UNOPS origins trace back to 1973, and until 1994 the Office for Project Services was part of the UN Development Programme. By decision of the UN General Assembly, UNOPS became a separate, self-financing entity within the UN development system on 1 January 1995. The UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners.  It is led by the Director, who has overall authority and accountability for the performance PSC on behalf of its clients.  The Director is responsible for administering and providing oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations.

Job Summary

• 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.

The UNOPS Jobs in Kabul, (Agricultural Engineer) will have responsibilities that include:

• 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.

Job Requirment

• 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 
• Education/Experience/Language requirements
• 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.
• C.  Languages
• Excellent written, verbal English language skills required
• Knowledge of Pashto and/or Dari language will be required.  
• D.  Key Competencies
• Demonstrable strong analytical skills, including quantitative and qualitative assessments and logical, systematic thinking. Ability to work on complex problems in a clear, focused manner.
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision and direction. Self-motivated, versatile and adaptable to different cultures and ethnicities 
• Strong team-work ability. Capable of working with others in a participatory and capacity building manner
• Ability to establish and maintain excellent relationship with colleagues, relevant authorities, community, community representatives and contractors
• Ability to multitask and prioritize work schedules
• Working knowledge of Google suite Applications would an advantage
• Good negotiation skills, and the ability to bring consensus amongst people

Submission Guideline

• Please click on the below link for actual vacancy announcement to see the complete details and submission guideline as this is only an attempt for attracting female applicants for gender parity in organization. Please make sure you fill your profile/application properly with all relevant details in order to be considered for the next stage of recruitment/selection.

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Country

Afghanistan

City

Kabul

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