Afghanistan Sr. Technical Advisor

TOR for Sr. Technical Advisor Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock General Directorate of Programs Afghanistan Improving Agricultural Inputs Delivery System (IAIDS) project

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Post Title: Sr. Technical Advisor (Int)
Type of Appointment: Internationally recruited staff Duration: Three Months (with the possibility of extension) Duty Station Kabul

Project Background Building on the Agriculture Master Plan, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoA) in collaboration with its development partners has defined a number of appropriate priorities for agricultural investments and policies under the National Agricultural Development Framework (NADF). In order to increase farmers' incomes and improve the food security situation, the GoA is giving foremost attention to strengthening of the agricultural production base. In this respect the government has asked the World Bank for assistance in strengthening agricultural input supply Systems. Specifically, the GoA has requested the World Bank for assistance in the preparation of the Improving Agricultural Inputs Delivery System (IAIDS) project that will consist of the following four components: (i) Improve seed production and certification; (ii) Establish infrastructure and policies regarding quality control and safe use of fertilizers and agrochemicals; (iii) Improve input delivery systems; and (iv) Establish efficient project management, implementation and coordination mechanisms.

The development objective of the IAIDS project is to increase adoption of improved crop production technologies through expanding development of certified seeds and improving access to agricultural inputs of reliable quality. IAIDS is currently in the project preparation phase and currently looking for a Senior Technical Advisor. The consultant will be reporting to the Project Director and will need to make several visits to the provinces of Afghanistan.

Scope of the assignment The Senior Technical Advisor will be responsible for advising the other members of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in general and the Project Director in particular, on various technical and organizational matters for smooth implementation of project preparation activities. Besides the advisory role, he/she will streamline the project’s activities as per the project document, legal agreement, and established procedures of the World Bank. The Senior Technical Advisor will closely liaise and coordinate with all stakeholders including other members of the PIU, key staff in MAIL departments and directorates involved with the Project, other donors active in the agricultural input development field, the World Bank, and the private sector. Besides the tasks described above and depending on the Advisor’s specific background, the incumbent will give special attention to the preparation of the seed component of the Project.

The Senior Technical Advisor will report to the Project Director. The responsibilities of the Senior Technical Advisor would include, but not be limited to, the following:

Responsibilities and Deliverables • Advise and assist the Project Director in taking timely and appropriate measures to ensure immediate start-up of project activities; • Ensure that all technical activities required to prepare the project, are implemented as scheduled and in a timely fashion according to World Bank procedures standards - and ensure that all PIU members understand these procedures and standards; • Work with other national and international consultant members of the PIU and MAIL staff in reporting on all preparation aspects of the IAIDS project; • Carry out field visits where necessary to interact with prospective project stakeholders and obtain their buy-in into the project; • For developing the seed component of the project, perform a situation analysis and conduct extensive interactions, consultations and consensus building activities with all stakeholders involved, including close cooperation with MAIL’s legal department and other legislative bodies. • Provide specialist advice on seed production and seed sector organization; • Assess the capacity of stakeholders in the seed sector and identify their institutional gaps/requirements (infrastructure, human resources, organization etc) that need to be addressed by the project in order to improve the functioning of the seed sector; • Make a preliminary estimate of the cost involved with filling in the gaps in the seed sector; • Communicate effectively, both in writing and orally, with all project stakeholders; • Review and give feedback on documents prepared by other international consultants; • Help the project staff in sequencing various activities for their smooth and timely completion; • Guide the Project Director to take appropriate remedial measures to remove bottlenecks in project preparation; • Review the implementation modalities and monitoring mechanisms to provide necessary input to the consultants and project management regarding project targets and quality of works.

Essential Qualifications and Experience: • The Senior Technical Advisor would possess a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Agricultural Engineering /Plant Protection/ Seed Breeding/ Agribusiness/Agriculture with at least fifteen (15) years of professional experience in guiding/ supervision/ execution of activities related to agricultural development and/or seed production including a minimum of ten (10) years work experience as Team Leader or Technical Advisor in management and implementation of agriculture activities under similar projects;; • Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government officials, international donor agencies, technical field staff, NGO representatives; etc; • Good communication skills, fluency in English and proven satisfactory record of similar assignments would be preferred; • Work experience in World Bank-assisted project and/or in post-conflict countries would be an advantage.

How to apply:

Send CV and Cover letter to HR Department Contracted Staff, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Our Address is: Kabul University Road, Kabul, Afghanistan Note: *No resume will be taken under consideration without having a cover letter. *Only selected candidates will be called for interviews. vacancies@mail.gov.af