Digital Agriculture Action Manager at IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Description
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of Digital Agriculture Action Manager.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, preserve natural resource integrity, and enhance system resilience to biotic and abiotic threats and climate change to enable agriculture transformation in sub-Saharan Africa. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for food, nutrition, and income-secure future for all.  

Digital Agricultural Action (DAA) Manager:

IITA's revised strategy for 2024-2030 will implement a DAA to harness the power of digital technologies to design and scale fit-for-purpose digital tools and solutions to accelerate the transformation of African agriculture. The DAA focuses on bridging the digital divide by developing inclusive strategies and solutions that account for gender, socioeconomic status, age, language, user preferences, and varying levels of digital literacy, with a special emphasis on empowering smallholder farmers and MSMEs in agribusiness.

The IITA seeks a highly qualified Manager to lead and provide strategic direction for the DAA. The successful candidate will collaborate with the Digital Working Group, key IITA staff, and partner organizations to define requirements, co-design fit-for-purpose ICT solutions, and oversee the implementation of activities that align with DAA objectives.  

Position Key Responsibilities:

Coordinate activities of the Digital Agriculture Action

• Integrate digital initiatives into broader agricultural development strategies.
• Prepare annual work plans, targets, key performance indicators, and progress for implementing the Digital Agricultural Initiative.
• Oversee the development and implementation of ICT use cases and promotion campaigns for higher adoption.
• Coordinate ICT Community of Practice (iCOP) at IITA.
• Participate in the technical review and consultation meetings organized by the IITA and other stakeholders to promote and gain support for digital agriculture.
• Provide regular reports to senior management on the performance of the Digital Agriculture Action and recommend areas for improvement.
• Engage in resource mobilization activities in collaboration with the IITA team and partners to generate new solutions, enhance available tools and their uses, and conduct capacity development activities. 
•  Ensure the security of ICT assets from malware and phishing threats and compliance with data security and privacy policies.
• Stay up to date on digital trends and new technologies and make recommendations for their adoption and implementation.
• Perform any other job-related duties relevant to Digital Agriculture Action assigned by the supervisor.
• Develop an Integrated ICT Platform for Digital Agriculture Action
• Develop a strategy for bundling complementary ICT apps and improve their uses.  
• Develop interoperability frameworks for databases and ICT applications through APIs and enable metadata analytics and AI/ML models for data-driven decision-making
• Coordinate the development of ICT packages (Web and Mobile Apps, and others) for digitalizing value chains.
• Provide recommendations for developing novel digital tools and improving existing tools.
• Co-design digital advisory services to diverse user groups and typologies.
• Set up a dynamic dashboard to display and give access to actionable information to users.
• Promote ICTs within IITA and its partner programs for discovery and development research, decision support, and knowledge sharing to ensure widescale adoption for impact.
• Evaluate user landscape and guide the development of fit-for-purpose ICT applications
• Facilitate an assessment of the digital agriculture landscape at IITA and partners to identify gaps, opportunities, and areas for strengthening in consultation with stakeholders (including developers, input providers, policymakers, enablers, users, and beneficiaries) with a focus on scope, content, digital services need for various applications in alignment with IITA strategy.
• Identify opportunities for partnerships in promoting and supporting digital agriculture with public and private sectors.
• Organize training and awareness activities for various stakeholders on developing and applying digital tools for the most efficient use and sharing of data.
• Facilitate cost-benefit analyses of use cases of various digital tools and provide recommendations for improving efficiency and benefits from using digital tools,
• Develop business models for the promotion of ICT tools.
• Organize feedback surveys for stakeholders and user feedback on content, suitability, the relevance of applications to end-means, operational costs, sustainability for learning, and continuous improvement.
• Document and disseminate the best practices and success cases.

Requirements

Educational Qualifications and Experience

The candidate should have a master’s degree/MBA in a relevant field, such as Computer Science, Information Technology, Digital Marketing, Agribusiness, Quantitative Methods, or Development Studies. Working knowledge on AI/Machine learning and developing digital products for agricultural development are advantageous.

Core Competencies

• Strong technical skills in developing and using digital technologies and tools in the agriculture value chains.
• Good knowledge of Web and Mobile Apps, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics.
• Proven experience designing ICT applications and digital advisory products focusing on user relevance.
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful digital strategies, delivering outputs on time and within the budget limit. 
• At least five years of experience in a leadership role in projects relevant to digital agriculture, ICT development/extension, or digitalization.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and engage in multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to manage and work with a multidisciplinary and multicultural team, including development partners, farmers, and other stakeholders.
• Experience in planning and managing budgets and system-level risk assessment and control.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.