Project Officer I at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

About the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

Duties

Program Implementation Support:

• Support day-to-day implementation of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) and High-Quality Cassava Peel (HQCP) innovation pilots at the community level.
• Work with partner hubs and spokes to coordinate distribution of inputs and equipment to women- and youth-led poultry enterprises.
• Ensure adherence to technical, environmental, and gender inclusion standards during implementation.

Community Engagement & Facilitation:

• Mobilize and engage local stakeholders, youth groups, and women’s associations for participation in innovation pilots.
• Facilitate regular group meetings, dialogues, and information-sharing with beneficiaries and service providers.
• Support delivery of business coaching, mentoring, and peer learning activities for participants.

Capacity Building Support:

• Assist in the delivery and follow-up of technical training sessions on alternative feed production and poultry enterprise management.
• Monitor participant attendance and performance in training and apprenticeships in collaboration with TVETs and trainers.

Monitoring, Learning & Reporting:

• Collect and consolidate field-level data including participation records, enterprise outcomes, and feedback from youth and women entrepreneurs.
• Track inputs, pilot outputs, and enterprise performance using provided tools.
• Contribute to field reports, success stories, and updates for monthly or quarterly program.

Partnership & Coordination:

• Liaise with local government, private sector actors, and civil society organizations to support enabling conditions for enterprise growth.
• Coordinate logistics and scheduling for field visits, learning events, and innovation demonstration.
• Perform any other job-related tasks as may be assigned by the supervisor.

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Hub 1
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Requirements And Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Agribusiness or extension, Veterinary Medicine, Rural Development, Development Studies and other related courses.
• The ideal candidate must have a minimum of five (5) years’ experience in agricultural development, youth livelihoods, community engagement, or enterprise development, must be experienced working with smallholder poultry farmers, agribusinesses, or youth/women-led enterprises in rural or semi-urban contexts and supporting donor-funded development projects.

Competencies
The ideal candidate must:

• Have strong interpersonal and facilitation skills, the ability to engage and mobilize youth and women’s groups.
• Have basic understanding of poultry systems, feed innovations (BSF, HQCP), or agricultural input value chains.
• Have good written and verbal communication skills in English; knowledge of local languages is an advantage.
• Be proficient in Microsoft Office tools and data collection platforms (e.g., ODK, KoboToolbox).
• Ability to travel frequently within target communities and work independently under supervision.
• Be passionate about youth development, agribusiness, and inclusive market systems.
• Demonstrate ability to adapt and have problem solving dynamics in multi-stakeholder environments.
• Be familiar with gender and social inclusion principles in development programming.

Benefits
We offer a highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.