Technical Assistant (Seeds)

Overview

Manage seed procurement and quality assurance processes

You have:

• University degree in Agriculture, agronomy, agriculture research or closely related field.
• A minimum of three years of relevant experience in the seed sector of Afghanistan.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and the local languages (Pashto and/or Dari).
• National of Afghanistan.

Organizational Setting

FAO Afghanistan is investing, across all 34 provinces, 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 2022-2023, FAO will, under the life-saving assistance Outcome (1) of the UN Transitional Engagement Framework (TEF), focus on the following four priority actions: (i) Safeguarding Wheat Seed Security, (ii) Enhancing Local Production of Nutritious Food, (iii) Livestock Protection and Dairy Sector Support, and (iv) Restoring Irrigation Structures to Boost Cash Incomes. Additionally, FAO will contribute towards resilience building activities under Outcome 2 of the TEF.

Reporting Lines

The Technical Assistant (Seed) will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative and the direct supervision of the National Professional Officer (Programme) / Emergency Response Coordinator.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Oversee and contribute to all technical matters related to seed procurement, technical specifications, including supplier-level seed processing and packaging, quality assurance and safe storage at the distribution point;
• Develop contextualised technical specifications for various seeds (i.e. wheat, fodder, pulses and vegetables);
• Follow-up, in collaboration with Procurement colleagues, with seed suppliers who are contracted by FAO about timely seed inspection, packaging, seed treatment and delivery to the project locations;
• Coordinate between superintendence company and seed suppliers for timely seed quality control and provision of lab results;
• Contribute towards the seed delivery to all the project areas and coordinate with implementing partners about safe storage and timely distribution;
• Provide technical advice, and in collaboration with Communication colleagues prepare modules/fliers and messages to the beneficiaries about seed cultivation timing and other technical aspects;
• Develop training materials and provide training to FAO implementing partners in essential technical aspects of wheat, vegetable, pulses and other crops seed production on the farmers;
• In collaboration with Communications and Learning colleagues, support with capacity building in seed-related matters for FAO personnel, beneficiaries and implementing partners;
• Provide technical guidance and develop materials (in collaboration with Communications colleagues) to ensure that the best agronomic practices are adopted in the field and that post-harvest handling operations, including processing and packaging of seed, are adopted at the farmers’ level;
• Closely engage with the seed certification authorities to ensure timely and appropriate field inspection from the seed enterprises, collection of seed sampling, seed testing and availability of test results to the seed enterprises;
• Work closely with private sector/seed enterprises regarding certified wheat seed production, quantity, variety and its supply chain;
• Ensure close working relations with the seed certification services/authorities regarding wheat and other seed quality assurance measures;
• Ensure proper management of FAO seed storage to avoid quality deterioration and effective seed delivery to relative areas when necessary;
• Assess/evaluate the current state and the development perspectives for wheat seed sector of Afghanistan;
• Participate and/or lead assessments of the situation, market surveys and capacity assessments of agriculture inputs (seeds and etc.) suppliers;
• Develop an assessment plan for a rapid capacity assessment of various agriculture inputs suppliers;
• Develop and pilot qualitative tools to support data collection at the provincial and district level for the supplier capacity assessments;
• Travel to sub-national locations to facilitate Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) as part of the various assessments and analyse the applicable data;
• Support and/or lead the data analysis and formulation of reports of the various assessments and analyse the applicable data;
• Perform any other tasks as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Agriculture, agronomy, agriculture research or closely related field;
• A minimum of three years of relevant experience in the seed sector of Afghanistan;
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and the local languages (Pashto and/or Dari);
• National of Afghanistan.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated experience to conduct technical trainings in essential technical aspects of wheat, vegetable, pulses and other crops seed production to Farmers and Implementing Partners;
• Basic understanding of agriculture research;
• Previous experience conducting assessments and with data collection is desirable;

• Previous work experience with the UN is an advantage;

• Willingness to travel extensively to remote areas, to conduct meetings and awareness-building campaigns;

• Strong professional command of Microsoft Office, in particular Word and Excel.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: fao.org