Rwanda Plant Nutrient Management Research & Lab Senior Specialist (Renewable)

Lead end-to-end research on innovative plant nutrient management products, practices and services to drive measurable farmer impact. You will oversee soil and plant lab operations, manage a technical sub-team, and bridge the gap between high-confidence laboratory analysis and large-scale field implementation.

Responsibilities

Lead Applied Research in Plant Nutrient Management & Soil Health

• Design and lead multidisciplinary research, trials, and modelling to evaluate innovative plant nutrient management solutions (products, practices, services) for smallholder farmers.
• Assess feasibility, adoption potential, risks, and impact of products and practices through rigorous research and analysis.
• Develop scientifically robust methodologies, experimental designs, and impact models to support evidence-based decision-making.

Deliver High-Quality Trials, Data Analysis & Scalable Recommendations

• Oversee quality implementation of field and station trials, ensuring strong data integrity and research standards.
• Analyse and interpret complex datasets to generate actionable insights, technical reports, and decision-support recommendations.
• Translate research findings into scalable operational recommendations and farmer-facing solutions.
• Develop extension material based on well-evidenced products, practices and services.

Provide Technical Leadership for Soil & Plant Laboratory Operations

• Oversee laboratory and inventory operations, ensuring quality standards, SOP compliance, and operational efficiency.
• Guide laboratory resourcing, equipment planning, KPI tracking, and introduction of new analytical capabilities aligned with organisational priorities.
• Build technical capacity of laboratory and inventory staff through coaching, training, and performance support.

Build Research Partnerships & Drive Continuous Improvement

• Develop and manage collaborations with research institutions, government agencies, and industry stakeholders to strengthen technical capability and accelerate impact.
• Lead trainings, workshops, and process improvement initiatives to enhance departmental effectiveness.
• Represent the department in cross-functional and external technical engagements.
• Contribute to effective departmental coordination and administrative execution.

Qualifications

• Relevant academic background in Agronomy, Soil Science, Plant Nutrition, Microbiology, Agroecology, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in agricultural research (e.g. experimental design, sampling methodologies, and bias minimisation techniques).
• Deep technical knowledge of soil science (biological, chemical and physical), plant nutrition, nutrient management options, soil food web theory, nutrient cycling, and soil health assessment options.
• Understanding of soil/plant laboratory operations management and soil chemical, biological and physical analysis techniques (e.g. dry chemistry, microbial enumeration).
• Familiarity with various fertiliser types (especially microbial biostimulants and synthetic fertilisers).
• Experience with data analysis tools.