Capacity Development Officer

Reports to: Technical Training Officer

Location: Cairo, Egypt

Purpose of the position

The project aims to strengthen scientific, technical, and operational capacities to combat the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) through a phased and scalable Capacity Development Framework. Capacity Development is a cross-cutting area coordinated by ICARDA's Capacity Development Unit (CDU), ensuring integration and coherence across all five Workstreams—biological and biotechnological control, digital innovations, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), socio-economic analysis, and scaling and public awareness. To support effective implementation, dedicated Capacity Development Officers will be recruited in Egypt to work across these Workstreams, coordinating training, youth engagement, scaling, and public awareness activities in close collaboration with the CDU, workstream leads, and international/national partners.

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.  

ICARDA's mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more information:

• Coordinate with ICARDA colleagues, international and national partners (e.g., NARS, Ministry of Agriculture, universities) to organize ToTs, Young Career Program, Scaling, and Citizen Science activities.
• Support cross-country training and exchange activities between the UAE and other Low Medium Income Countries including Egypt.
• Report on progress, lessons learned, and ensure proper documentation of all activities, including training reports, participant lists, and follow-up actions.
• Travel as required to the UAE and other relevant partner countries (e.g., Morocco, Kenya, India) to support training preparation, take minutes of coordination meetings, and contribute to the delivery of trainings.
• Assist in training logistics, including preparation of training materials, coordination with host institutions, participant management, and smooth implementation of workshops.
• Ensure quality and relevance of training programs by working closely with subject-matter experts and aligning activities with project objectives and national priorities.
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation, by collecting feedback from participants, assessing effectiveness, and proposing improvements for future capacity development activities.
• Support the design, adaptation, and delivery of e-learning modules on RPW management, ensuring accessibility for diverse audiences across regions.

• BSc or Master's degree in Agriculture, Extension, Plant Protection, Development Studies, or a related field.
• 4–5 years of relevant experience in capacity development, agricultural extension, or training coordination.
• Proven experience in organizing training programs, workshops, or farmer field schools, including preparation of training materials.
• Strong organizational, facilitation, and communication skills; ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, research institutions, and farmer organizations.
• Proficiency in Arabic (native level) and fluency in English (spoken and written).
• Good analytical and report-writing skills, with ability to document lessons learned and prepare progress reports.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally, sometimes on short notice, to support training and coordination activities.
• Good IT/digital skills, including MS Office and familiarity with e-learning platforms or digital tools for training.
• Familiarity with date palm production, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), or Red Palm Weevil (RPW) management is an asset.
• Experience in developing, managing, or facilitating e-learning platforms or digital training tools is an advantage.

The successful candidate will be offered a 3-month consultancy contract on a full-time basis, renewable subject to continued need for the position, availability of funds, and satisfactory performance.

The Incumbent will be provided with a monthly honorarium.

Please be advised that ICARDA accepts applications only in English, as per the organization's standard communication language. Applications in other languages will not be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.