About IRD-SRAD-South

Job Summary

IRD S-RAD Value Chain department have four implementing projects in private sector in Helmand province now, some other planed projects in future, and duration of mentioned projects is from 1st Feb 2012 until 30 August 2012. Value Chain officer main responsibility is to assist to manage and supervise this mentioned projects in Helmand province. Value Chain officer be willing to travel as needed to any district of Helmand province, and to conduct any other research and analysis related to value chains as requested. Value Chain officer have to do daily reporting of mentioned projects to Kandahar value chain department. Value Chains officer is under direct supervision of the Senior Manager Agricultural Value Chains. Value Chain officer have in-depth knowledge of the social, economic, political, and religious aspects of the province in which he works. Principal duties include:

Duties & Responsibilities

-Assist to identify points of entry and needs and requirements for interventions in each value chain.
-Conduct meetings with business leaders and farmer organizations.
-Organize discussions and negotiation between suppliers and buyers to “link” farmers and agribusinesses.
-Work with M&E department to track the linkages between farmers and agribusinesses and to measure their impact on farmers.
-Supervise the review of crop budget profile revisions, by conducting focus group and key informant sessions to update existing information to local market conditions. (Focus Group and Key Informant participants will be drawn from the Provincial and District MAIL and DAIL offices, from local NGOs, and local farmers and business people as they can be identified, accessible and available.) Must have knowledge as to who these “informants” are, where they are located and how to approach them. Updates may be made in group sessions or one-on-one interviews, as dictated by the situation. Must have knowledge of crop production techniques (input rates/jerib) for each crop grouping.
-Collect data and information on key commodity groups such as grains, oil seeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and livestock products, as the products move from farm-gate to final market, and identify exchange points or processing points along this channel of product flow. Must have experience in working with various product groups and key market participants.
-Identify market chain participants at each exchange point, and be able to approach them to investigate their volumes handled, prices they pay for raw material, their sale prices, and interview them to determine their constraints and bottle necks.
-Be willing to travel as needed, and to conduct any other research and analysis related to value chains as requested.
-Have a background and knowledge in the production of grain and forage crops for livestock feed.
-Ought to have some market research knowledge and understanding.
-Should have some market distribution channels knowledge and understanding.
-Should have knowledge in the production of livestock.
-Be available to visit destination markets as needed.

Job Requirements

-High School education is required
-Solid understanding, both theoretical and practical, of agriculture development strategies and approaches and ability to convey this knowledge to other team members, DAIL officials, and other agencies as required.
Demonstrated organizational, inter-personal skills and the ability to motivate and work well with people, Good computer skills in Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel, Fluency in English and Pashtoo languages (reading, writing and speaking), Ability to work effectively in a team environment, Ability to prepare formal reports, Good communication skills, Ability to identify problems and develop creative solutions in a technically-sound manner, Ability to maintain confidentiality, Time management and prioritization skills, Tactful and diplomatic, Ability to work well in a cross-cultural environment, Building Relationships across Work Units, Stress Tolerance, Willingness to travel to targeted districts.

Submission Guideline

Please submit your cover letter and C.V to Samiullah Rahimi (srahimi@irdglobal.org ), provide last and current references are MUST and indicate clearly the following info in the subject of your e-mail for which you are applying.
- The Vacancy Announcement Number,
- Position,
Those who are meeting the requirements are invited to send their Application and CV to mentioned email address.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. No telephone inquires please.

Functional Area

Agriculture

Countries

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