Scientific Administrator

International Competitive Examination Vacancy Announcement for the Recruitment of a Scientific Administrator

International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM - IAMM)

Field:

Agricultural and Food Systems Economics/Value Chain Sustainability

Ref. 20240406

Issue date: April 19, 2024

Application Deadline: May 31, 2024

Date of Interviews for Shortlisted Candidates: 10-21 June 2024 FUNCTIONAL TITLE: Scientific Administrator

PLACE of EMPLOYMENT: Montpellier, France Starting Date: September 1, 2024 DURATION: 4 years, renewable

JOB PROFILE

The Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (IAMM), one of the four institutes of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) is an intergovernmental organization whose mission is the development of higher and continuing education, research and cooperation activities in the Mediterranean area.

The CIHEAM-IAMM is opening a position of Scientific Administrator in Agricultural and Food Systems Economics/Value Chain Sustainability. This recruitment is part of the scientific strategy that structures the training, research and cooperation activities of the CIHEAM.

 Scientific Background and Job Profile

Food security in the Mediterranean region is now threatened by the scarcity of natural resources, dependence on food imports and the current market instability due to global crises. Food production is increasingly associated with significant environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, increased pressure on land use, as well as water and energy consumption. Mediterranean food systems are therefore faced with the challenge of feeding a growing and increasingly urbanized population, while preserving terrestrial ecosystems and natural resources.

Food systems involve all stakeholders (farmers, agribusinesses, advisory providers, other intermediaries) and their interconnected value creation activities, including the production, transport, processing, distribution and consumption of food and agricultural products. Value chains represent a given market configuration and are part of food systems. The transition to sustainable food systems heavily relies on the pivotal role played by value chains. Value chains encompass every step involved in food production, processing, distribution, and retail. The value chain is both a supply chain and a chain where different actors add value throughout the process, as the product or service progresses from one stage to the next. Agri-food value chains (the majority of which are long and complex) face a number of sustainability challenges: innovative agricultural practices but with low incomes for farmers; unfair business practices at certain stages of the value chain; complex supply chains that often have adverse environmental consequences.

These challenges can, however, be mitigated by a renewed approach to the use of natural resources, the management of food loss and waste, and the adoption of practices with reduced environmental and social impacts. Creating sustainable value chains requires the adoption of practices that prioritize environmental objectives, social equity, and economic viability at every stage. It is therefore a complex and continuous process that requires the participation and commitment of all stakeholders (public and private actors, institutions, organizations) for an agroecological transition along the value chain.

To propose the adoption of organizational models that integrate sustainable practices within agri-food value chains, it is necessary to characterize: the economic, social and environmental performance of agri-food value chains; the dynamics of the flows of goods and services traded in agri-food value chains in the territories; the sustainability of innovative agri-food business models.

Several scientific approaches and methods are proposed to characterize and evaluate the performance of agri- food value chains, the dynamics of territorial flows and the sustainability of innovative business models at different spatial scales. The multi-scalar scientific positioning – meso-economic and macro-economic – makes it possible to understand the transition of value chains and food systems towards sustainability, in a systemic methodological approach that takes into account, on the one hand, all the links and actors (from production, distribution, processing to final consumption) and, on the other hand, the complexity of these intersecting issues and the trade-offs to be resolved. This conceptual positioning is also relevant to produce decision-making tools for both private actors and public decision-makers for the design of sustainable value chains and agri-food systems that are based on numerous innovations such as circular bioeconomy practices, digitalization, new business models, organizational and governance models, and new social and environmental practices.

The proposed position will join a team working on the assessment of the performance of agri-food value chains, on the dynamics of territorial flows as well as on the sustainability of innovative business models by mobilizing quantitative approaches. These teaching and research activities constitute one of the axes of the Institute's scientific project (available on request).

For the CIHEAM-IAMM, the challenge of this recruitment is to complement and strengthen existing skills. In particular, it will mean to:

1. master quantitative methods at meso and macro-economic scales - necessary for the construction of analytical reference frameworks and performance indicators of economic, social and environmental sustainability;
2. mobilise multi-criteria assessment methodologies that integrate: the measurement of the economic, social and environmental performance of agri-food value chains (e.g., life-cycle cost analysis), the modelling of capital flows produced and traded in territorial value chains (e.g., quantitative socio-economic analyses of goods and services flows), the analysis of sustainable and innovative business models (e.g., assessment of the overall costs and benefits of innovations).

This strengthening will make our scientific activities on the design and evaluation of agri-food value chains more complete, taking into account both the characterization of new business models and the dynamics of food systems at the territorial level. At the scientific level, the candidate will have to contribute to the renewal, for higher education and research, of integrated approaches based on quantitative methods at meso and macro-economic scales - necessary for the construction of analytical frameworks and performance indicators of the economic, social and environmental sustainability of agri-food value chains and food systems.

In addition, the candidate will be required to:

1. know how to mobilize theoretical frameworks in sector economics, industrial economics, institutional economics, territorial economics,
2. be involved in interdisciplinary research (including with the Institute's various research axes on the design and planning of agricultural and territorial systems that are resilient to climate change and the challenges of the agroecological transition),
3. to collaborate in participatory research within the framework of multi-stakeholder approaches in order to analyse actors' adaptation strategies and their innovation dynamics,
4. know how to produce operational knowledge as well as foresight scenarios to inform the decision- making process of institutions and economic actors,
5. participate in development cooperation programmes focused on improving value chains, taking into account the economic resilience, social well-being, good governance and environmental integrity of territories and local communities.

 Missions

The activities of the recruited person will be divided into the three missions of the CIHEAM-IAMM: Higher Education - Research - Development Cooperation.

• Higher education (M2 level): he/she will be in charge of co-managing the CDVALES master's degree "Sustainable Agri-Food Value Chain: Logistics, Environment, Strategies". In this context, the candidate will focus on "multi-criteria evaluation in agri-food value chains that take into account economic, social and environmental performance, the dynamics of multiple capital flows in the territories, sustainable and innovative business and organizational models".
• Research: the candidate will have to actively contribute to the development of an international network on the job description topic, apply to international calls for research, action research projects and publish the results of his/her research in scientific journals.
• Development cooperation: the candidate must actively contribute to apply to calls for cooperation projects funded by national and international donors for agricultural, agri-food and rural development, putting to use the expertise built up in the framework of his/her research, on these projects, with a view to effectively transforming local realities.

This job based in Montpellier will require frequent travel to Mediterranean countries.

 Required Qualifications

• Degrees: Ph.D. in Economics or Agricultural/Agri-Food Economics
• Solid knowledge of quantitative approaches in the field of job profile
• Ability to lead and produce research and publications
• Teaching experience at Master’s degree level is preferable
• Experience in applying to international tenders preferred
• Good spoken and written fluency in English and French is mandatory

 Application form

The application must include the following elements:

• CV including:
  • scientific activities including a list of publications and research activities
  • Teaching activities
  • Development co-operation activities
• Dissertation on scientific work or equivalent (8 pages maximum)
• Cover letter on the accomplishment of missions defined in the job profile (3 pages maximum)

 Selection procedures and remuneration

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of international experts. A short list will be drawn up and the selected candidates will be invited for an oral presentation of their application. The committee will issue an opinion to the director of the CIHEAM-IAMM who will submit his choice to the secretary general of the CIHEAM for validation by the CIHEAM Board of Directors.

The selected candidate will benefit from the status of CIHEAM-IAMM Administrator (registered on the list of permanent staff of the Institute) with a 4-year renewable Scientific administrator contract which will start with a 6-month probationary internship period.

The level of remuneration, comparable to that applied in French higher education, is set in accordance with the CIHEAM-IAMM salary scale, according to the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate.

CIHEAM Montpellier is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and gender. Position open to people with disabilities.

Closing date of the call for applications: 31/05/2024

The application file should include a maximum of 3 electronic documents (doc, odt or pdf files) and be sent by email to the following address: emploi@iamm.fr

The CIHEAM is an intergovernmental organisation created in 1962, which now includes thirteen Mediterranean countries: Albania, Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey. Its General Secretariat is located in Paris. The missions of CIHEAM involve training agricultural managers in Mediterranean countries, conducting studies and research on Mediterranean agriculture in an international context, and implementing cooperation projects between countries and stakeholders in the Mediterranean region. CIHEAM-IAMM thus contributes to the production of knowledge and technical skills, and provides its students with the necessary tools to better understand the global and specific problems related to the development of the countries of the Mediterranean basin. The CIHEAM- IAMM is accredited by France to deliver national Master's degrees, and also delivers an international degree: the CIHEAM Master of Science. (http://www.iamm.ciheam.org/)