CALL FOR RESEARCH PARTNER
Healthy soils are the foundation of productive agriculture, resilient food systems, and sustainable livelihoods. Despite their importance, soil degradation continues to reduce crop yields, harm ecosystems, and hinder progress toward national and global development goals. Investments in soil health can help address these challenges, yet soil health is often overlooked in policy, planning, and investment decisions.
In addition, many countries face gaps in reliable soil data, which limits the ability to track progress, design effective policies, and guide investments. Developing national soil health frameworks and interoperable data systems is essential to ensure decision-makers have the information needed to manage soils sustainably.
There is opportunity to build a coalition of stakeholders from governments, research institutions, civil society, farmers and farmer organizations, UN institutions, and development partners to coordinate efforts, share knowledge, and advocate for healthy soils. This assignment will support these efforts by strengthening coordination among partners, guiding the development of soil health frameworks, improving access to reliable soil information, and engaging in regional and global forums to highlight the critical role of soils in achieving resilient, sustainable food systems and broader development goals.
Duties and responsibilities
Objective of the Assignment
This assignment will provide strategic leadership, coordination, and technical guidance to advance healthy soils as a foundation for resilient food systems, regenerative agriculture, landscape restoration, and climate action across Africa and globally.
First, the role will coordinate partners and stakeholders across the NORAD-funded project, including within the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH) to elevate the importance of healthy soils in achieving local, national, and international development goals. This includes aligning messaging, evidence, and advocacy efforts to demonstrate how soil health underpins climate adaptation and mitigation, food security, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable livelihoods. The assignment will ensure coherence across partners and strengthen collaboration to amplify impact and visibility.
Second, the assignment will coordinate engagement of partners in several international, regional, national and local events, such as UNCCD, UNFCCC, AFS, among others, highlighting the role of healthy soil to achieve the goals of the Rio Conventions as well as other commitments. Specifically, the assignment with coordinate multi-partner engagement at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), highlighting progress under the COP16 Declaration on Soil and Rangeland Health, and at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) highlighting progress on the Fertilizer Breakthrough and the Soil Health Resolution. These engagements will disseminate findings, share best practices, and foster peer learning among countries and institutions. This will involve liaising with strategic partners, research institutions, government agencies, and development organizations to ensure that soil health evidence is translated into actionable policies and scalable solutions. In addition, the assignment will coordinate engagement of partners and delivery of the UNFCCC Plan to Accelerate Action on Regenerative Agriculture for Healthy Soils and Healthy Diets. This will involve convening partners, tracking progress, synthesizing technical inputs, and supporting implementation pathways that connect soil health outcomes to nationally determined contributions (NDCs), climate finance mechanisms, and food systems transformation processes. The work will bridge science, policy, and practice to accelerate regenerative approaches at scale.
Third, the assignment will strengthen stakeholder coordination to enhance access to and use of reliable soil information. This will include advancing a roadmap for national soil health frameworks and contributing to Stage One of a comprehensive framework that integrates stakeholder input to guide soil health management policies and practices in Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania. Overall, the scope integrates partnership coordination, policy leadership, technical framework development, and high-level advocacy to accelerate soil health outcomes across priority countries and global platforms.
The individual for the assignment will report to the designated supervisor and provide periodic progress reports and deliverables as outlined in the Scope of the Assignment. All reports and deliverables shall be submitted electronically in English. Drafts shall be revised as needed based on feedback. The individual is also able to support the preparation, review, or informal translation of selected materials into French and Spanish, as needed, to facilitate stakeholder engagement and dissemination.
Education, knowledge and experience
CIFOR-ICRAF promotes Gender Diversity – Applications from women professionals are encouraged.
CIFOR-ICRAF is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity.
Application process
The application deadline is 21 Mar 2026
We will acknowledge all applications, but will contact only short-listed candidates.
In addition, many countries face gaps in reliable soil data, which limits the ability to track progress, design effective policies, and guide investments. Developing national soil health frameworks and interoperable data systems is essential to ensure decision-makers have the information needed to manage soils sustainably.
There is opportunity to build a coalition of stakeholders from governments, research institutions, civil society, farmers and farmer organizations, UN institutions, and development partners to coordinate efforts, share knowledge, and advocate for healthy soils. This assignment will support these efforts by strengthening coordination among partners, guiding the development of soil health frameworks, improving access to reliable soil information, and engaging in regional and global forums to highlight the critical role of soils in achieving resilient, sustainable food systems and broader development goals.
Duties and responsibilities
Objective of the Assignment
- Strengthen Strategic Coordination and Advocacy for Soil Health To coordinate partners and stakeholders across the NORAD project, and the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) to elevate the role of healthy soils in achieving local, national, and international goals related to climate action, food security, land restoration, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods, ensuring aligned messaging, joint action, and amplified impact across platforms.
- Lead coordination toward the implementation of the UNFCCC Plan to Accelerate on Regenerative Agriculture for Healthy Soils and Healthy Diets To lead coordination of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Plan to Accelerate Action on Regenerative Agriculture for Healthy Soils and Healthy Diets, convening partners, tracking progress, and aligning soil health outcomes with NDCs, climate finance, and food systems transformation processes.
- Advance National Soil Health Frameworks and Interoperable Soil Data Systems To enhance access to and use of reliable soil information into the development of comprehensive national soil health frameworks in Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania, integrating stakeholder input to guide soil health management policies, practices, and investments.
- Elevate Health in Regional and Global Policy Processes To lead and coordinate multi-partner engagement within the international engagements such as United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process, as well as regional platforms including the Africa Food Systems Forum and CAADP and the Nairobi declaration, highlighting and promoting soil health as a cornerstone of regenerative agriculture, landscape restoration, and resilient food systems.
This assignment will provide strategic leadership, coordination, and technical guidance to advance healthy soils as a foundation for resilient food systems, regenerative agriculture, landscape restoration, and climate action across Africa and globally.
First, the role will coordinate partners and stakeholders across the NORAD-funded project, including within the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH) to elevate the importance of healthy soils in achieving local, national, and international development goals. This includes aligning messaging, evidence, and advocacy efforts to demonstrate how soil health underpins climate adaptation and mitigation, food security, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable livelihoods. The assignment will ensure coherence across partners and strengthen collaboration to amplify impact and visibility.
Second, the assignment will coordinate engagement of partners in several international, regional, national and local events, such as UNCCD, UNFCCC, AFS, among others, highlighting the role of healthy soil to achieve the goals of the Rio Conventions as well as other commitments. Specifically, the assignment with coordinate multi-partner engagement at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), highlighting progress under the COP16 Declaration on Soil and Rangeland Health, and at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) highlighting progress on the Fertilizer Breakthrough and the Soil Health Resolution. These engagements will disseminate findings, share best practices, and foster peer learning among countries and institutions. This will involve liaising with strategic partners, research institutions, government agencies, and development organizations to ensure that soil health evidence is translated into actionable policies and scalable solutions. In addition, the assignment will coordinate engagement of partners and delivery of the UNFCCC Plan to Accelerate Action on Regenerative Agriculture for Healthy Soils and Healthy Diets. This will involve convening partners, tracking progress, synthesizing technical inputs, and supporting implementation pathways that connect soil health outcomes to nationally determined contributions (NDCs), climate finance mechanisms, and food systems transformation processes. The work will bridge science, policy, and practice to accelerate regenerative approaches at scale.
Third, the assignment will strengthen stakeholder coordination to enhance access to and use of reliable soil information. This will include advancing a roadmap for national soil health frameworks and contributing to Stage One of a comprehensive framework that integrates stakeholder input to guide soil health management policies and practices in Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania. Overall, the scope integrates partnership coordination, policy leadership, technical framework development, and high-level advocacy to accelerate soil health outcomes across priority countries and global platforms.
The individual for the assignment will report to the designated supervisor and provide periodic progress reports and deliverables as outlined in the Scope of the Assignment. All reports and deliverables shall be submitted electronically in English. Drafts shall be revised as needed based on feedback. The individual is also able to support the preparation, review, or informal translation of selected materials into French and Spanish, as needed, to facilitate stakeholder engagement and dissemination.
Education, knowledge and experience
- Master’s degree in Sustainability, Soil Science, Food Systems
- Over five years of professional experience working with international organizations, focused on soil health, food systems transformation, and climate action.
- The individual should be fluent in English, French, and Spanish, enabling effective engagement with diverse stakeholders across international, regional, and national contexts.
- Experience working with private sector actors.
- At least five years of experience leading stakeholder engagement and project coordination with international organizations, NGOs, research institutions, youth-led organizations, and private sector actors
- Experience working with international sustainability platforms, including collaboration with United Nations agencies and global coalitions.
- Experience organizing and leading side events and engagements at UNCCD, UNFCCC, AFS, and others.
- Supporting global sustainability initiatives at international organizations, including coordination of projects related to regenerative agriculture, climate action, and sustainable food systems.
- Demonstrated expertise in soil health, sustainable food systems, and multi-stakeholder coordination. Strategic advisory and consulting in sustainability, organizational development, and stakeholder engagement and coordination.
- Planning and execution of international events, workshops, dialogues, and multi-stakeholder coordination processes.
- Development and dissemination of briefs, reports, knowledge products, and communications materials.
- Design and delivery of training and capacity development on sustainability, business development, and strategic communication.
- Support international initiatives and partnerships related to sustainability and environmental management.
- LOA will be issued for a period of 12 months or until 31 March 2027
- Work location: Home-based
- Application deadline: 21 March 2026
- Please submit a letter of interest to cifor-icraf-pmu@cifor-icraf.org and attach the following documents:
- Resume
- Examples of two blog writing
- Sample run of show for a side event at UN COP
- We will acknowledge all applications but will only contact short-listed applicants.
CIFOR-ICRAF promotes Gender Diversity – Applications from women professionals are encouraged.
CIFOR-ICRAF is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity.
Application process
The application deadline is 21 Mar 2026
We will acknowledge all applications, but will contact only short-listed candidates.