Associate Scientist – Post-Harvest Management and Value Addition (Project-based)

Overview

The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) is a non-profit, autonomous, international agricultural research center headquartered in Taiwan, with five regional offices around the globe. WorldVeg conducts research and development focused on breeding improved vegetable lines, promoting good production practices, reducing postharvest losses, and enhancing the nutritional value of vegetables. The Center also raises awareness of the critical role vegetables play in improving health and alleviating global poverty. For more information, please visit: worldveg.org

WorldVeg is seeking an Associate Scientist – Post-Harvest Management and Value Addition to lead the design, implementation, and scientific delivery of post-harvest R&D across its regional portfolio.

The successful candidate will provide scientific and technical leadership in post-harvest research and development within WorldVeg South and Central Asia (SCA) region. This position will lead research on post-harvest management, processing, and value addition of vegetables to reduce losses, improve quality, enhance market opportunities, and strengthen value chain efficiency.

The incumbent will oversee the post-harvest components of projects, develop and validate innovative technologies and practices, and support their adoption by farmers and partners. Additionally, the role involves building stakeholder capacity and contributing to resource mobilization, scientific publications, and strategic partnerships to strengthen WorldVeg’s research impact and reputation in the region.

Key Responsibilities

Research and Technology Development

Design and lead applied research on post-harvest handling, predictive postharvest management, pre-cooling, cold chain, storage, packaging, minimal processing and value addition for priority vegetables (including tomato, onion, chili, okra, cucurbits, leafy vegetables and traditional/indigenous vegetables).
Conduct loss assessments along selected vegetable value chains using standard methodologies (e.g., commodity systems assessment, load tracking) and identify critical loss points and intervention options.
Adapt, test and validate low-cost and scalable technologies suited to smallholder contexts, such as plastic crates, shade structures, evaporative and solar cooling, zero-energy cool chambers, improved curing and drying, and modified atmosphere packaging.
Undertake work on food safety and quality along the chain, including pesticide residue, microbial contamination and hygiene at aggregation and market points, in coordination with WorldVeg’s team.
Develop and evaluate processing and value-addition technologies for vegetables to enhance shelf life, market opportunities and farmer incomes.
Evaluate the environmental sustainability and climate resilience of post-harvest technologies and practices, including energy efficiency, food loss reduction and waste utilization opportunities.
Design and manage on-station and on-farm trials, collect and analyze data with scientific rigor, and maintain complete and auditable research records.
Contribute to the development of decision-support tools, protocols and standard operating procedures for post-harvest management, processing and value addition.

Project Implementation and Management

Serve as technical lead for the post-harvest components of WorldVeg SCA projects funded by state governments, national agencies, multilateral institutions and private-sector partners.
Prepare annual work plans, budgets and procurement plans for post-harvest activities and ensure timely delivery of outputs, milestones and deliverables agreed with donors.
Supervise and mentor project officers, research associates, field staff and consultants working on post-harvest activities; ensure quality of field implementation and data.
Prepare technical and progress reports, donor reports and contributions to the SCA annual report in line with WorldVeg and donor requirements.
Ensure compliance with WorldVeg policies on confidentiality, research ethics, safeguarding, financial management, data management and open access.

Capacity Development and Scaling

Develop and deliver training programs, demonstrations and extension materials on post-harvest management, processing and value Addition for farmers, farmer producer organizations (FPOs), women’s collectives, traders, processors and government extension staff.
Establish demonstration units and pilot aggregation/handling facilities with partners to showcase good practices and generate evidence on costs and returns.
Support the development of business models and market linkages that reward quality, including retailers, processors, exporters and institutional buyers.
Contribute post-harvest technology packages to WorldVeg SCA’s technology compendium and donor-facing briefs, including investment and return scenarios.

Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

Build and maintain effective working relationships with state Departments of Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing, State Agricultural Universities, ICAR institutes (e.g., ICAR-CIPHET, ICAR-IIHR, ICAR-IIVR), NABARD, APEDA, NHB, MIDH and relevant private-sector actors.
Identify funding opportunities and contribute to the preparation of concept notes and full proposals for post-harvest and value-chain projects, in coordination with the Regional Director and the SCA proposal development team.
Represent WorldVeg in technical meetings, stakeholder consultations, policy dialogues and conferences relating to post-harvest management and vegetable value chains.

Scientific Communication and Knowledge Management

Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at national and international scientific fora.
Prepare policy briefs, technical bulletins, training manuals, factsheets and digital content for diverse audiences.
Contribute to WorldVeg’s global Research Program on post-harvest and food systems, sharing data, protocols and learning with colleagues across regions.
Ensure research data are curated and deposited in accordance with WorldVeg’s data management and open-access policy.

Other Duties

Contribute to the broader research, monitoring and evaluation, gender and social inclusion, and communications agenda of WorldVeg SCA as required.
Undertake any other duties reasonably assigned by the Management in line with the level of the position.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Post-harvest loss assessment reports and intervention strategies for priority vegetable value chains in projects.
Validated and costed post-harvest, processing and value-addition technology packages ready for scaling by partners, supported by documented protocols, economic analyses and business cases. Annual work plans, budgets and timely technical/donor reports for all assigned post-harvest project components.
Capacity-building programs delivered to farmers, FPOs, extension officers and partner staff, with training materials in English and relevant local languages.
Peer-reviewed publication and regular contributions to WorldVeg communications and knowledge products.
Substantive contributions to concept notes or proposals for post-harvest and value-chain funding.

Desired Background

PhD in Post-Harvest Technology, Horticulture, Food Science and Technology, Agricultural Process Engineering or a closely related discipline with at least three to four additional years of relevant experience from reputed and recognized institutions.
Minimum of three to four (3-4) years of post-doctoral in post-harvest research and/or development, preferably on horticultural crops, in India or South Asia.
Demonstrated track record of designing and managing field-based research and development projects, including budgets, work plans and reporting to donors or government funders.
Strong record of scientific publication and technical writing.
Sound knowledge of post-harvest physiology, handling systems, cold chain, packaging, storage technologies, food safety standards and quality management in vegetable value chains.
Proven experience in working with smallholder farmers, FPOs, extension systems and market actors in India.
Excellent written and spoken English; ability to communicate technical content to non-specialist audiences.

Required Experience

Experience with value-chain analysis, business model development and market linkage approaches.
Familiarity with Indian government schemes and institutions relevant to horticulture post-harvest infrastructure (e.g., MIDH, RKVY, NHB, APEDA, PMFME, Agri-Infrastructure Fund).
Experience in preparing successful proposals for state governments, multilateral or bilateral donors, or CSR funders.
Working knowledge of English, Hindi and regional languages.
Experience with gender-responsive and nutrition-sensitive approaches in agricultural research for development.
Competence in statistical analysis and data visualization software (e.g., R, SAS, SPSS) and in research data management.

Behavioral: (traits, abilities, and motivations needed to deliver effective performance)

Scientific excellence: Rigor, curiosity and a commitment to producing evidence that is relevant to end users.
Results orientation: Ability to plan, prioritize and deliver multiple project outputs to deadline and within budget.
Partnership and influence: Skill in building trust with government officials, research partners, private companies and community organizations.
Leadership and mentoring: Ability to supervise, coach and motivate a multidisciplinary team, including field staff in remote locations.
Communication: Clear, persuasive writing and presentation skills for scientific, donor and farmer audiences.
Integrity and inclusiveness: Commitment to WorldVeg’s values, to gender equality and social inclusion, and to ethical conduct in research and in the workplace.

Reward

This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position with competitive compensation and benefits package.

How to Apply?

Applicants should submit a letter of application explaining their suitability for and interest in the position along with a curriculum vitae in English, a recent passport-size photograph, names and addresses (including telephone and e-mail) of three referees, and date of availability to hrsca@worldveg.org or the job bank site before 10 October 2026. Please mention the position title in the subject line.

The candidate we hire will embody WorldVeg’s Five Core Values:

1. *Dedication to Innovation and Knowledge Sharing*	Supports the conduct of world-class science, respects ethical standards, and is committed to transparently sharing results.
2. *Commitment to Impact*	Aspires to achieve positive, tangible, and lasting impact contributing to Sustainable Development Goals.
3. *Commitment to Partnerships*	Believes in the value of partnerships to advance research for development.
4. *Respect for People*	Respect the diversity of gender, culture, ethnic origin, religion, age, beliefs, and views.
5. *Respect for the Environment*	Strives to minimize its environmental impact and to introduce greener technology and practices.