El Centro Internacional de la Papa busca un(a) Líder para la División de Agricultura y Salud Humana

El Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) está buscando a un profesional epideomólogo para cubrir la plaza de Líder de la División de Agricultura y Salud Humana, que cubra las áreas de epidemiología nutricional, epidemiología social y epidemiología ambiental. La experiencia con investigación interdisciplinaria para el desarrollo y su relación con la agricultura y la salud será un punto a favor del candidato.



El candidato que asuma esta posición desarrollará metas y estrategias para la
división, liderará la movilización de recursos, y liderará a su equipo de profesionales científicos y socios con el objetivo de obtener resultados de investigación que contribuyan a
superar la pobreza y la reducción del hambre gracias al mejoramiento nutricional.

Invitamos a los interesados revisar los términos de referencia (en el detalle de la infonota) y, de cumplir con los requerimientos y condiciones, enviar su CV completo adjuntando carta de presentación vía email al CIP.
La selección de los candidatos se iniciará el 1 de mayo del 2008 y continuará hasta que la plaza sea ocupada.



The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking an epidemiologist to lead our growing Agriculture and Human Health Division. The candidate should be an established health researcher with a track record of obtaining grants leading to innovative intervention evaluations and peer-reviewed publications. Areas of particular interest could include nutritional epidemiology, social epidemiology and environmental epidemiology. Experience with inter-disciplinary research for development teams on agriculture and health links would be an asset, as would application of epidemiological evidence to programs and policy in low and middle income countries.

The Center: CIP is a not-for-profit international agricultural research organization with a global mandate to conduct research on potatoes and sweet potatoes, sustainable management of natural resources, urban agriculture and agricultural interventions for health. CIP’s vision is to contribute from its areas of expertise to the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular those goals that relate to poverty, hunger and child and maternal mortality. CIP and its partners contribute high-quality science and capacity building to the global effort to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition and make sustainable development possible for poor potato and sweetpotato farmers, their families and communities. CIP has its headquarters in Lima, Peru and staff and regional offices in other locations in Africa and Asia. CIP is a member of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, a network of 15 research centers mostly located in the developing world and supported by more than 50 donor members. CIP is active in the Platform on Agriculture and Human Health in conjunction with colleagues from other CGIAR centers and the World Health Organization.

The Division: CIP’s Agriculture and Human Health division seeks to understand and address the linkages between agriculture and human health so as to design agricultural interventions for improved human health. The Center recognizes that agriculture can contribute both positively and negatively to human health. In its vision document, “Preserving the Core, Stimulating Progress” the Center declared its intention to contribute to the millennium development goals for reducing child and maternal mortality. The center has considerable experience in agriculture related health research including: nutritional benefits of consuming beta carotene rich sweet potato and research, potential nutritional and health enhancing attributes of potato and traditional Andean tubers genetic resources, food safety in urban and peri-urban agriculture, and occupational safety and environmental impacts of pesticide use. The center wishes to consolidate these experiences, project its potential impacts on global burden of disease, and continue to make new contributions.

The position: CIP seeks an accomplished, broad-visioned epidemiologist to lead the research for development initiatives of the Agriculture and Human Health Division. The health sciences professional that will hold this challenging position will have primary responsibility for providing scientific leadership for CIP in enhancing the contribution of agriculture to improved human health and will do this through forging strong links with agricultural sciences colleagues in other divisions. The holder of this position will develop the goals and strategies of the division, lead resource mobilization, and lead the scientific team and its partners to ensure that research outputs contribute to poverty and hunger reduction and nutrition improvement. The leader will work closely with the center’s global partners in planning and coordinating the Division’s research. S/he will be a member of CIP’s Program Committee, contributing to the strategies and direction of CIP’s research, and represent the center in a variety of research, funder, and partner forums. The position reports to the Deputy Director General-Research and is based at CIP’s headquarters in Lima, Peru with frequent international travel.

The successful candidate will:

• have a PhD or equivalent in epidemiology;
• be an accomplished and innovative researcher with research project management experience and familiarity with leading interdisciplinary teams;
• have experience working in global health research and/or agriculture-related fields;
• have demonstrated success in attracting research funding.

Gender analysis will be a cross-cutting theme in research design, as will participatory models involving farm communities in design, implementation and evaluation of research. Familiarity with systems or pathway analysis as an important paradigm to capture direct and indirect links between agriculture and human health in agro-ecosystems is an asset.

We are looking for an individual confident in his or her discipline, who can reach out to agricultural scientists. S/he should be able to design a strategy for CIP’s activities relating agriculture and human health, liaise with CIP’s other science leaders at headquarters and in the regions, possess excellent management and collaboration skills, be committed to working in a multi-partner, multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment, and be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. Fluency in English is required and other languages are an asset.

Conditions: The employment contract will be for an initial three-year term with the possibility of renewal. Salary is internationally competitive and paid in US dollars. CIP provides excellent benefits including employer-paid medical, life and disability insurance and retirement benefits. Generous allowances toward relocation, housing, home leave travel, dependents’ education and annual leave are also provided. CIP prides itself on its collegial and supportive working environment which allows space for personal and professional growth.

Applications: The application should include a cover letter summarizing the applicant’s qualifications and experience relevant for this position, a complete curriculum vitae, and the names and addresses (including telephone, fax and e-mail) of three referees knowledgeable about his/her professional qualifications and work experience. CIP seeks diversity and gender balance in its staff. Women and citizens of developing countries are particularly urged to apply.

Please send application via e-mail to Rosario Marcovich at CIP-Recruitment@cgiar.org. The reference name of the position should be clearly marked on the subject line of the email message. Screening of applications will begin on 1 May 2008 and will continue until the post is filled. All applications will be acknowledged, only short listed candidates will be contacted.