Pesticide Risk Reduction Expert

CABI

Delemont, Switzerland

THE ROLE:

The purpose of this role is to ensure that CABI’s ambition to reduce the risks to human health and the environment from pesticides used in the agriculture and agri-food industry is being realised through concerted strategies and action. CABI has strategies in place that aim to provide reduced-risk tools to growers and to encourage the adoption of alternative pest management practices and technologies through an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach across multiple supply chains. The job holder will manage work efficiently and successfully with both public and private sector individuals/bodies and will work in a variety of countries and different cultural contexts.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Lead the development and management of technical assistance projects and programmes and provide technical advice and training on the life cycle management of pesticides;
Develop and implement pesticide risk reduction strategies based on an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach for public and private-sector stakeholders;
Provide capacity strengthening and advice on the use of pesticides within an IPM approach and the impacts of pesticides on human health and the environment including on soil, water and biodiversity;
Provide advice on pesticide policy and the implementation of regulatory processes for plant protection products, in particular lower-risk products, including aligning of regional and national regulations;
Work with public and private sector partners to identify appropriate lower risk pest management products and practices for specific crop-pest combinations;
Support project proposal development activities for public and private-sector stakeholders, in collaboration with CABI’s Project Development Group;
Synthesize and consolidate technical data into concise reports and presentations;
Provide support to write news items, blogs, technical notes and press releases in demonstrating the impact of CABI’s pesticide risk reduction work;
Adhere to CABI policies and procedures at the centre, including access to biodiversity, quarantine, HR and Health and Safety requirements, financial and project management procedures, risk management and Intellectual Property Rights.

ABOUT YOU:

Qualifications and Language Skills

MSc/PhD in Natural Sciences or Agriculture/Agronomy;
Fluent spoken and written English; knowledge of local and major world languages would be advantageous.

Experience

5-10 years’ professional working experience in the field of pesticide management and risk reduction;
Demonstrable experience of working closely with the private sector, e.g. food and beverage corporates or the crop protection industry, in the field of plant protection and involvement in multi-stakeholder projects related to plant protection regulation;
Extensive knowledge and understanding of instruments and mechanisms relevant to pesticides and chemicals management under different frameworks at the international, regional and/or national levels;
Extensive knowledge and relevant experience related to policy analysis, policy formulation, implementation monitoring and enforcement, harmonisation of policies for pest and pesticides management;
Demonstrable experience in project management (needs analysis, concept development, project design (including logframes) and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation) and in leading and managing cross-functional projects;
Experience in planning and delivering training to target audiences;
Project administration and finance;
Demonstratable experience in overseeing preparation of clear, concise technical documents and reports in English is a strong asset.

Personal Skills and Characteristics

Strong team player with excellent technical, management and communication skills, and having a strong desire to work in a multi-cultural team;
Self-motivated;
Strong social and representational skills that ultimately build fruitful and enduring relationships with public and private sector partners;
Capable of handling a demanding workload;
Willing to travel to remote and challenging locations in less developed countries;
Strong personal organisation skills;
Effective information management skills;
Comfortable working on one's own initiative as well as following advice;
Willing to acquire new knowledge and skills;
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving;
Strong coaching, mentoring and writing skills.