Program Officer Agriculture Sector , CARD-F

About CARD-F

The Comprehensive Agriculture and Rural Development Facility (CARD-F) works on behalf of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GOIRA) to deliver sustainable economic development in the rural economy at the district level. 
CARD-F specifically seeks to provide a means of designing, coordinating and funding high-impact interventions through an integrated Economic Development Package (EDP) for each targeted district. EDPs address issues of markets, agricultural production and infrastructure in an integrated manner to promote growth and build on, as far as possible, existing programs and projects. Such programs and projects are predominantly those of the Afghan Ministry of Agricultural Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) and the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD). 
CARD-F functions under the auspices of an Inter-Ministerial Committee comprising MAIL, MRRD, and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN). While presently externally funded through development cooperation, CARD-F seeks to be an “on-budget” mechanism that enhances Afghans’ own capacity to design and implement effective strategies for growth and development. 

Job Summary

-

Duties and Responsibilities

Working closely with the other team members and in particular with the Agriculture Marketing and Business Development officer, the Program Officer Agriculture (POA) will have responsibility for 
• Identifying all the major stakeholders in the production of agricultural commodities in the Helmand area and in particular the poultry, small ruminant (with special emphasis on the Kuchi community), fruit and vegetable, wheat and cotton sub-sectors;
• Identifying production constraints in the indentified value chains and proposing project interventions that will address those constraints;
• Liaising with other projects/programs operating in the agriculture sector in the Helmand area identify and taking account of development activities currently being undertaken or being developed in these sectors, propose activities for CARD-F that will compliment and support the expansion of production and marketing in these sub-sectors;
• Design specific production interventions to be supported by CARD-F, which may involve other input suppliers, animal health services, credit providers etc.
• Design capacity building activities for other stakeholders;
• Conduct training needs assessments of stakeholders and supervise the designing and organizing of training programs to address the identified training needs;
• Organize training assessment reports;
• Monitor all production support activities and make recommendations for modification, improvement or the introduction of new activities;
• Keep Card-F management fully informed of production development activities, including the activities of other donors, programs and projects, in the project area
• Be prepared to work and travel to the project areas

Qualification

Qualification:

• Bachelors degree in , Agriculture/ horticulture or Livestock, Rural Development or equivalent . Master degree holders are preferred 

Skills:

• Demonstrated report writing capabilities;
• Working knowledge of the sector and analysis techniques / experience in project appraisal 
• Be able to demonstrate a high level of initiative and be able to work with a minimum of supervision;
• IT Literate and good working experience of MS Office.
• An understanding of a market led approach to production.
• Have the ability to take a strategic view of the results to be delivered and to conceptualize how the CARD-F operation can fit into the overall development objectives in the project area; 

Experience: 

• Over 5 years of relevant work experience is required.
• Knowledge or working experience with the other institutions that will be working with CARD-F in the project area, e.g. MRRD, MAIL, Danida, ADF will be an advantage.
• Have experience in the development and implementation of donor funded projects; 

Skills

-

Language(s) required

Good written and oral communication skills in English and local languages

Submission Guideline

You can apply for this post in two ways:
1. By Electronic submission:

Ideally, you should apply electronically by sending your CV and a one-page covering letter explaining your interest and suitability for the position to: 
jobs@cardf.gov.af
PLEASE SPECIFY THE POSITION YOU ARE APPLYING FOR IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR E-MAIL. 
2. By Hard Copy

Alternatively, you may submit a hard copy of your application – your CV and a one-page covering letter. – in an envelope marked “Confidential”. Please write clearly on the envelope the position for which you are applying. The envelope should be addressed to:
Noorullah Aria
CARD-F Human Resources Manager
Address: CARD-F Office
Jamal Meena, Kart-e-Sakhi square, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL)
Kabul-Afghanistan

PLEASE NOTE:
1. APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

2. ONLY SHORT-LISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.