Position Description
Central American Coordinator
On-Farm Demonstration Trial and Nursery Verification Programs
Summary:
The
Coordinator will work under the direction of the WCR Rust Project
Director and will be responsible for the execution of two WCR programs
to improve the productivity and profitability of coffee farming in
Central America using agricultural technology: (1) On-Farm Demonstration
Trial (OFTD) and (2) Nursery Verification. Both will begin in 2016.
The
OFDT program will serve to demonstrate the use of efficient coffee
production systems through the establishment of a network of on-farm
demonstration trial sites across Central America. The sites will
demonstrate the performance of improved coffee varieties soil
treatments, tailored to each country. The program will begin with 10-20
trial sites in each of 4 countries in 2016 but will grow to 60-100 for
each country by 2018. We estimate that within five years, farmers who
adopt the demonstration trial variety and soil packages will double or
triple profits on their demonstration plots and will seek more new
seedlings and soil treatments to increase the renovation areas on their
farms.
The
WCR Nursery Verification program is a platform for verifying the
health and genetic purity of seed stocks available through nurseries.
The program enables producers to be certain that their purchases are
good ones, and builds trust between seed sellers and farmers. We expect
that producers who use the plant Verified (healthy and genetically
pure) planting material can expect to increase both the quality and
volume of coffee by 10-15%. The program is launching with four pilot
nurseries in Central America in 2016 and will grow to respond to market
demand for Verified seedlings in future years. The right candidate
could have business opportunities with the Verified program in later
years. The Coordinator will be based at the WCR JHILL Research Farm and
Operations Center in Santa Ana, El Salvador.
Qualifications:
- Familiar with coffee and the Central American Coffee Sector and its players
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in coffee
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent or higher
- Must be motivated and proactive, able to organize and operate independently, and on a team
- Spanish and English necessary
- Must be willing to travel in Central America and other coffee producing countries
- Must be able to talk to and work with farmers and nursery owners and operators
Roles and Responsibilities:
For ODFT:
- Set up WCR office for OFDT and Nursery Verification programs at the JHILL facility in Santa Anna, El Salvador
- Work with WCR Scientific Director and country teams to determine varieties and soil technologies for OFDT
- Responsible for the bidding process among nurseries for multiplication of varieties for the OFDT and distribution to coordinating entities (supply chain country coordinator) in each country.
- Responsible for ordering and distribution of soil treatments for OFDT to each country coordinator
- Work with WCR Scientific Director and Project Director to design OFTD monitoring protocols
- Monitor OFDT in each country 2-3 times per year
- Coordinate data collection and retrieval for WCR database unit in Guatemala
- Work closely with supply chain country coordinators to insure that OFDTs are being closely monitored by supply chain agronomists
- Train supply chain coordinators and agronomists on OFDT protocols and data collection system
For Nursery Verification:
- Undertake training by WCR on Nursery Verification Procedures conducted in April and May by an expert
- Assist in the development of a streamlined verification program with WCR technician at JHILL
General:
- Work with WCR communications director to promote both OFDT and Verification programs to donors, NGOs, cooperatives and nurseries.
- Work with WCR financial director to put into place system of invoicing and payment for inspections.
- Represent WCR to donor organizations, roasting companies, and NGOs.
Other considerations:
Position
start date is April 1, 2016. Please send letter of interest and CV in
English to: Siaska Castro, Director of Finance and Administration, 578
John Kimbrough Boulevard, Suite 230, College Station, TX 77843-2477, siaska@worldcoffeeresearch.org by March 1st.
About World Coffee Research:
World Coffee Research is a
collaborative, not-for-profit 501(c)5 agricultural research organization
formed in 2012 to ensure the future of coffee in the face of threats
like climate change. Our mission is to grow, protect, and enhance
supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the
families who produce it. We have research programs underway in 22
countries around the world.
Closing Date: 15 March 2016
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