Agricultural Engineer (Agricultural Livelihoods Specialist)

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency.  At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services. 

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need.

Project Information 

The World Bank (WB) has prepared the Water Emergency Relief Project (WERP), funded through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The objective of the project is to provide reliable, environmentally and financially sustainable solutions for agricultural irrigation in selected rural areas. The proposed approach is to address water scarcity challenges faced by farmers in drought-affected districts by providing them with access to solar-powered water driven pumps. These solar pumping systems will enable water to be drawn from rivers and other perennial surface water bodies to be utilized effectively for irrigation of agricultural land and crops.

The project also aims to support the local private sector by engaging with several Private Energy Service Companies (PESCs) for the development of site-specific designs, installation works, and ongoing asset management to provide energy services (Energy as a Service, or EaaS) to their irrigation customers. 

It is envisaged that the project will support between 100 and 400 sites, running from 5ha to 60ha. 

UNOPS recently received approval to expand direct support to community livelihoods on project sites, with the objective of 

• Ensuring that the community increase their income and are therefore in a position to pay for the energy to pump water to their lands and still be in a net positive income position. This will be through supporting yield improvement, improvement of lands, water management and provision of limited inputs.

• Strengthening the viability of the PESCs by expanding the energy demand, specifically related to agricultural beneficiation and community livelihoods. This will be through supporting projects that, for example, provide cooling facilities, drying facilities, canning facilities, etc.

The Community Support and Livelihood Specialist will report to the Senior Project Manager and work in close collaboration with the grants management and the field implementation team. S/he will: 

• support the team by providing an assessment of livelihoods opportunities at the sites identified by UNOPS, 

• provide technical and economic guidance in development of the livelihoods project scope, cost and design, 

• support the PESCs with information and advice on potential livelihoods projects,

• assess proposals by PESCs and communities for livelihoods projects,

• oversee implementation partners that support communities with information and advice, 

• oversee the implementation of the livelihoods projects,

• contribute to and support calls for proposals, terms of reference and procurement processes related to livelihoods and agricultural beneficiation and economics,

• support the capacitation of rural energy businesses,

• Advise on market linkages.

The specialist will support engagement with the local community and authorities. The Specialist will be supported by implementing partners for Community Support and PESC/enterprise capacity development. The position is based in Kabul with frequent travel to the project sites.

The responsibilities for the position include but are not limited to:

Agricultural Livelihoods

• Advise and capacitate WERP team on agricultural livelihoods aspects, including land improvements, crop suitability and yield improvement actions, suitable beneficiation components resting to additional energy uses

• Assess proposals from PESCs and communities for livelihood projects which integrate with the power supply projects and increase community capacity to generate income.

• Develop ToRs for Community Support Agents to support the community on a) agricultural improvements and b) effective water management that result in the increase of yield and transition to higher value crops

• Develop ToRs for capacity building, knowledge sharing and market information dissemination of PESCs.

• Oversee the cash-for-work component conceptualization, assessment of cash-for-work proposals.

• Monitor implementation of projects by PESCs and communities to ensure they strengthen the sustainability of the power supply and income generation.

Planning and coordination:

• Advise on and support the planning, organizing, management of project intervention activities with stakeholders and or with any relevant authorities at various levels of intervention  

• Map and document project intervention activities in the field   

• Liase with and support coordination of various entities relevant to the agricultural and livelihoods components, including liaison with the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Irrigation.

• Monitor and advise coordinating structures set up for the project

• Support the documentation of case studies

• Knowledge transfer to project team members on acquired information

• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of the project

Knowledge management, communication and reporting:

• Coordinate and manage the knowledge sharing initiative for PESCs

• Document case studies on rural energy supply projects for dissemination 

• Ensure relevant information on agricultural livelihoods and rural energy enterprises is included in the management information system

• Support on information management and knowledge transfer to the project staff

• Report to the Senior Project Manager on a weekly basis on community risks / issues and the project’s performance in relation to those issues

• Report to the Senior Project Manager any potential implementation problems and bottlenecks with possible solutions

• Keep up to date with the daily and weekly developments of the project

• Help resolve issues at the community level with consistent reporting on achievements 

• Act as a focal point for the project with the communities and and other relevant stakeholders 

A. Education

• Advanced university degree in agricultural science, economics or relevant related field. Alternatively, a Bachelor’s degree with two years’ additional experience in the agricultural economics/market sector.

B. Work Experience

Required

• Five years post-graduate relevant professional experience in agricultural livelihood and/or economics, and/or agricultural value chains 

• Experience working with local communities in the creation and or execution of livelihoods or humanitarian and development projects 

• Experience engaging with stakeholders (private sector companies, government departments, and other development institutions )

• Good knowledge and/or experience of agriculture and agricultural markets in Afghanistan.

Preferred

• Experience in specific aspects such as agronomics and value chain development

• Experience working with national and international organizations that are contributing to the reconstruction and development in Afghanistan 

• Prior experience with Government related development institutions, NGOs, INGOs, UN/UNOPS, or similar humanitarian and development actors will have a significant advantage

• Established networks in the agricultural market in Afghanistan.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.