Resilience Project Manager in Agriculture

Job Summary:

The agricultural sector plays an important role in the social and economic development of Afghanistan It is the dominating source of financial and non-financial income for the rural population, farmers and rural communities are significantly poorer than urban communities. Therefore, improving agricultural productivity and income is one of the ways to help a large portion of society, The Resilience Agriculture Project Manager will lead on the design and implementation phase of the Energy & Farming component, providing technical advisory on irrigation, farming and financing model/mechanism that are appropriate to the beneficiaries. The Resilience Agriculture Project Manager will establish partnership with local farmer cooperatives and government stakeholders, and will work closely with relevant actors in the agriculture value chain to ensure successful introduction of solar irrigation systems to the market and adoption by farmers in the selected parts of the country. The Resilience Agriculture Project Manager will work in close collaboration with the Program Director (PD) who will lead and guide the project with regard to its energy component. ABCO looks for suitable candidate for the position of Project Manager for the project in JawzJan Province. 

Duties & Responsibilities:

1.     Lead on the identification of project target regions with high irrigation potential and need for irrigation improvement and to manage and oversee the overall implementation of the Project activities;

1. To provide strategic advice and support to development of new partnerships between public and private stakeholders and Work with the relevant government agencies to ensure alignment with their priorities, as well as to reach out to small farmer’s communities
2. Build alliance and coordinate partnership with local agri-focused organizations with significant extension network to help with farmer mobilization and buy-in during implementation phase

4.     Conduct baseline assessment/farmer needs assessment to inform project design and to assure quality of the studies, assessments and capacity development activities planned under the project.

1. Supplier survey assessment: Support the PD in identifying appropriate solar irrigation suppliers, assessing their needs and initiating engagement with them
2. Supervise implementation of project activities as per the Project Document and the Project Board decisions, and Establish partnership with other relevant stakeholders as appropriate such as farmer cooperatives
3. Lead on the delivery of the project implementation phase and provide technical inputs in close collaboration with other team members, including:
4. Lead on project mobilization and outreach to farmers. Organize, promote and manage outreach events. And Support in final selection and engagement with solar irrigation suppliers (including preparation of tender documents specifying product requirements and evaluation criteria)
5. Support in providing technical and finance assistance to solar suppliers in particular on market development activities to reach out to farmers
6. Develop project work plans and ensure timely implementation of the project activities in line with work plans and activity schedules and provide support and guidance to the programmer manager to develop, review, oversee and review project strategy and activities related to the implementation of the project according to the project design, risk and challenges encountered during implementation;
7. Monitor, identify and advice on challenges and risks facing the implementation of the project
8. Ensuring the provision of quality data on a timely basis for internal project management and external reporting purposes;
9. Prepare project progress reports, external communications and other documentation related to the project implementation;
10. Perform monitoring and performance evaluation of subordinated staff;
11. Perform other duties as required.

Job Requirement:

Education

·        Master’s degree in agricultural economics, agribusiness management or Agronomy,

• Knowledge of agronomic principles and practices, including crops, soils and nutrients.
• Excellent computer literacy (MS Office; Windows).

Experience and Skills

• 7-10 years’ experience in agro-business development and management of agriculture and Minimum 5 years of professional experience in agriculture development in NGOs
• Experience of working with public sector, private sector and donor organizations on institutional development or similar projects are an asset;
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of agricultural and professional education/employment projects is desirable;
• Negotiating and training/facilitation skills;
• Demonstrated capacity to work with private sector players (financial institutions, buyers, traders, transporters, input suppliers, processors in agriculture value chain)
• Experience in the practices, principles and operations associated with modern production agriculture and irrigation. Expertise in small scale irrigation management;
• Experience with irrigation technologies; Experience with solar irrigation technology a real advantage

·        Proven experience delivering agriculture focused programme to improve livelihood and reduce poverty of smallholder farmers.

• Excellent planning and time management skills and ability to meet deadlines
• Ability to work calmly under pressure to deliver as part of a team
• Strong analytical ability, able to evaluate and to appraise critically quantitative and qualitative information.
• Fluent in Local languages and English.
• The position will require regular travel within remote rural areas in JawzJan and Balkh.

Job Location:

Submission Guideline:

Interested qualified candidates should submit their CVs with a cover letter explaining their motivation in applying for the job and highlighting their relevant skills and experience to this Email Address: hr@afghanbureau.org

Candidates must clearly write the Reference and Job Title in the subject of line otherwise your application will not be considered.

We are committed to ethical standards, a safe and inclusive work environment. Our work is based on our values: Responsiveness, Equality, Impartiality, Social Justice, and Integrity.

Background and reference checks are part of the recruitment process and will be conducted for the successful candidate.