Researcher, Innovation Scaling - International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has an exciting opportunity for a Researcher to support research on scaling within the small-scale irrigation (SSI) scaling partnership to promote public and private sector investments and interventions in Ghana for the Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Small-Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) project. The ILSSI project focusses on increasing profitable, sustainable and gender-sensitive irrigation to support inclusive agricultural growth, resilient food systems, and nutrition and health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations.

The ILSSI project takes an action research approach to research using mixed and inter-disciplinary methods while strengthening public and private institutional and individual capacity to continue to use effective scientific tools and methods into the future.Reporting to the Country Representative – Ghana and to the Senior Researcher- Scaling Innovations leading the ILSSI project, the successful candidate will be responsible for conducting scaling research with public and private sector. This would include development of suitable analytical frameworks, field data/secondary data collection, literature synthesis, interviews and other forms of activities to support our research agenda. Central is the investigation of systemic barriers preventing water solutions to scale with the aim at supporting resilience building of smallholder farmers and agricultural value chains in an inclusive and sustainable manner.

Hence, the successful candidate is expected to carry out and synthesize research related to innovation scaling, social inclusion, and irrigated agricultural value chain research in the form of scientific publications, policy briefs and technical reports. The researcher will be facilitating collaboration among partners and researchers to develop and establish action based pilots with the public and private sector testing different financial mechanisms and business model canvasses to enhance inclusive access to irrigation supply chains and services for agricultural high value chains. He/she will be monitoring and evaluating SSI scaling pathways to document and present lessons learned to sustainably and equitably incentivize uptake.

THE PERSON FOR THE ROLE

• PhD degree in human geography, political science, sociology, development economics, or a closely related field relevant to water resources management, agricultural development, and agricultural innovation systems and scaling. For disciplines related to business and business administration, candidates with a Master’s degree will be accepted. Candidates with a Master’s degree in science will be accepted where individuals are able to show a scientific and professional track record equivalent to a PhD degree.
• Minimum of 2 years of post-PhD or 7 years of post-Master’s relevant work experience, preferably in areas such as the scaling of agricultural innovation and value chain development.
• Proven experience and ability in effectively using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods and participatory research approaches to design and conduct field research activities across a range of problems, such as:
  • agricultural value chain analysis and market study;
  • innovation scaling partnership, pathway and process;
  • gender equality and social inclusion in value chain and innovation scaling;
  • inclusive business model and relationship; and
  • interactive demand-driven learning for capacity building.
• Knowledge and experience on developing and using analytical frameworks and qualitative and quantitative data analysis to carry out analyses on:
  • enabling environments, including formal and informal institutions;
  • innovation scaling, including systemic barriers, business model, and financial modality; and
  • organization and governance of scaling partnerships.

• Extensive experience and ability to engage with multi-stakeholders in Ghana and/or West Africa, including:
  • engaging with businesses, governments and individuals on the topics of scaling irrigation and agricultural water management innovations;
  • facilitating and maintaining strong multi-stakeholder partnerships in agribusiness and market systems in Ghana, including the private sector;
  • working collaboratively and effectively with academic and non-academic stakeholders;
  • applying technical, economic and institutional reasoning to innovation scaling and policy issues in a critical manner.
• Scientific competence and track record of:
  • peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals;
  • communicating research findings in international conferences, other platforms and media;
  • transforming research into knowledge products for outreach and impact in Ghana, and influencing wider forms of development policy and practice.
• Proven ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional and multicultural environment.
• Excellent communication skills in English and French, and the ability to explain complex issues clearly.

Benefits

This is a nationally recruited position and only citizens of Ghana are encouraged to apply. IWMI offers a competitive salary and benefits package, inclusive of health insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and long-term disability coverage. The duration of the contract will initially be for a period of two years with the possibility of extension based on performance and availability of funds.

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