Background

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is a not-for-profit research and training organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org

Purpose:

Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Systems Development and Scaling portfolio of SAS, so that tested innovations are adopted at scale and contribute measurably to CIMMYT 2030 strategy, providing feedback and insights to improve innovation development within CIMMYT's Discovery portfolios.

Key accountabilities

Systems Development and Scaling vision and strategy:

Define and execute the System Development strategy for SAS, aligned with CIMMYT's Excellence in Science and Innovation objectives, identifying high impact opportunity innovations, innovation combinations, countries and pathways using scaling science tools and approaches together with cost-benefit evidence. Strengthen coherence across country and regional projects so that investments build lasting institutional capacity and systems change.

Systems and scaling science:

Contribute to research in scaling science, aligning outcome delivery with tangible and high-value monitoring and learning.

Delivery pathways:

Embed innovations in public delivery systems (policy, extension, seed systems) and in market and enterprise systems (private distribution, value chains, digital platforms). Promote viable delivery models and partner ownership that can continue beyond project funding.

Finance:

Build the investment case and pipeline to align innovations with government programs, development banks, climate finance, and private capital.

Enabling environment:

Identify and co-develop opportunities to alleviate policy, regulatory, and institutional barriers to innovation adoption, working with national partners.

Partnerships and influence:

Build equitable, long-term, impact-oriented partnerships with national agricultural research systems, universities, private sector players, international centers, non-governmental organizations, and international agencies. Advocate for CIMMYT's agenda in international forums and promote its outputs.

Inclusion and safeguards:

Ensure system development and scaling activities actively consider broad inclusion of beneficiaries, document and mitigate barriers to participation and benefit sharing, agree safeguards and accountability arrangements with partners and relevant institutional functions, and manage legal, and intellectual property in partner agreements.

Funding and results:

Lead and contribute to fundraising through projects, institutional partnerships, donor and private-sector engagement. Set targets and actively monitor scaling implementation and impacts.

Talent and operations:

Mentor and lead multi-country, transdisciplinary teams; oversee budgeting, resource allocation and compliance; manage delivery, financial and reputational risk. Set objectives and review performance for direct reports, build successor capacity, and work with Program Managers and Finance to monitor commitments, partner delivery and cost recovery.

Interface with Discovery Research:

Agree readiness criteria with the Discovery project leads and wider CIMMYT research programs, and feed field evidence, farmer feedback and demand signals back into research priorities. Support the SAS Director in program-wide planning.

Qualifications or requirements:

PhD (or master's with exceptional experience) in agricultural or development economics, sustainable development, agricultural systems, rural development, agroecology, public policy or a related field.

Experience needed:

At least 10 years of distinguished leadership in agricultural development, scaling or program delivery in an international research or development organization, academia or industry. Proven interdisciplinary and cross-sector team leadership across multiple countries. Demonstrated experience across project design, implementation, performance management and evaluation, with evidence of sustained outcomes through public, private or civil-society delivery systems. Demonstrated success in securing funding, including public, development and private finance, and managing large projects.

Additional Notes:

The position will be based at a CIMMYT office in Latin America, Asia or Africa.

Benefits:

The position is for an initial fixed-term for three (3) years, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT’s internationally competitive salary and benefits include housing allowance, car, comprehensive health and life insurance, assistance for children’s education, paid vacation, annual home travel airfare, contribution to a retirement plan, and generous assistance with relocation shipment.

• Define and execute the System Development strategy for SAS, aligned with CIMMYT's Excellence in Science and Innovation objectives, identifying high impact opportunity innovations, innovation combinations, countries and pathways using scaling science tools and approaches together with cost-benefit evidence.
• Strengthen coherence across country and regional projects so that investments build lasting institutional capacity and systems change.
• Contribute to research in scaling science, aligning outcome delivery with tangible and high-value monitoring and learning.
• Embed innovations in public delivery systems (policy, extension, seed systems) and in market and enterprise systems (private distribution, value chains, digital platforms).
• Promote viable delivery models and partner ownership that can continue beyond project funding.
• Build the investment case and pipeline to align innovations with government programs, development banks, climate finance, and private capital.
• Identify and co-develop opportunities to alleviate policy, regulatory, and institutional barriers to innovation adoption, working with national partners.
• Build equitable, long-term, impact-oriented partnerships with national agricultural research systems, universities, private sector players, international centers, non-governmental organizations, and international agencies.
• Advocate for CIMMYT's agenda in international forums and promote its outputs.
• Ensure system development and scaling activities actively consider broad inclusion of beneficiaries, document and mitigate barriers to participation and benefit sharing, agree safeguards and accountability arrangements with partners and relevant institutional functions, and manage legal, and intellectual property in partner agreements.
• Lead and contribute to fundraising through projects, institutional partnerships, donor and private-sector engagement.
• Set targets and actively monitor scaling implementation and impacts.
• Mentor and lead multi-country, transdisciplinary teams; oversee budgeting, resource allocation and compliance; manage delivery, financial and reputational risk.
• Set objectives and review performance for direct reports, build successor capacity, and work with Program Managers and Finance to monitor commitments, partner delivery and cost recovery.
• Agree readiness criteria with the Discovery project leads and wider CIMMYT research programs, and feed field evidence, farmer feedback and demand signals back into research priorities.
• Support the SAS Director in program-wide planning.

• Scaling science tools and approaches
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Monitoring and learning
• Public delivery systems (policy, extension, seed systems)
• Market and enterprise systems (private distribution, value chains, digital platforms)
• Investment case building
• Partnership development
• Advocacy
• Inclusion and safeguards
• Fundraising
• Project management
• Budgeting
• Resource allocation
• Risk management
• Team leadership
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Cross-sector collaboration

• PhD (or master's with exceptional experience) in agricultural or development economics, sustainable development, agricultural systems, rural development, agroecology, public policy or a related field.
• At least 10 years of distinguished leadership in agricultural development, scaling or program delivery in an international research or development organization, academia or industry.
• Proven interdisciplinary and cross-sector team leadership across multiple countries.
• Demonstrated experience across project design, implementation, performance management and evaluation, with evidence of sustained outcomes through public, private or civil-society delivery systems.
• Demonstrated success in securing funding, including public, development and private finance, and managing large projects.