The Rice Breeding Innovations Platform brings together the various research support and operational services across IRRI including Breeding Analytics, Data Management, and Software Development (BDS). The BDS:

• works closely with clusters and platforms
• develops, tests and releases software applications that translates science into ICT (Information and Communications Technology)
• supports the standardization, capture, storage and curation of data in centralized and accessible IRRI databases.
• recommends and trains data capture technologies

A senior specialist ensures that the products and services being developed are delivered on time with high quality. They are responsible for making sure that the requirements are defined, prioritized and ready for development. Their responsibilities are therefore to

• plan the actual development work
• involve and have key decision-makers in the software project agree to the plans
• make development team members know and understand what is expected from them
• ensure that the agreed project management and development best practices are consistently in use
• be involved in continuously improving the agreed workflows and processes.

A senior specialist guides and maintains staff by mentoring, orienting, and training them. They promote a safe and secure work environment, which enables professional and personal growth, and opens up learning opportunities. They are also a core team member in the development and implementation of software applications, hence good software development skills are a necessary prerequisite.

This position will be based at the IRRI Headquarters, Los Baños, Philippines and may only be filled by permanent citizens of the Philippines.

The health and welfare of our staff is our top priority. We are currently operating with the majority of our workforce working from home. This position will be remote for the foreseeable future and will require a stable internet connection.

• Lead the team by example
• Organize the responsibilities and obligations of the direct reports
• Prioritize design and development objectives within a defined scope
• Supervise specialist and junior specialists
• Design and develop software solutions with the required documentation
• Monitor and maintain existing applications
• Perform tests and code reviews when needed
• Work closely with customers, key decision-makers, requirements analysts and other stakeholders
• Understand the real needs of the users or an operation
• Write product requirements to develop solutions and improvements
• Provide technical software support to end-users
• Facilitate requests, and provide solutions and instructions
• Train end-users on the use of or access to software and databases
• Plan and execute development roadmaps
• Schedule and follow through development cycles
• Create and implement efficient and transparent project management practices
• Ensure sound return of investment (ROI)
• Produce documentations and materials such as reports, workflows, tables, codes, and other artifacts

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with minimum 6 years of work experience
• Masters degree in Computer Science with minimum 3 years of work experience

Mandatory

• Excellent understanding of agile and the software development process
• Comprehensive knowledge and experience in web development
• Experience in supervising and mentoring teams
• Analytical mindset with good problem-solving skills
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Experience in building and maintaining relationships with collaborators

Preferred

• Know-how of Atlassian project management solutions, such as Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket, and Agile frameworks such as Scrum

IRRI offers a highly extensive employee benefits package inclusive of globally-covered medical insurance, retirement plan, life and accident insurance and other allowances. Join our team and be part of our story!

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
This position will remain open until filled.