Senior Specialist - Precision Agriculture

Reports to: Research Team Leader - Soils, Waters and Agronomy
Location: Cairo, Egypt

Purpose of the position

This position supports the design, implementation, and scaling of precision agriculture and digital innovation initiatives within ICARDA’s research programs. The role contributes to advanced analytics, geospatial applications, and digital solutions to improve productivity, sustainability, and climate resilience in dryland systems.

About ICARDA                                                                                                                

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.  
ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.

Main responsibilities           

·       Support the design and implementation of precision agriculture and digital agriculture projects.

·       Contribute to applied research, data analysis, and development of decision-support tools.

·       Implement and monitor field trials, validation activities, and digital solutions.

·       Support development of geospatial, AI, and data-driven analytics for agrifood systems.

·       Contribute to technical reports, publications, and knowledge products.

·       Support collaboration with partners and stakeholders.

·       Assist in training, capacity building, and knowledge dissemination.

·       Contribute to proposal development and project implementation.

·       Ensure quality data management and reporting.

Requirements

Education, qualifications, and experience

•     PhD in Agriculture, Data Science, Geospatial Science, Environmental Science, or related field.
•      Minimum 7–10 years of relevant experience in agricultural research or digital agriculture.
•      Strong experience in data analysis, modeling, or geospatial tools.
•      Experience in applied research and project implementation.
•      Demonstrated experience working in multidisciplinary teams.
•      Experience in developing technical outputs and reports.
•      Experience with international or development-oriented projects is an advantage.

·       Knowledge of precision agriculture and digital agriculture tools.

·       Experience with GIS, remote sensing, or data analytics.

·       Programming skills (Python, R, or similar) desirable.

·       Familiarity with cloud platforms and data systems is an advantage.

·       Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

·       Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

·       Good communication and reporting skills.

·       Ability to translate technical findings into practical applications.

·       Strong organizational and coordination skills.

Benefits

Terms of appointment, salary, and benefits

This is a nationally recruited position open for Egyptian nationals for which ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, five months’ maternity leave, 15 days’ paternity leave. The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 3 years, renewable subject to continued need for the position and satisfactory performance. The first three months will be a probationary period.

Please be advised that ICARDA accepts applications only in English, as per the organization's standard communication language. Applications in other languages will not be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.