The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Post-Doctoral Scientist- Wastewater Environmental Surveillance (WES) to support the implementation of wastewater and environmental surveillance activities at airports and ports of entry in Kenya to strengthen public health and ecosystem protection under a One Health approach.

ILRI works to improve food and nutritional security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for efficient, safe and sustainable use of livestock. It is the only one of 15 CGIAR Research Centres dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices and projects in East, South and Southeast Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa. www.ilri.org

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research on wastewater and environmental surveillance activities at airports and ports of entry in Kenya to strengthen public health and ecosystem protection under a One Health approach
• Plan, coordinate and facilitate capacity-building workshops and document proceedings and outcomes
• Design and implement awareness-raising activities targeting relevant stakeholders at ports of entry and prepare comprehensive activity reports
• Support the generation, analysis and integration of wastewater metagenomics datasets into the Ministry of Health (MoH) dashboard in collaboration with technical partners
• Organize and document stakeholder data-sharing workshops to enhance collaboration and promote evidence-based decision making
• Contribute to the development of policy briefs, guidelines and technical recommendations for the adoption and scale-up of WES initiatives that also support gender and youth inclusion
• Compile and maintain a repository (compendium) of WES best practices, standard operating procedures and protocols to guide WES implementation
• Prepare UNEP-compliant progress and final reports ensuring inclusion of disaggregated indicators and adherence to required reporting standards
• Write journal articles/papers to publish results as appropriate
• Contribute to the development of innovative concepts and ideas for further research including proposal writing/resource mobilization
• Perform any other related duties as may be assigned

Requirements

• PhD in Genomics, Molecular Biology, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Microbiology, or related field
• Relevant professional certification
• Demonstrated experience in: Wastewater/environmental surveillance, Pathogen genomics and/or metagenomics and One Health surveillance systems
• Experience working with government agencies, ports/airports, or public health institutions
• Proven capacity in training, stakeholder engagement, and policy translation
• Strong understanding of gender and youth inclusion in capacity-building programs
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills

Post location: The position will be based in Nairobi Kenya

Terms of Appointment

This position is at job level HG 16, and it is open to both national and international applicants. The position is on a One-year fixed term contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding. ILRI offers a competitive salary and benefits package which includes medical and other insurances.

Applications: Applicants should send a cover letter and CV expressing their interest in the position, what they can bring to the role and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to the Head of People and Culture through our recruitment portal by clicking on the "Apply Now" on or before 13 April 2026. The position title and reference number: H/2139/2026 should be clearly marked on the subject line of the online application.

We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI. Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

ILRI is an equal opportunity employer

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