Organizational Setting
FAO Afghanistan is investing across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan 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 particular, FAO provides a combination of humanitarian and basic needs/non-humanitarian assistance to female and male farmers and herders across Afghanistan in the agriculture, livestock, irrigation and natural resources sub-sectors through its projects and programs, as described in the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) and the United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan (UNSFA) 2023-2027, specifically under UNSFA Priority 2 Economic Opportunities and Resilient Livelihoods.
Reporting Lines
The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) or Deputy FAO Representative (DFAOR) in Afghanistan. S/he will work under the overall guidance of the Head of Programme Unit and the direct supervision of the Technical Adviser (Development Action Team Leader). The direct supervisor or as assigned, will be responsible for all day-to-day supervision, technical guidance and the performance evaluation.
Technical Focus
The core responsibilities encompass coordinating value chains, conducting their technical analysis, facilitating capacity building activities for value chain actors, forging partnerships and implementing sustainable strategies to enhance the agribusiness sector and its value chains.
Tasks and responsibilities
• Contributes towards the design and implementation of tailored Value Chain Accelerator initiatives to enhance market integration, competitiveness, and growth opportunities for smallholder producers and agribusinesses.
• Conducts comprehensive market studies to identify consumer preferences, production gaps, and local and international market opportunities. Provides data and assists with the recommendations to guide enterprise selection and value chain prioritization.
• Provides inputs on ways to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of Farmer Organizations and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt sustainable, productive, and climate-resilient practices. Design and deliver targeted training programs—such as Farmer Field Schools (FFS)—focusing on mechanization, good agricultural practices (GAP), and inclusive value chain development.
• Provides input for the development and implementation of post-harvest management strategies so as to minimize losses and promote value addition across priority value chains, enhancing income stability and food security.
• Conducts research on ways to promote modernization and efficiency in rural value chains by facilitating access to agricultural processing technologies through matching grants and private-sector partnerships with smallholder businesses.
• Coordinates Business Development Services (BDS) and matching grant activities, strengthening the capacities of agribusinesses, farmer organizations, and rural entrepreneurs through access to advisory, financial, and technical support that improves productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability.
• Provides technical input on Business Development Services (BDS) providers, ensuring that their work plans, methodologies, and deliverables align with FAO’s quality standards and project objectives.
• Promotes inclusive and market-oriented enterprise development by supporting business planning, investment proposals, and linkages with financial institutions, investors, and markets, ensuring integration of BDS and matching grant components across FAO’s value chain and livelihood programmes.
• Coordinates with technical teams to identify and establish strategic partnerships with key value chain stakeholders—such as off-takers, financial institutions, equipment suppliers, and industry representatives—to strengthen market linkages and investment
• Supports planning, coordination, and execution of project activities, including timeline management, budget oversight, and resource allocation, ensuring consistency with FAO’s project management cycle from initiation to closure.
• Supports the daily management of project operations, assisting the Agricultural Development Action Team, and ensuring alignment with the project management cycle from initiation to financial closure.
• Coordinates with internal teams and monitors the project progress and provides feedback to the supervisors on the gaps and follows up with teams on recommended actions.
• Overarching interventions:
• Partners with the project implementation team to draft a concept note that contains suggested ways to enhance agricultural production and productivity to strengthen the country’s agrifood value chains, and encourage private sector investment.
• Accompanies the supervisor(s) in meetings with stakeholders, government agencies, NGOs, financial and manufacturing institutions, market actors, across target value chains to foster strategic partnerships and ensure project alignment.
• Organizes and supports meetings, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions to promote collaboration and idea exchange, to anchor project implementation.
• Performs any other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in management, accounting, economics, agribusiness or related field. Consultants with bachelor`s degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience
• At least 1 year of relevant practical experience in grant projects and in the field of agricultural value chain development, rural business development etc. (Category C - 1 year; category B – 5 years)
• Working knowledge (Level C) in English
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Excellent experience in designing database for Complaints Feedback Mechanism.
• Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills in English.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office and analytical skills, including quantitative analysis, use of BI tools, Excel and MS Access.
• Ability to work cohesively within a diverse team.
• Excellent time management and ability to plan and prioritize and ensure timely deliverables.
• Strong team player and ability to work under minimum supervision.
• Experience of working with the United Nations or other international organizations (especially those working in the field of Value Chain & Agribusiness) is preferred;
• Experience of work under emergency conditions is preferred;
• Experience organizing stakeholder meetings or workshops with various partners;
