CONSULTANT - ISPARK SOIL HEALTH AND ISFM SPECIALIST

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT on behalf of IITA Recruiting:

CONSULTANT - ISPARK SOIL HEALTH AND ISFM SPECIALIST

The Organization

The Alliance of

Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture

(CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity

and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. The Alliance

solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change,

biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation (

https://alliancebioversityciat.org/

)

With novel

partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to

transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive

prosperity, and nourish people.

The Alliance a

member of the CGIAR Consortium (

www.cgiar.org

) a global research partnership for a

food-secure future.

THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE

(IITA)

The

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit

institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most

pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource

degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we

improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment,

and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global

agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Please visit

http://www.iita.org/

for more information on IITA.

BACKGROUND

The

iSPARK project is implementing climate-smart soil nutrient management and

irrigation advisory solutions across western Kenya. A core component of this

work is AgWise, an ML-based fertilizer recommendation engine that integrates

trial data, soil covariates, topography, and climate descriptors to generate

site-specific nutrient recommendations for maize.

AgWise

currently has an integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) module, which now

needs to be adapted to the soil, climate, and farming-system conditions of

western Kenya. This adaptation focuses on the module's organic fertilization

component, whose recommendations need to be tested and calibrated against

existing soil organic carbon (SOC) data and field data from the region. This

work will strengthen the diagnostic and recommendation logic underpinning the

soil health innovation of the iSPARK results framework. Beyond the module work,

the project requires technical support to generate and communicate soil health

evidence, including investment cases, scientific publications, policy briefs,

and farmer advisories that link soil fertility management with irrigation and

intercropping, and to engage partners such as GIZ, KALRO, and county

governments on scaling..

OBJECTIVE

To engage a

consultant to support the testing, validation, and refinement of the organic

fertilization component of the AgWise ISFM module for western Kenya, using

existing soil datasets, to contribute to the module's integration into the

broader ML-based recommendation workflow, and to engage with external partners

(e.g., KALRO, county governments, and other research and development partners)

to advance project implementation.

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant

will:

Identify and review existing SOC and

related soil fertility datasets available within the project, partner

organizations, and the wider region, document their coverage and access

conditions, and assess their suitability for calibrating the organic fertilization

component of the ISFM module.

Support the integration and

harmonization of field data from western Kenya with existing datasets for

module testing.

Test the prediction logic of the ISFM

module's organic fertilization component against observed outcomes, applying

appropriate statistical and machine learning validation methods.

Identify and document data quality

issues, gaps, or inconsistencies affecting module performance.

Work in R to conduct data processing,

model testing, and validation analysis, consistent with the existing AgWise

codebase and workflows.

Engage with relevant project

stakeholders (e.g., AgWise technical team, KALRO, county governments, and other

research and development partners) to validate data interpretations, gather

feedback on testing results, align module refinements with field realities, and

advance project implementation.

Collaborate with the AgWise technical

team to adapt model parameters and recommendation logic to western Kenya

conditions based on testing outcomes.

Document methodology, testing

results, and recommendations in a structured technical note.

Provide technical input to soil

health and fertilizer investment cases, including evidence on costs, benefits

and adoption feasibility.

Support data analysis, interpretation

of findings and preparation of scientific articles.

Review soil management

recommendations and farmer advisories, including links to irrigation and

intercropping.

Contribute to policy briefs and

practical guidance on integrated soil fertility management.

Support engagement with GIZ, research

institutions and relevant government partners on soil health evidence and

scaling opportunities.

Contribute to documenting project

results, lessons, and recommendations for future implementation.

Participate in virtual and in-person

iSPARK meetings, technical discussions and dissemination events.

DELIVERABLES

Deliverable

Timeline

Inceptionnote outlining data review approach and testing plan

Endof Month 1

Dataquality assessment report (existing SOC and field data from western Kenya)

Endof Month 2

Moduletesting and validation report, including R scripts used

Endof Month 4

Stakeholderand partner engagement summary (findings shared with the iSPARK team andexternal partners)

Endof Month 5

Technicalinputs to soil health and fertilizer investment cases (evidence on costs,benefits, and adoption feasibility)

Endof Month 5

Draftscientific article(s) based on project data analysis and findings

Endof Month 6

Policybrief(s) and practical guidance on integrated soil fertility management

Endof Month 4

Reviewof soil management recommendations and farmer advisories, including links toirrigation and intercropping

Endof Month 5

ISFMmodule adapted and tested for western Kenya conditions, with a finaltechnical note documenting the methodology and results

Endof Month 6

Qualifications

• AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
• Advanced degree (MSc or
• higher) in soil science, agronomy, or a related discipline — required.
• 3-5 years of relevant
• professional experience in soil science, agronomy, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated knowledge of
• integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), including organic soil amendments
• and soil organic carbon dynamics.
• Proficiency in R
• programming for data analysis, including experience with statistical or machine
• learning packages relevant to agronomic modeling.
• Experience engaging with
• technical and non-technical stakeholders (e.g., researchers, development
• partners or government partners) to communicate findings and incorporate
• feedback into technical work.
• Familiarity with
• fertilizer recommendation systems or digital agronomy tools is an advantage.
• Experience working with
• field trial or geo-referenced agricultural datasets.
• Experience with
• cost-benefit or investment analysis of soil fertility interventions is an
• advantage.
• Strong written
• communication skills, with a track record of peer-reviewed publications and
• experience preparing policy briefs or farmer-facing advisory materials
• DURATION AND LEVEL
• OF EFFORT
• 6 months on a full-time basis
• FINANCIAL PROPOSAL AND PAYMENT
• SCHEDULE
• Candidates must submit a financial proposal in USD that
• details the cost of each deliverable listed in Section 4, together with the
• total cost of the assignment. Payment will be made in three installments, each
• linked to the deliverables shown below and released upon submission and written
• acceptance by IITA of those deliverables. The amount of each installment will
• equal the sum of the proposed costs of its linked deliverables.
• Payment
• Amount (USD)
• Linked deliverables
• Due
• 1
• Sum of proposedcosts of linked deliverables
• Inceptionnote outlining data review approach and testing plan; Data quality assessmentreport (existing SOC and field data from western Kenya)
• Endof Month 2
• 2
• Sum of proposedcosts of linked deliverables
• Moduletesting and validation report, including R scripts used; Policy brief(s) andpractical guidance on integrated soil fertility management
• Endof Month 4
• 3
• Sum of proposedcosts of linked deliverables
• Stakeholderand partner engagement summary; Technical inputs to soil health andfertilizer investment cases; Review of soil management recommendations andfarmer advisories; Draft scientific article(s); ISFM module adapted andtested for western Kenya conditions, with a final technical note
• Endof Month 6
• DUTY STATION
• Nairobi, with travel to western Kenya as required for
• field activities, partner engagement, and dissemination events.
• The
• Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces.
• We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence,
• and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an
• inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We
• encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes,
• national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations,
• marital status, and gender identities.
• Applications
• Applicants are invited to visit
• https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers
• to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number
• REF: CONSULTANT -
• ISPARK SOIL HEALTH AND ISFM SPECIALIST as the position applied for.
• The
• Alliance collects and process personal data in accordance with applicable data
• protection laws.
• Application and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last
• name, first name for ease of sorting. Also submit the financial proposal as
• indicated above
• Note: The Alliance does not charge a fee at any stage of the
• recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training).
• The Alliance also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank
• accounts.
• Applications
• closing date: 28TH October 2026
• At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
• Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.
• Summary by Impactpool
• The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is seeking a Consultant for the iSPARK Soil Health and ISFM Specialist position in Nairobi, Kenya. The consultant will support the testing, validation, and refinement of the organic fertilization component of the AgWise ISFM module for western Kenya. Responsibilities include data assessment, model testing, stakeholder engagement, and contributing to scientific publications and policy briefs. The role requires collaboration with various partners to enhance soil health management practices in the region.
• Candidate Requirements:
• Advanced degree (MSc or higher) in soil science, agronomy, or related discipline
• 3-5 years of relevant professional experience
• Knowledge of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM)
• Proficiency in R programming for data analysis
• Experience engaging with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Familiarity with fertilizer recommendation systems or digital agronomy tools
• Experience with field trial or geo-referenced agricultural datasets
• Strong written communication skills
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