Summary: Research Management Officer - Temporary Position, Nairobi, Kenya

Job Details

  • Company: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
  • Location: Kenya

Job Description

Research Management Officer - Temporary Position, Nairobi, Kenya

Organization

International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Country

Kenya

City

Nairobi

Office

ILRI Nairobi

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to

recruit a Research Management Officer for a temporary position

Livestock Systems Baseline Evidence Synthesis to provide technical

coordination and scientific writing support for the Gates

Foundation Livestock Investment.

ILRI is an international organisation working for better lives

and better planet through livestock. ILRI's mission emphasises the

interconnections between people, animals, and the environment

aiming to improve the lives of more than 300 million people in low

and middle-income countries through livestock science that supports

equitable and resilient livestock systems, ultimately contributing

to food systems transformation with climate and environmental

benefits. This mission is delivered through two core strategic

objectives: co-designing and deploying sustainable, science-based

livestock solutions, and leveraging science to inform and influence

policy and investment decisions.

ILRI is a member of CGIAR, a global research alliance that works

to transform food, land and water systems in a climate crisis and

is the only CGIAR center dedicated to addressing multiple

development challenges through sustainable livestock solutions.

About the Position

The position will coordinate the synthesis of quantitative and

qualitative evidence generated through multiple workstreams

including scoping reviews, evidence syntheses, systems functional

assessments, outcome harvesting, contribution analysis, and reach

modelling. The officer will work closely with ILRI research teams

Strathmore University, and external consultants to integrate

findings into high-quality value chain synthesis reports and the

overall investment baseline report.

The position will also support research management activities

including evidence management, documentation of technical

discussions, synthesis of key informant interviews, preparation of

technical reports, and coordination of scientific outputs to ensure

consistency, methodological rigor, and timely delivery of project

milestones

Key Responsibilities

  • Evidence Synthesis and Scientific Reporting

(40%)

  • Coordinate the synthesis of quantitative and qualitative

evidence generated across all workstreams of the baseline

assessment.

  • Lead the preparation of evidence synthesis reports for each

livestock value chain (Dairy, Beef, Poultry, Small Ruminants, and

Feed & Forage).

  • Integrate findings across technical components including Animal

Health, Animal Nutrition, Animal Productivity, Climate &

Emissions, Policy & Advocacy, Markets, and Finance.

  • Synthesize outputs from Strathmore University's evidence

synthesis and modelling work with qualitative findings generated

through systems functional assessments, outcome harvesting, and

contribution analysis.

  • Prepare technical summaries, synthesis reports, executive

briefs, and scientific documentation for internal review and donor

reporting.

  • Support drafting and iterative refinement of the overall

Livestock Systems Baseline Assessment Report.

  • Evidence Review and Knowledge Management

(20%)

  • Support the implementation of scoping reviews and systematic

evidence syntheses using internationally recognized evidence

synthesis methodologies.

  • Assist in developing and refining search strategies, search

strings, evidence inventories, and evidence extraction

matrices.

  • Coordinate management of literature databases, evidence

repositories, reference libraries, and document management

systems.

  • Maintain comprehensive documentation of evidence sources

review decisions, and synthesis processes to ensure transparency

and reproducibility.

  • Support preparation of technical annexes, evidence maps, and

methodological documentation.

  • Research Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

(15%)

  • Coordinate communication and information flow among teams

working on this assignment

  • Participate in technical planning meetings and coordinate

follow-up actions.

  • Organize and document technical review meetings, validation

workshops, and stakeholder consultations.

  • Prepare high-quality meeting minutes and action trackers.
  • Support coordination of Advisory Team engagements and technical

review processes.

  • Qualitative Research and Knowledge Synthesis
  • Participate in Key Informant Interviews, stakeholder

consultations, and technical workshops.

  • Support note-taking, transcription review, coding, and thematic

analysis of qualitative data.

  • Synthesize qualitative findings generated from interviews

outcome harvesting exercises, and validation workshops.

  • Contribute to triangulation of qualitative and quantitative

findings.

  • Assist in documenting systems change narratives, innovation

pathways, and contribution stories.

  • Research Quality Assurance and Project Support

(10%)

  • Support quality assurance of technical reports and scientific

outputs across all workstreams.

  • Review consistency of analytical outputs, terminology

references, and evidence interpretation.

  • Ensure adherence to agreed methodological standards and

reporting templates.

  • Track deliverables, timelines, and milestones for evidence

synthesis activities.

Requirements

  • Master's degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Health

Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Epidemiology

Statistics, Social Sciences, Animal Science, Research Methods, or

another relevant discipline.

  • Training in Systematic Reviews, Scoping Reviews, Evidence

Synthesis, Knowledge Translation, Meta-analysis, or Mixed Methods

Research.

Minimum of

5 years

of progressively

responsible experience in research management, evidence synthesis

monitoring and evaluation, or applied research.

  • Conducting scoping reviews and systematic reviews.
  • Developing scientific synthesis reports.
  • Integrating qualitative and quantitative research
  • Coordinating multidisciplinary research teams.
  • Writing high-quality technical reports for research or

development organizations.

  • Working within international research organizations

universities, CGIAR Centres, or similar institutions.

Technical Skills

  • Experience using reference management software such as EndNote

Zotero, Covidence, Rayyan, or similar.

  • Experience using NVivo, Atlas.ti or MAXQDA for qualitative

analysis.

  • Familiarity with statistical software including R, STATA, SPSS

or Python is desirable.

  • Strong Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint skills

Evidence Synthesis

  • Strong knowledge of scoping review and systematic review

methodologies.

  • Experience developing search strategies and Boolean search

strings.

  • Experience conducting evidence synthesis and literature

reviews.

  • Ability to prepare scientific synthesis reports suitable for

publication and donor reporting.

Research and Analysis

  • Strong qualitative and mixed-methods research skills.
  • Experience synthesizing Key Informant Interviews and workshop
  • Experience with thematic analysis and qualitative coding.
  • Ability to integrate qualitative and quantitative evidence into

coherent analytical narratives.

Terms of Appointment

This position is at job level

HG15

and is open

to Kenyan Nationals only. The position is for a six-month contract

period.

How to Apply

Applicants should submit

A

CV

and

a cover letter

outlining their interest in the position and the value they will

bring to the role, addressed to the Head of People and

Culture.

The names and contact details (telephone and email) of

three referees

who are familiar with the

applicant's professional qualifications and work experience.

Applications should be submitted through the

ILRI

Recruitment Portal

by clicking on

""

on

or before

2nd October 2026

. The position title and

reference number

REF: RMO-LGNFR/2303-09/2026

in

the subject line of the cover letter.

We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI.

Due to the volume of applications

only shortlisted

candidates

will be contacted.

Tags

agricultural research

development research

management research

monitoring evaluation

scientific personnel

Skills

Systematic Reviews

Qualitative Research

Reference Management Software

Statistical Tools

Association of Geneva

Not an official document of the United Nations

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