Nutrition Scientist – Research & Capacity Building

About the role

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) is seeking a senior Nutrition Scientist to lead cutting‑edge research and capacity‑building initiatives in Westlands, Nairobi. The role combines scientific guidance, project management, and stakeholder engagement to advance nutrition‑related forest governance research.

Key responsibilities

• Provide scientific oversight ensuring research concepts and methods meet the highest standards.
• Collaborate with theme coordinators to design and implement emerging research activities.
• Lead the preparation and supervision of scientific publications and communications.
• Supervise and mentor junior scientists, students, and staff.
• Represent ICRAF in national, regional, and global forums on forest governance.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with diverse stakeholders.
• Identify and secure additional research funding; lead proposal development.
• Plan, monitor, and report on research activities and budgets.

Required profile

• PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g., nutrition, natural resource management, social sciences).
• Proven experience in collaborative natural‑resource or social‑science research across multiple regions.
• Track record of successful budget management and donor reporting on several projects.
• Strong publication record in peer‑reviewed journals.
• Demonstrated ability to mobilize resources and secure research funding.
• Fluent written and spoken English; additional international language(s) a plus.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams in developing‑country contexts.

Required skills

• Scientific research design and methodology.
• Project and budget management.
• Grant writing and fundraising.
• Academic writing and peer‑review publication.
• Stakeholder engagement and partnership development.

What we offer

• Opportunity to influence global nutrition and forest governance research.
• Collaborative, multicultural work environment.
• Access to ICRAF’s extensive research network and resources.