CONSULTANT - ISPARK SOIL HEALTH AND ISFM SPECIALIST as

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT on behalf of IITA Recruiting:

 CONSULTANT - ISPARK SOIL HEALTH AND ISFM SPECIALIST

The Organization

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. The Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation (https://alliancebioversityciat.org/ )

With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people.

The Alliance a member of the CGIAR Consortium (www.cgiar.org  ) a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

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

BACKGROUND

The iSPARK project is implementing climate-smart soil nutrient management and irrigation advisory solutions across western Kenya. A core component of this work is AgWise, an ML-based fertilizer recommendation engine that integrates trial data, soil covariates, topography, and climate descriptors to generate site-specific nutrient recommendations for maize.

AgWise currently has an integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) module, which now needs to be adapted to the soil, climate, and farming-system conditions of western Kenya. This adaptation focuses on the module's organic fertilization component, whose recommendations need to be tested and calibrated against existing soil organic carbon (SOC) data and field data from the region. This work will strengthen the diagnostic and recommendation logic underpinning the soil health innovation of the iSPARK results framework. Beyond the module work, the project requires technical support to generate and communicate soil health evidence, including investment cases, scientific publications, policy briefs, and farmer advisories that link soil fertility management with irrigation and intercropping, and to engage partners such as GIZ, KALRO, and county governments on scaling..

OBJECTIVE

To engage a consultant to support the testing, validation, and refinement of the organic fertilization component of the AgWise ISFM module for western Kenya, using existing soil datasets, to contribute to the module's integration into the broader ML-based recommendation workflow, and to engage with external partners (e.g., KALRO, county governments, and other research and development partners) to advance project implementation.

 SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will:

• Identify and review existing SOC and related soil fertility datasets available within the project, partner organizations, and the wider region, document their coverage and access conditions, and assess their suitability for calibrating the organic fertilization component of the ISFM module.
  
• Support the integration and harmonization of field data from western Kenya with existing datasets for module testing.
  
• Test the prediction logic of the ISFM module's organic fertilization component against observed outcomes, applying appropriate statistical and machine learning validation methods.
  
• Identify and document data quality issues, gaps, or inconsistencies affecting module performance.
  
• Work in R to conduct data processing, model testing, and validation analysis, consistent with the existing AgWise codebase and workflows.
  
• Engage with relevant project stakeholders (e.g., AgWise technical team, KALRO, county governments, and other research and development partners) to validate data interpretations, gather feedback on testing results, align module refinements with field realities, and advance project implementation.
  
• Collaborate with the AgWise technical team to adapt model parameters and recommendation logic to western Kenya conditions based on testing outcomes.
  
• Document methodology, testing results, and recommendations in a structured technical note.
  
• Provide technical input to soil health and fertilizer investment cases, including evidence on costs, benefits and adoption feasibility.
  
• Support data analysis, interpretation of findings and preparation of scientific articles.
  
• Review soil management recommendations and farmer advisories, including links to irrigation and intercropping.
  
• Contribute to policy briefs and practical guidance on integrated soil fertility management.
  
• Support engagement with GIZ, research institutions and relevant government partners on soil health evidence and scaling opportunities.
  
• Contribute to documenting project results, lessons, and recommendations for future implementation.
  
• Participate in virtual and in-person iSPARK meetings, technical discussions and dissemination events.
  

DELIVERABLES

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Advanced degree (MSc or higher) in soil science, agronomy, or a related discipline — required.
  
• 3-5 years of relevant professional experience in soil science, agronomy, or a closely related field.
  
• Demonstrated knowledge of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), including organic soil amendments and soil organic carbon dynamics.
  
• Proficiency in R programming for data analysis, including experience with statistical or machine learning packages relevant to agronomic modeling.
  
• Experience engaging with technical and non-technical stakeholders (e.g., researchers, development partners or government partners) to communicate findings and incorporate feedback into technical work.
  
• Familiarity with fertilizer recommendation systems or digital agronomy tools is an advantage.
  
• Experience working with field trial or geo-referenced agricultural datasets.
  
• Experience with cost-benefit or investment analysis of soil fertility interventions is an advantage.
  
• Strong written communication skills, with a track record of peer-reviewed publications and experience preparing policy briefs or farmer-facing advisory materials 
  

   6 months on a full-time basis

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Candidates must submit a financial proposal in USD that details the cost of each deliverable listed in Section 4, together with the total cost of the assignment. Payment will be made in three installments, each linked to the deliverables shown below and released upon submission and written acceptance by IITA of those deliverables. The amount of each installment will equal the sum of the proposed costs of its linked deliverables.

DUTY STATION

The Duty station for this consultancy is Nairobi, with travel to western Kenya as required for field activities, partner engagement, and dissemination events.

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.

Applications

Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number REF: CONSULTANT - ISPARK SOIL HEALTH AND ISFM SPECIALIST as the position applied for.

The Alliance collects and process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. Application and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting. Also submit the financial proposal as indicated above

Note: The Alliance does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). The Alliance also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

                                     Applications closing date: 13th November 2026 

Please note that email applications will not be considered.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

We invite you to learn more about us at: 

                                           http://alliancebioversityciat.org