Senior Scientific Officer-Regenerative Agriculture

About ICRISAT

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organisation that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and Africa, working with partners around the world. Drylands cover about 45% of the world's land, are home to 2.3 billion people (one in three) and support 45–50% of the world's livestock. ICRISAT's vision is a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics.

ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru, Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and eight country offices in Africa. For more information visit - www.icrisat.org

Role Purpose

ICRISAT invites applications from dynamic, highly motivated, and qualified professionals for the position of Senior Scientific Officer - Regenerative Agri-Technology under the Global Research Program - Resilient Farming Systems.  The position will support planning, coordination, and quality implementation of regenerative agriculture technology and allied interventions across multiple project locations, with a strong focus on cropping systems diversification and intensification, natural resource management, climate-resilient technologies, livelihood enhancement, and scaling proven technologies and practices. The Senior Scientific officer will work closely with project leaders, multidisciplinary scientific teams, government departments, local institutions, farming communities and development partners to ensure effective field delivery, stakeholder convergence, team supervision, monitoring, reporting and scaling of regenerative agriculture technologies and livelihood interventions. There are 2 vacancies and both positions can be placed anywhere across India.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan, coordinate and monitor multi-location implementation of regenerative agriculture technologies and agriculture-allied interventions in accordance with approved work plans, timelines, budgets and project deliverables.
• Provide technical guidance for field implementation of regenerative agriculture technologies, cropping systems diversification and intensification, improved crop management, soil health, soil and water conservation, resource-use efficiency and other sustainable farming practices.
• Coordinate implementation of horticulture, agroforestry, natural resource management (NRM) interventions, and other farm-based livelihood interventions, as relevant to individual projects.
• Support establishment, supervision and quality monitoring of on-farm demonstrations, adaptive trials, farmer participatory activities and technology validation at cluster and landscape levels.
• Work closely with farmers, farmer producer organizations, self-help groups and other farmer institutions to strengthen participation, adoption, collective action, livelihoods and sustainability of project interventions.
• Coordinate stakeholder convergence with government departments, livelihood missions, line departments, NARES partners, NGOs, CSR partners and other development stakeholders to facilitate effective implementation and scaling.
• Supervise, guide and mentor scientific, technical and field teams; review field plans and progress, strengthen coordination across locations and ensure timely follow-up on implementation issues.
• Support baseline assessments, field surveys, monitoring systems and systematic data collection, validation and management of agronomic, biophysico-chemical, livelihood and project implementation data.
• Monitor project progress and field results, identify implementation gaps and support evidence-based corrective actions to improve technical quality, delivery, outcomes and scaling potential.
• Organize and contribute to farmer trainings, demonstrations, exposure visits, field days, stakeholder consultations, workshops and capacity-development programs on regenerative agriculture technology and allied interventions.
• Document project outputs, outcomes, success stories, good practices, livelihood models and lessons emerging from regenerative agriculture interventions for reporting, institutional learning and scaling.
• Contribute to preparation of technical progress reports, annual work plans, presentations, donor reports, concept notes, proposals and other project documentation.
• Support development and scaling of integrated regenerative agriculture and livelihood models that improve productivity, resilience, natural resource use efficiency, household income and sustainability of farming systems.
• Undertake frequent travel to project sites for implementation review, stakeholder coordination, team mentoring and monitoring.
• Perform any other responsibilities assigned by the supervisor in line with project and Institute requirements.

Essential Qualifications:

• Master's degree (M.Sc.) in Agriculture or a relevant agricultural/allied discipline from a recognized university or institution.
• Minimum 8 years of relevant professional experience in agriculture, regenerative agriculture, livelihoods, rural development, natural resource management or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience in planning and implementing field-based agriculture, regenerative agriculture, research-for-development or livelihood projects, preferably across multiple locations.
• Strong technical understanding of regenerative agriculture technology, cropping systems diversification and intensification, horticulture, agroforestry, natural resource management interventions and related agricultural systems.
• Experience in working with farming communities, farmer institutions, government departments, development partners and multidisciplinary project teams, including stakeholder convergence and capacity development.
• Proven ability in multi-location project management, team supervision, implementation planning, field monitoring and ensuring quality and timely delivery of project activities.
• Experience in project monitoring, data management, technical reporting, documentation and preparation of work plans, presentations and scaling strategies.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, facilitation and stakeholder-management skills, with proficiency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of Telugu language will be preferred.
• Willingness to be stationed at or travel extensively to designated project locations.

Terms of Appointment

This is a contract role for 36 months (03 years). It may be renewed based on performance and the Institute’s continuing need for the position.

How to apply

The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified. Shortlisting will start from 11 November 2026. All applicants should apply with their latest resume, and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable about their professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged; however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Applicants must be nationals of the country of assignment or possess a valid work permit and legal authorization to work in the country to be eligible to apply for this position.

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining a progressive and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether they have a disability.