRI and IITA, visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org/ and http://www.iita.org/

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