Thematic Leader, Research Data and Knowledge Management for Open Science At

The organization

The Alliance of Bioversity International delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national, and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

About the position

The Thematic Leader, Research Data and Knowledge Management for Open Science reports to the Leader of the Performance, Information and Strategic Analysis for Impact (PISAI) program. The Thematic Leader provides strategic leadership for developing and governing innovative research data, information, and open science strategy to leverage data and information products as strategic assets of the organization. The position leads a global team that oversees center-wide research data governance and management, research data engineering and data systems development, information management, and statistical services to support the Alliances objectives.

The Thematic Leader works closely with institutional leaders to ensure these functions integrate across the entire research life cycle, improve research quality, and assure impact at scale. The position fosters an open science culture that ensures research outputs are widely distributed and used as strategic assets in international agricultural research by all stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Define and govern the research data, information and open science strategy in accordance with Alliance policies for stewardship and utilization of data and information as strategic assets of the organization for impact.
• Provide leadership and strategic guidance to a global team identifying and implementing improved mechanisms for research data and information management at an institutional level and within project research life cycles.
• Lead the design and implementation of flexible and integrated data and information management systems for multi-disciplinary research
• Identify and implement digital technologies that help to make the research process more efficient.
• Lead a global team that promotes data quality by providing services for research characterized by well-documented and ethically responsible research designs, methods, and appropriate statistical analysis.
• Oversee the development and implementation of standards and processes that integrate the Alliance data and information for strategic use and make it widely and transparently available according to globally accepted standards to drive the dissemination and impact of research.
• Contribute to or lead the development and implementation of successful proposals.

Engagement:

• Engage with institutional leaders from Research Levers, PISA, Program Delivery Unit, Partnership and Communications and the legal office to ensure data and open science functions are strategically integrated across the entire research life cycle.
• Collaborate with the Director of Technology Integration, to establish policies, guidelines and processes that ensure the availability of relevant data architecture for research while ensuring data security and privacy.
• Represent the Organization in data and information management related forums within the CGIAR and the CGIAR Programs and Platforms to ensure the Alliance is a leader in the stewardship, use and dissemination of research data and information products.
• Collaborate with external groups, organizations, and associations and participate in relevant significant events to improve data and information management, research methods, and open science within the Alliance.

Delivery

• Govern a strategy that ensures stewardship, management and dissemination of research data and information for utilization as a strategic asset of the Alliance.
• Oversee efficient and high-quality design, collection, storage management, security, analysis and sharing of research data and information, in compliance with organization policy and ethics and to meet organization and funder research and impact goals.
• Oversee creation of research data and information systems that improve efficiency of research to facilitate timeliness of research outputs.
• Oversee the management of data and information process and platforms to ensure timely dissemination of Alliance information products in compliance with open access policy. Timely provision of research output indicators to the organization, CGIAR and funders.

Key qualifications and competencies:

• PhD or master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems or a related field
• Proven experience in leading global and diverse teams, preferably within a scientific or research organization
• Extensive expertise in substantive work, providing strategic direction and/or program management.
• Strategic planning and execution skills with experience turning strategic organizational objectives into actionable plans
• Advanced knowledge of data and digital principles, practices, and technologies especially in relation to the scientific research lifecycle
• Strong technical skills in areas such as artificial intelligence, software development, data analytics and other emerging technologies
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills
• Experience with Open Access, FAIR data and Open Science principles and practices is an added advantage
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, in English. Knowledge of Spanish will be an added advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively in a highly dynamic, interdisciplinary, and multicultural team
• Strong ability to lead, prioritize, and organize workload; take initiative and work under pressure

Terms of employment

This is an internationally recruited position and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. The initial contract will be for up to two (2) years, subject to a probation period of six (6) months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. This position is graded at BG11 level with a minimum basic annual salary of USD 89,885 on a scale of BG01 to BG14 (BG14 being the highest level according to the Alliance job classification framework policy). We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits including but not limited to insurance, retirement plan, staff training and development, paid time off and flexible working arrangements.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.