Established in 1970 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (www.icipe.org) is distinct, being the only research organisation in Africa working primarily on insects and other arthropods. icipe is also the sole institution that combines research and development activities across plant health, human health, animal health and environmental health. icipe generates world-class scientific knowledge and translates it into insect-based, nature-positive, one health innovations that sustainably transform millions of livelihoods across Africa and beyond. Additionally, icipe nurtures Africa's talent and leadership in insect science through the centre's long-standing programmes in doctoral and postdoctoral training, advancement of research and innovation in applied sciences, engineering, and technology, and the creation of a bioeconomy in Africa. The Centre has about 500 international and national staff operations in more than 40 countries in Africa, and over 300 partnerships with diverse organisations across the world. For additional information, visit: www.icipe.org.

Please also download icipe's Vision and Strategy 2026-2030: https://www.icipe.org/content/icipevision-and-strategy-2026-2030

icipe seeks to recruit a Research Officer I under the Integrated Data and Analytics Platform. The position is tenable in Nairobi at the icipe Duduvile campus. This is a one-year contract renewable subject to continued position needs, funding for the position, and performance of the staff member. This is a nationally recruited position. A competitive compensation package will be offered to the right candidate. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Overall Purpose of the Job

The Research Officer I is expected to provide GIS and Earth observation support to the H’Ogie project and Zanbee project through research and analyze the influence of seasonality, landscapes and land degradation on bee hives productivity and on bee pollinator diversity.

Specific duties

• The successful candidate is expected to:
• Develop high-quality baseline geospatial products for the study area using integrated GIS workflows (e.g. QGIS, ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, and R), including land-cover, climate, and landscape configuration layers.
• Conduct field surveys to georeference apiaries and meliponaries, including GPS mapping of beekeeper households and sampling locations, to support spatial-genomic analyses.
• Characterise phylogenetic and genomic relationships among bee species and examine how these relationships vary across land-use and land-cover classes, environmental gradients, and landscape change.
• Develop spatially explicit models and maps linking land-use change, habitat degradation, and landscape structure to bee phylogenetic diversity, foraging patterns, and ecosystem service provision.
• Perform land-use/land-cover and land-degradation assessments using satellite imagery and advanced modelling approaches to quantify habitat change and its impacts on pollinator diversity.
• Assist in organizing the availability of necessary resources to facilitate learning session and project implementation skill development.
• Coordinates the planning and organising of internal and external meetings and other events (e.g. folders and materials, registration forms, workshop programmes and name tags, follow up on payments and settlement of working advances, documentation and proceedings).
• Processes and makes follow-up on project payments including partner disbursement and other payments and maintains a database of the same for ease of reference and follow-up.
• Coordinates all matters pertaining to travel advances, cross-checking and accountability of employees within the unit.
• Facilitate staff and student recruitment and renewal of contracts.

Requirements/ qualifications

• First degree in a relevant field with experience in Project Management and/or Financial Management.
• At least 2 years' experience in project implementation, documenting, and reporting in an NGO setting.
• Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail, time management, ability to multitask, define and set priorities, and problem solve.
• Effective communication and writing skills taking notes and report writing.
• Experience in facilitating teamwork and collaboration with partners at all levels.
• Strong ability to anticipate and plan ahead, and take personal initiative, work both independently and as a team member, and collaborate and coordinate with others.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work under pressure.

Reporting

This position reports to the Senior Research Scientist.

How to apply

Applications will be accepted up to 13th March 2026. Interested applicants should submit: (a) a confidential cover letter; (b) a detailed CV with names and addresses of 3 referees; and (c) a statement illustrating suitability against the listed qualifications/competencies/abilities, and skills.

Candidates are required to apply online through: http://recruit.icipe.org  (Kindly quote the Ref. No. and the position title subject).

(In your application, please include your current and expected basic salary per month. This is a mandatory requirement.)

icipe is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equity, teamwork, and respect for diversity.

• Develop high-quality baseline geospatial products for the study area using integrated GIS workflows (e.g. QGIS, ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, and R), including land-cover, climate, and landscape configuration layers.
• Conduct field surveys to georeference apiaries and meliponaries, including GPS mapping of beekeeper households and sampling locations, to support spatial-genomic analyses.
• Characterise phylogenetic and genomic relationships among bee species and examine how these relationships vary across land-use and land-cover classes, environmental gradients, and landscape change.
• Develop spatially explicit models and maps linking land-use change, habitat degradation, and landscape structure to bee phylogenetic diversity, foraging patterns, and ecosystem service provision.
• Perform land-use/land-cover and land-degradation assessments using satellite imagery and advanced modelling approaches to quantify habitat change and its impacts on pollinator diversity.
• Assist in organizing the availability of necessary resources to facilitate learning session and project implementation skill development.
• Coordinates the planning and organising of internal and external meetings and other events (e.g. folders and materials, registration forms, workshop programmes and name tags, follow up on payments and settlement of working advances, documentation and proceedings).
• Processes and makes follow-up on project payments including partner disbursement and other payments and maintains a database of the same for ease of reference and follow-up.
• Coordinates all matters pertaining to travel advances, cross-checking and accountability of employees within the unit.
• Facilitate staff and student recruitment and renewal of contracts.

• Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail, time management, ability to multitask, define and set priorities, and problem solve.
• Effective communication and writing skills taking notes and report writing.
• Experience in facilitating teamwork and collaboration with partners at all levels.
• Strong ability to anticipate and plan ahead, and take personal initiative, work both independently and as a team member, and collaborate and coordinate with others.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work under pressure.

• First degree in a relevant field with experience in Project Management and/or Financial Management.
• At least 2 years' experience in project implementation, documenting, and reporting in an NGO setting.