Livelihood Officer

About LITACA/MRRD:

The project Livelihood Improvement in Tajik—Afghan Cross Border Areas (LITACA) is the first socio-economic development project between the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Republic of Tajikistan executed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) —Tajikistan Office in Tajik side and the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) of the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Afghan side. The project is funded by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

LITACA II a 3 year initiative (2018 – 2020) to improve living standards and promote stability and security in the bordering provinces of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. This will be achieved by reducing poverty, supporting economic development and cross-border collaboration among the communities along the Tajik-Afghan border. More than 130,072people will directly benefit from LITACA project while the livelihoods of more than 1,823,828) people living in target bordering communities will be strengthened. The project will offer capacity development opportunities for the local governments, civil society and private sector organizations to sustainably manage local socio-economic development. As well, the project will offer investments for rehabilitating priority infrastructure initiatives and business development as a means of improving livelihoods of the target population, and thereby promoting stability and security in the region.

Job Description:

Duties & Responsibilities:

The Livelihood Officer will report and work under the direct supervision of Project Manager (PM) and. He or she will also liaise with the project core team at the provincial level to ensure technical soundness and compliance of the project document with all its requirements. The Livelihood Officer will work in a team of several other experts, in particular in collaboration and guidance by the National Project Manager in order to deliver the outputs above. During the assignment, the Livelihood Officer will also liaise and work in close cooperation with MRRD, and relevant provincial departments and government officials, in particular from MAIL and the other agencies like AKF/AKDN, GIZ and others.

The Livelihood Officer to perform the following tasks as part of the baseline assessments to inform the design of the project as follows:

Provide technical support to the Project Manager and Senior Economic task team;
Management of livelihood resources as identified in the project document in the field;
Implementation of livelihood operational plans in the field;
Development of livelihood assessment plan at the community level;
Provision of technical consultations to PM and Senior Economist;
Contribute technical specifications for the market surveys, training of beneficiaries on various skills;
Provide technical guidance for the marketing and market forward and backward linkages for the alternative livelihoods
Contribute to rangeland management, reforestation and disaster risk management;
Map out existing livelihood related support that exists in the target districts/communities and facilitate a dialogue with provincial government authorities  about ways in which these agencies can be more effectively integrated into the sub-national development planning process;
Assess the existing livelihood practices in the target sites; assess to what extent these practices (including the livelihood support provided by agencies listed above) take into account future climate change scenarios such as an increasing monsoon rainfall, decreasing dry season rainfall, and increasing variability in rainfall;
Carry out a preliminary costing exercise along with a calculation of potential beneficiaries (individuals or households), which will feed into the Total Budget and Work Plan section and Socio-economic Benefits section of the project document; 
Establishment of Community Disaster Management Committees based on existing stakeholder groups and ensuring representation of all vulnerable groups
Contribute in development of value chain studies for identification, deliver and monitor the integrated value chain approach designed as per the feasibility studies.    
Undertake a market assessment to identify opportunities for high-value products
Promote alternative income-generating activities and value-addition activities to diversify livelihood options.
Identify the delivery mechanism for innovation funds considering the financial and institutional sustainability options; and
Perform any other duties as required by the Project Manager and Senior technical team.

 Expected Results:

Mapping and Assessment report of existing livelihood assistance, socio-economic aspect, describing ways in which they are integrated into the sub-national development planning process
Research on the identification of recommended livelihood adaptation measures and proposed delivery mechanism for such measures that can be introduced through the project
Facilitation consultations and dialogue to formalize partnership agreements and contributions to project implementation
Community resilience is strengthened

Functional Competencies:

Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
Excellent English written communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs and relevant findings for the preparation of quality project reports;
Ability to speak, read and write technical and conversational English;
Ability to understand new terminology and concepts easily and to synthesize information from different sources into a coherent project document;
Skill in negotiating effectively in sensitive situations;
Skill in achieving results through persuading, influencing and working with others;
Skill in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to resolve conflicts as they arise;
Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high-ranking members of international, regional and national institutions;
Displays sensitivity and adaptability to different cultures, genders, religions, races, nationalities and age groups;
Good oral communication skills and conflict resolution competency to manage inter-group dynamics and mediate conflicting interests of varied actors;
Good team player, self-starter, has ability to work under minimum supervision and maintain good relationships.

Job Requirements:

Qualifications required:

Bachelor’s degree in Economics, business administration, Natural Resources Management, and/or related fields.

Experience and Skills Required:

Bachelor’s degree with 4 years of experiences in related field
Proven experience in conducting assessment and analysis of agriculture and livelihood related options/activities
Strong knowledge of Disaster risk management, Early warning systems and climate shelters
Strong knowledge and understanding sub-national institutional contexts of Afghanistan.
Experience in working with local government or NGOs on agriculture/livelihood related activities in remote areas of Afghanistan

Language Requirement:
Fluency in Pashto, Dari and English is required for the post.

Submission Guideline:

Interested Afghans with the required qualifications and experience should submit their applications electronically through vacancies.hrcsd@mrrd.gov.af
While submitting your applications please mention the Title of the position plus Vacancy Number in the subject of the e-mail; please do NOT submit any other supporting documentation or educational certificates with your application. If you are short listed you will be asked to submit electronic copies of your educational certificates and if you are invited to written test you will be required to present the original certificates. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date of the position. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for written test Note: In the interests of open and fair competition and a merit based selection process applicants are advised that lobbying for a position , whether by the applicant or by any person acting on his or her behalf, shall result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate from further consideration. Applicants are strongly advised to inform potential supporters of this restriction which shall be strictly enforced.

Please don’t forget to type the Vacancy Announcement Number (1042/019/HRCSD/LITACA/MRRD) in Subject while applying online. Application without vacancy number will not be accepted.

 The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is highly committed to increase women’s participation in government sector therefore women are highly encouraged to apply.

Submission Email:
vacancies.hrcsd@mrrd.gov.af