Director, Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program

Reports to: CGIAR Chief Scientist

Location: This position will be based in a duty station to be determined in a location with significant CGIAR operations relevant to the Program. Montpellier, shown above, is a default system setting and not the confirmed duty station.

Grade: SO8 / CG13 (Equivalent to UN D1)

Date Published: 24 March 2025

Closing Date for Applications: 15 April 2025 at 16:00 CEST.

About CGIAR

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. Its research is conducted closely with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations, and the private sector.

About the position

CGIAR has an ambitious mission to deliver science and innovations that advance the transformation of food, land and water systems in a climate crisis to reduce poverty and inequity, enhance food and nutrition security, and improve natural resources and ecosystem services. CGIAR’s Integrated Partnership operates as a federated group of Centers and the CGIAR System Organization, united by common values and principles, and committed to achieving synergies that enhance their individual and collective contributions to CGIAR’s mission.

CGIAR’s 2025—30 science and innovation Portfolio encompasses eight Science Programs, a Scaling for Impact Program, and three Accelerators. The Portfolio is designed to harness CGIAR’s collective capabilities to address the most pressing global challenges. It aims to foster deeper and broader programmatic integration across Centers and disciplines, enabling science and innovation at a greater scale with enhanced reach and impact.

The Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program aims to co-identify, co-design, and co-implement interventions that harmonize environmental sustainability with human development goals and help develop biodiverse, productive, resilient, and low-emissions land- and aquascapes. By leveraging agroecological, regenerative, and nature-positive solutions, the program aims to create biodiverse and resilient landscapes that balance ecological restoration with sustainable development. Collaborative engagement with communities, governments, and private sector partners ensures equitable and impactful strategies.

The Director, Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program provides scientific leadership, adaptive management, and strategic alignment of the Program and its components as a coherent, joint undertaking that spans multiple CGIAR Centers, partners, and sources of funding.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Designs and implements research and evidence-based strategies to address critical global challenges such as land degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and socio-economic inequities ensuring they are responsive to diverse stakeholder needs and aligned with the CGIAR’s mission.
• Provides scientific and strategic leadership of the Program, ensuring continuous review and adaptive management of the Program’s vision, theory of change, and structure to maximize impact, relevance, and efficiency.
• Oversees Program execution, aligning activities with CGIAR’s overarching vision, mission, and 2030 outcomes, including developing and managing work plans and budgets for Program, and fostering alignment of relevant of other bilaterally funded projects and programs with the Program’s high-level outcomes and theory of change.
• Leads the Program’s Leadership team, comprising Area of Work Leads and Co-Leads, and Center Delegates defining a vision for the program and shared accountability.
• Actively participates in CGIAR’s Global Science Team, driving coordinated science and innovation leadership across the Portfolio to achieve collective impact.
• Guides and directs engagement with global enabling and engagement functions, a Program -level Independent Advisory Group, and CGIAR’s partnership-wide independent advisory and assurance bodies (i.e. Independent Science for Development Council, the Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service, the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment, and Internal Audit) combining scientific and political acumen.
• Acts as a spokesperson, engaging with partners, funders and – when required – CGIAR’s partnership-wide governing bodies on matters related to the Program, including the CGIAR System Council and CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board.
• Drives research for integrated landscape management by building strategic partnerships with global and regional stakeholders, including research institutions, policymakers, private sector act