Water Resources/Harvesting Specialist

Location: Aleppo, Syria
Organisation: ICARDA
Closing Date: 30 October 2008

The Water Resources/Water Harvesting Specialist will report to the Director of ICARDA’s Integrated Water and Land Management Program.

The appointee will work with ICARDA scientists from other disciplines, with national program partners, and with advanced research institutes to assess water resources in the dry areas, mainly in Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA), to design and implement research and capacity building programs on micro and macro catchment water harvesting systems and associated small structures for managing water resources.

He/she will also identify the main technical, social and policy constraints to integration of water harvesting practices in agricultural systems in general and in drier rangeland environments in particular. He/she will develop linkages to current research and development work in ICARDA’s water benchmarks and satellite sites project to develop options for efficient water and land management; and initiate training activities in rainwater harvesting and associated water management practices. The appointee will develop project proposals for donor support to tackle water management issues in the dry areas. Such projects will adopt an integrated approach to water and land use analysis and management options applicable beyond the target area, using a holistic, interdisciplinarity and participatory approach.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in water resources management/engineering, demonstrated competence for at least 5 years in understanding, analysing, designing and implementing rainwater harvesting systems for agriculture at the macro and micro levels.

He/she must have at least 3 years extensive field research experience in the application of water harvesting and conservation practicies for rangeland rehabilitation, supplemental irrigation and other agricultural and environmental uses, part of which should have been in developing countries; capability and willingness to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary and multicultural context; computer skills; and fluency in spoken and written English. Capability in French and/or Arabic and GIS and remote sensing capabilities would be an advantage.

Qualified applicants are invited to send: 1) Cover letter of interest (no more than 2 pages) highlighting the candidate’s experience against the criteria listed under Qualifications and Competencies, including salary expectations and noting where the candidate saw the advertisement. 2) Curriculum vitae 3) Names, addresses, fax numbers and e-mail addresses of three professional referees (they will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission), to:

Personnel Services ICARDA, P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria Telephone: (963-21) 2213477, 2225112, or 2225012 Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105, or 5744622. Email: ICARDA-JOBS@CGIAR.ORG.

 NOTE: 1.If sending by e-mail, please do not include graphics or other large file attachments. 2.Quote reference INT-P/0804/08 on application (or in subject line if applying by e-mail).