China: Potato Breeder Scientist

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a dynamic and innovative plant breeder to lead potato plant breeding efforts for the CIP-China Center for Asia Pacific (CCCAP).

The CIP-China Center for Asia Pacific– or CCCAP – was established in 2010 and now employs a staff of 10 based in Beijing. CCCAP is a platform for cooperative potato and sweetpotato scientific research for development in China and countries in the Asia Pacific region promoting CIP’s mission in the areas of food security, nutrition and health, and poverty alleviation. It is expected to grow significantly in size and research scope the next few years. With Government of China funding, a new CCCAP research facility in Yanqing (Beijing) has been constructed with 48 fully-equipped laboratory rooms, greenhouses, offices, training and dormitories. It will open in 2017 with initial research operations set to begin the second half of the year and a more robust research program taking shape in 2018. CCCAP is legally registered in China as an intergovernmental organization.

The position: This position will be based in Yanqing (Beijing), China and will report to CCCAP Chief Scientist and co-report to the Crop Improvement Global Leader. He/she will partner with expert teams both within and outside CIP from disciplines such as statistics, genomics, plant physiology, phenomics and crop modelling. The selected candidate will use and support the utilization of genetic and genomic resources, populations and varieties to enhance potato productivity in the main potato producing regions of China, and will contribute to potato breeding efforts in other Asian countries.

Duties and Accountabilities:

• Provide scientific leadership for potato crop improvement, setting breeding priorities for CCCAP in interaction with the Crop Improvement and other science leaders towards the achievement of CIP’s strategic objectives.
• Serves as a Principal Investigator and establishes collaborative research with Chinese and other Asian partners related to potato breeding and genetics.
• Identifies and exploits valuable novel and existing genetic resources relevant for CIP potato breeding efforts in China and Asia Pacific
• Ensure proper management of projects and financial resources
• Participate in attracting competitive grants and external funding from a range of public and private donors to implement potato breeding in CCCAP
• Attract researchers, interns, and visiting scholars to CIP and develop collaborative projects, and provide opportunities for students and breeders to get exposure and expand linkages between national and international agricultural research institutions.

Selection Criteria:

• PhD in plant genetics, plant breeding or plant physiology with at least 5 years of working experience in potato breeding.
• Demonstrable experience managing breeding programs, preferably in potato.
• Good understanding of and experience with current molecular breeding approaches.
• Experience and knowledge of clonal, polyploid crops is preferred, and a good understanding of issues related to potato seed production and/or research
• Excellent statistical skills, and experience with statistical software such as SAS, ASREML or GENSTAT.
• Strong communication, organizational skills and experience managing staff.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; advanced knowledge of Chinese is highly desirable.
• Demonstrable experience in grant/research proposal formulation and fund raising.
• Ability to build and lead breeding teams and collaborate across institutions and disciplines.
• Commitment to work in a multi-partner, multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment.
• Track record of relevant scientific publications.
• Strong team player, self-motivated, goal-oriented and committed to shared goals.

Conditions: Employment contract will be for a three-year term with the possibility of renewal. Salary will be internationally competitive, paid in US dollars, and commensurate with experience. CIP prides itself on its collegial and supportive working environment, which allows space for personal and professional growth.

Applicants should apply online through CIP’s Job Opportunities website (http://cipotato.org/open-vacancies/), including a cover letter, a full C.V. with the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable of the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. Screening of applications will begin on May 12, 2017 and will continue until the post is filled. All applications will be acknowledged; however only short listed candidates will be contacted.