About Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

FAO Afghanistan is investing, across all 34 provinces, in resilience reinforcing actions that focus on protecting agriculture livelihoods and local ecosystems, boosting local production of nutritious foods and cash-incomes, and safeguarding critical agriculture sectoral development gains achieved over the past couple of decades through revitalizing rural markets and economy. In 2023, FAO will contribute to the humanitarian components of the United Nations Strategic Framework 2023-2025 through four priority actions: (i) Safeguarding Wheat Seed Security, (ii) Enhancing Local Production of Nutritious Food, (iii) Livestock Protection and Dairy Sector Support, and (iv) Restoring Irrigation Structures to Boost Cash Incomes. FAO will also contribute towards resilience building activities and longer-term transformational processes as part of the implementation of the United Nations Strategic Framework 2023-2025.

Job Summary

The position is located in the FAO Representation in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Reporting Lines

The National Professional Officer (Programme) works under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Afghanistan and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme). The National Professional Officer (Programme) coordinates closely with FAO units and staff in Kabul (main office) and other field offices and seeks technical support and collaboration from the respective responsible units.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will contribute to the development of country programming, country-level development frameworks, formulation and preparation of programme and project concept notes and proposals and provide coordination and operational assistance.

Key Results

Effective and efficient coordination and provision of technical and operational support of the programme and project activities of the FAO Representation.

Duties & Responsibilities

Key Functions

• Liaises and assists government authorities and local, national and international institutions in the areas of FAO’s activities in the country and with other UN agencies. He/she may represent FAO at inter-agency meetings as required;
• Promotes the image of FAO through advocacy of the Organization’s mandate, programmes, national priorities and activities, including development and maintenance of communication tools (such as website, press releases and publications) and support to implementation of FAO’s regulatory framework (Codex Alimentarius, Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, Safe Use of Pesticides, etc.) in the country;
• Coordinates the collection, consolidation and maintenance of country data on food, crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries, including information on external aid in FAO’s corporate systems, and monitors changes in national policies affecting the agricultural sector;
• Participates in producing technical, economic and policy studies, as required, and developing country level development frameworks, such as the Country Programming Framework (CPF) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF);
• Participates in the identification, formulation and preparation of programme and project proposals and monitors and reviews the status of programme/project implementation to ensure that all operational activities are carried out in line with the work plan and the project document; identifies inconsistencies and delays and, when necessary, proposes corrective measures to overcome operational constraints;
• Briefs, trains and supervises junior staff; ensures adherence to procedures and work requirements as well as accuracy and diligence of the work provided;
• Performs other duties as required.

Specific Functions

• Provides technical support to the programme unit and other respective units on the implementation of the FAO Strategic Framework (Four Betters) and mainstreaming of the Programme Priority Areas (PPA);
• Supports the achievement of the SDG agenda during the project preparation and implementation;
• Contributes to the development of the biennium work plan, and country risk log, and updates the Country Office Information Network (COIN) and the Programme Planning, Implementation Reporting and Evaluation Support System (PIRES) tasks related to the programme unit;
• Liaises with local, national and international institutions including UN agencies on the areas of FAO’s activities in the country. He/she may represent FAO at inter-agency meetings as required;
• Manages Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP)/TCP Facility (TCPF) projects tasks;
• Undertakes field visits as required and collects information and lesson learnt from the ongoing projects to develop new ideas for the project concept notes.

Job Requirements

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• National of Afghanistan.
• Advanced university degree or university degree in agriculture, agricultural economics, food security, nutrition, management, or any other field related to the work of the organization.
• For an advanced degree at least three years of relevant experience in agricultural/food security/nutrition development and/or programme and projects management and implementation in an area of FAO’s activities in the country.
• For a university degree at least five years of relevant experience in agricultural/food security/nutrition development and/or programme and projects management and implementation in an area of FAO’s activities in the country.
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of the official communication language used for FAO communication with the country (English).
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of the local language (Pashto and Dari).

Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions.
• Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project development and management.
• Demonstrated understanding of the purpose and functions of the technical programme, operational guidelines and project/programme management procedures, preferably those adopted by the United Nations or FAO.
• Extent and relevance of experience in the field of policy and strategy analysis relating to food and nutrition security, agriculture and rural development.
• Extent and relevance of experience in the collection of country data on food, nutrition, crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries.
• Extent and relevance of experience in the identification, formulation and preparation of programme and project proposals as well as programme/project implementation, monitoring and review.

Submission Guideline

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications and language skills;
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile;
• Once your profile is completed, please apply and submit your application;
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided on your online profile;
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications;
• Incomplete applications will not be considered;
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered;
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
• If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

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