Job Description

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of Postdoctoral Fellow – Partnerships, Scaling & Impact.

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. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.

As agricultural research increasingly emphasizes delivery, scaling, and impact, there is a growing need to strengthen partnerships, generate robust evidence on outcomes, and build capacity across systems. The Partnerships for Delivery and Scaling Directorate plays a central role in translating research outputs into scalable development outcomes through strategic partnerships, resource mobilization, and evidence-based decision-making.

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will support the Deputy Director General (DDG), Partnerships for Delivery and Scaling, by contributing to partnership development, resource mobilization, impact assessment studies, and capacity strengthening initiatives across Africa. The position will also provide technical support to the Capacity Development Office to enhance knowledge sharing and institutional learning.

Position Responsibilities

• Support the Partnerships for Delivery and Scaling Directorate in its mandate and contribute to the management of projects, including CsaNSA-Mali; Tadamon 2.0; I-youth 2.0, etc.
• Support the development and strengthening of strategic partnerships with governments, development organizations, private sector actors, and research institutions across Africa.
• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts through the development of high-quality concept notes, grant proposals, and donor engagement materials.
• Lead and support impact assessment studies, including the design of evaluation frameworks, data collection tools, and analytical approaches to assess programme outcomes and impacts.
• Conduct adoption, scaling, and outcome studies to generate evidence on the effectiveness of agricultural innovations and delivery models.
• Provide technical support to the Capacity Development Office in delivering on Capacity Sharing activities for the institute as well as the CGIAR Capacity Sharing Accelerator.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement platforms, workshops, and learning alliances to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange.
• Contribute to scientific publications, policy briefs, and technical reports related to partnerships, impact assessment, and scaling of innovations.
• Support the documentation of lessons learned, best practices, and success stories to inform programme improvement and scaling strategies.
• Assist in coordinating multi-country activities and ensuring alignment of project implementation with institutional goals.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the DDG, Partnerships for Delivery and Scaling, and the head of the Capacity Development Office.

Requirements

Educational Qualifications

The candidate should have a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Agribusiness, Agricultural Extension, Development Studies, or any other related field.

Core Competencies

• Minimum of six (6) years of relevant research and project management experience.
• Strong background in impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation, and applied research methods. • Experience in designing and conducting quantitative and qualitative studies
• Proven ability to contribute to grant writing and resource mobilization efforts.
• Experience in capacity building, training design, and facilitation is desirable.
• Strong understanding of agricultural development systems, partnerships, and scaling approaches.
• Excellent scientific writing skills with evidence of peer-reviewed publications.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in multicultural, multidisciplinary, and multi-institutional teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Willingness to travel frequently.

Benefits

Duty Station: Ibadan, Nigeria

General information: The contract will be for an initial period of three years. IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in US Dollars.

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Applications must include a cover letter which should address how the candidate’s background/experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, curriculum vitae, and names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor/Superior at his/her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Director of People and Culture. Please complete our online application form using this link: https://apply.workable.com/iita/#jobs

Closing Date: June 15, 2026

IITA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce, particularly welcoming applications from women. While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.