How to apply for Agronomist and Project Coordinator

About Sistema.bio

Sistema.bio builds biodigester and biofertilizer technology for family farms in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The company works at the intersection of renewable energy, regenerative farming, and rural economies. This role sits on the Africa team and supports a new Agri Innovation Center in Senegal.

About the role

You will be the local technical anchor for the Agri Innovation Center in Senegal. The work covers bioslurry-based input production, composting, quality checks, farmer training, and field demonstrations. You will coordinate with partners, laboratories, regulators, and cooperatives to keep project activities on schedule.

A typical day

A typical day may include checking composting and liquid production at the Agri Innovation Center, running quality tests, and coordinating with a lab or cooperative on upcoming activities. You may also train farmers or run a field demonstration. The exact routine depends on the AIC setup stage, so ask about the current phase and weekly priorities in the interview.

Who Sistema.bio is looking for

• Has hands-on agronomy experience with composting, bioslurry, or biofertilizer production and quality control.
• Has coordinated field projects with multiple stakeholders such as cooperatives, labs, and regulators.
• Can run farmer training and field demonstrations in Senegal, with local language and context knowledge.
• Is comfortable setting up production systems, storage, and day-to-day operations at a new site.

Tips for this application

• Name the specific technical areas from the posting you have done: composting systems, liquid production, storage, and quality checks. Give one concrete example for each.
• Show Senegal or West Africa field experience. If you have worked with cooperatives or regulators there, state it directly in the first paragraph.
• Describe a project you coordinated from setup to delivery. Include the partners involved and how you kept timelines on track.
• Mention any experience training farmers or running field demonstrations. State the crop, the input used, and the result.
• If you lack direct AIC experience, describe a similar production or demonstration site you helped set up and what you learned.

What to cover in your cover letter

State your hands-on experience with bioslurry, composting, or biofertilizer production and quality checks. Describe a time you coordinated field activities across partners, labs, or cooperatives. Explain your familiarity with Senegal's farming context and local languages. Connect your work to reducing emissions and improving farm productivity, using facts from your own experience.

Research before applying

• Read Sistema.bio's materials on biodigesters and biofertilizer to understand the product line and how the Agri Innovation Center fits in.
• Look up Senegal's agricultural sector, main crops, and existing biodigester or biofertilizer programs.
• Check who Sistema.bio partners with in Africa and Senegal, including cooperatives, labs, and regulators.
• Find any public information on the Agri Innovation Center in Senegal and its current stage of setup.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you set up composting and liquid production at a new Agri Innovation Center, step by step?
• Describe a quality check or production problem you solved in the field. What was the outcome?
• How do you coordinate between farmers, laboratories, and regulators when timelines slip?
• What is your experience with bioslurry application on specific crops, and what results did you see?
• How would you design a farmer training or field demonstration for a new biofertilizer product?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing a generic agronomy cover letter that does not mention bioslurry, composting, or the Agri Innovation Center.
• Claiming Senegal experience without naming specific regions, crops, or partners you worked with.
• Focusing only on farm advisory work and ignoring the project coordination, setup, and operations parts of the role.