Friday, January 6, 2012

RESEARCH TECHNICIAN VACANCY IN KENYA - ICRISAT / ICRAF

About the organization

ICRISAT is a non-profit, apolitical, international organization for science-based agricultural research for development. Established in 1972, it is one of the 15 Centers of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and is supported by some 48 governments, foundations, and development banks. ICRISAT, with its Headquarters located in India, has regional centers and research teams in Asia and Sub- Saharan Africa. In the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region, ICRISAT has country programs in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique. For further details please visit our website www.icrisat.org.  The ICRISAT regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa is hosted on the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) campus in Nairobi, Kenya and is currently seeking a qualified candidate to fill the locally recruited position of Research Technician.

About the Position

The Research Technician will work in the ICRISAT Grain Legumes Research Programme on groundnut rosette disease resistance, involving QTL mapping and marker-assisted trait introgression using SSR markers and will be responsible for providing technical support to the laboratory operations of the Regional Office (ESA).

Duties and responsibilities will include

DNA extraction, quality checks and quantification.
SSR genotyping using capillary sequencers and data analysis.
QTL mapping, collect and analyse data and report results.
Providing support to PhD and MSc students and visiting scientists as well as for training courses.
Tracking the use of laboratory consumables.
Assisting in procurement of consumables and equipment.
Providing other technical support to the laboratory operations of the Regional Office, as necessary.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in biotechnology or a related field, with at least 2 years relevant technical experience.
Experience in a research environment, specifically in molecular sciences, including PCR, sequencing, genotyping, and genomics.

Knowledge of laboratory health and safety procedures.
Computer literacy in MS Office.
Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as in a team setting.
Strong English language skills, both spoken and written.
Must be a Kenyan National.

Terms of Offer

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer and offers a collegial and gender-sensitive working environment. We believe that staff diversity promotes excellence and strongly encourage applications from qualified women. This position is on local terms and will be for an initial period of three (3) years, renewable subject to six (6) months’ probation period, assessment of performance, continued relevance of the position and availability of resources.

How to apply

Applications for the position must include:

A cover letter illustrating your suitability for the position against the listed requirements and salary expectations
A detailed curriculum vitae
The names and addresses of three referees, including telephone, fax numbers and email addresses.

All correspondence should be addressed to the
Human Resources Unit,
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF),
PO Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya

OR via email: icrafhru@cgiar.org and should indicate “Application for Research Technician-ICRISAT” on their application letters and email submissions.

Applications will be considered until 11 January 2012:  Please note that only short-listed applicants meeting the above requirements will be contacted.


We invite you to learn more about ICRISAT and ICRAF by accessing our web sites:  www.icrisat.org and www.worldagroforestry.org.