National Soybean Trial & Seed Associate

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Thu, Feb 18 2021 12:34 PM

Publish Date

Closing Date

Issued Date: 18 February 2021

Closing date for applications: 04 March 2021

VA NO. FAO/MZR&KBL/PRJ/SC/04-2021

Functional title:

National Soybean Trial & Seed Associate

Type of contract:

National Project Personnel / Service Contract (NPP/SC)

Grade/level:

SB-3

Number of post (s) :

2 (Two)

Duration :

10 Months

Extendable/renewable:

Extendable, based on satisfactory performance and budget availability

Probationary period:

Initial 3 months

Project/programme/unit:

Emergency and Resilience Unit – FAO Afghanistan

Duty station:

Mazar-E-Sharif and Kabul with domestic field missions to other project locations.

Sub-station:

N/A

DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES:

Organization Settings:

Through  its  country  offices  or  FAO  Representations,  FAO  assists  governments  to  develop  policies,

programmes and projects to address hunger, food security and malnutrition and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, livestock, animal health, and irrigation and forestry sectors as well as emergency preparedness and response. The activities of the FAO Representation include design and implementation of country-tailored field programmes, liaison with local donor representatives and active public awareness-raising and outreach activities related to the mandate of FAO.

FAO’s assistance in Afghanistan achieves its objectives through capacity development and direct project implementation in four specific areas of FAO’s technical expertise:

  • Better governance through the improved capacity for policy planning, land reform, decentralization, and management of common natural resources;
  • Fostering expansion of irrigation and field water management;
  • Intensive agriculture for surplus commercialization, value chains development, and job creation;
  • Supporting vulnerable farmers for improved food and nutrition security, resilience, and emergency

response to natural and man-made disasters and climate change.

Project Background:

FAO provides emergency and resilience assistance to the most vulnerable and food insecure people across Afghanistan, reaching to the most remote rural areas. This humanitarian assistance covers immediate and time-critical needs, helping to protect and restore agricultural livelihoods, and preventing people in need from resorting to negative coping mechanisms, thus increasing the resilience of affected populations to withstand future shocks.

This position is established under the Emergency and Resilience Unit in Afghanistan. The unit has the main office in Kabul and regional offices in Herat, Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Mazar-e-Sharif. The National Soybean Trial & Seed Associate will be based in Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul with frequent travel to project locations in the provinces covered by the respective offices.

Main Purpose:

The National Soybean Trial & Seed Associate will provide support on implementation of project and to ensure timely reporting to National Regional Coordinator and Resilience Program Officer of the FAO programme in Afghanistan.

Working Relationships:

The incumbent interacts with colleagues from within the work unit the FAO Organization and with immediate clients from partner agencies, providing a wide variety of routine field work, reporting and outreach services.

Supervision Received/Exercised:

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Afghanistan, the direct supervision of the National Regional Coordinator, and in close collaboration with the other team member in the Office for Emergency and Resilience (OER), the National Soybean Trial & Seed Associate will perform the following duties:

Key Functions/Results (Duties and Responsibilities)

  • Provide technical and scientific guidance in day-to-day management of the soybean national variety trials and ensure adequate performance of conduction of the variety maintenance program;
  • Assist ARIA on VCU test and soybean variety screening and prepare data to present to variety release committee for release of soybean variety.
  • Assist ARIA on DUS test to collect morphological data of soybean varieties for development of Soybean catalogue.
  • Select appropriate sites for optimum production of Breeder, Foundation, Certified Seeds;
  • Assist Improved seed Enterprise (ISE) on production of enough quantity of foundation seed;
  • Ensure, availability of all inputs in the right quantity, of the right quality and at the right times for

efficient seed production;

  • Ensure that the best agronomic practices in the field and post-harvest handling operations, including processing and packaging osoybean  are adopted  for  Breeder, Foundation, Certified Seeds of soybean value chain;
  • Conducting internal quality assurance measures of soybean as appropriate;
  • Close working practices with the seed certification directorate to ensure timely and appropriate

soybean field inspection, collection of seed sampling, seed testing and availability of test results;

  • Assist private Seed enterprise on production of sufficient quantities of certified seed;
  • Ensure proper management of soybean seed storage to avoid quality deterioration and effective seed

delivery to relative stations when necessary;

  • Lead training of field level staff in essential technical aspects of soybean seed production, report to National Project Manager and team;
  • Assist in the formation of CIGs – advising the size of each CIG and its composition,
  • Assist farmers member of CIGs on production of soybean;
  • Prepare and conduct training for the CIGs in group dynamics, financial management, revolving fund

management and business plan development;

  • Facilitate the registration of CIGs and ensure they become a legal entity;
  • Perform any other task which given by NPM or Resilience program officer.

Other Activities:

  • Perform any other related duties as required by NRC and Resilience program officer.

Expected Outputs:

  • Conduct variety trials for development of new variety (two new variety to be released)
  • Production of 1 Mt Breeder ,10 Mt of Foundation, 50 Mt Certified Seeds
  • Production of 1000-1200 Mt soybean
  • Formation of 40 Common Interest Groups (CIG)s
  • Conducting 10 workshop
  • Training on soybean nutrition value for 500 village women.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (TECHNICAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATION)

Education:

  • University degree in agriculture, agronomy, agriculture research and seed production fields, or any in field related.

Work Experience:

  • At least three (3) years of experience in project support services, field work management, trial data collection, Analysis, seed, seed production and handling and reporting experience;
  • Basic knowledge of Agriculture research (VCU and DUS tests of soybean and soybean production in the country;
  • Experience working with national and international organizations that are operating in the field of Agriculture development in Afghanistan is a significant advantage.
  • Working experience with ministries, national institutions, and the rural sector in Afghanistan;
  • Previous work experience with the UN is an advantage.

Other Technical/Functional Skills:

  • Good  knowledge  and  understanding  of  MAIL   programmes  and  administrative/management procedures;
  • Strong  demonstrated  experience  in  arranging  meetings,  coordinating  activities  and  exchanging correspondences;
  • Ability to train MAIL staff on Soybean production;
  • Demonstrated experience in working independently, and as a constructive member of a team;
  • Ability or willingness to travel extensively in remote or inaccessible areas to conduct meeting and

awareness raising;

  • Having necessary motivation to work as a team through creating a supportive environment;
  • Knowledge of common UN administrative and financial rules and regulations;
  • Ability to organize work systematically, set priorities and meet deadlines;
  • Ability to structure and convey information in an appropriate format and timely, ensuring accuracy

and consistency;

  • Understanding of FAO’s mandate;

IT Skills:

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

Language Skills:

  • Working knowledge (level C) of the FAO official language used for communication within the country.
  • Fluent in Dari and Pashto

CORE COMPETENCIES:

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

SUBMISSION GUIDELINE:

Interested Afghan nationals should complete the FAO Personal History Form (PHF) and submit it along with

their application letter and CV to the email address below, clearly mentioning the vacancy number and post title (National Soybean Trial & Seed Associate - FAO/MZR&KBK/PRJ/SC/04-2021) in the subject line of the email; otherwise, your email will not be considered for further process.

FAOAF-vacancies@fao.org

The FAO PH Form can be downloaded using the following internet link:

http://www.acbar.org/applicationform

NOTE: Applicants who failed to attach the FAO Personal History Form (PHF) to their Application will not be considered for further process.

The above-mentioned required documents can also be submitted in writing (marked Confidential” and indicating on the sealed envelope the Vacancy Announcement number and position title) to the Assistant FAO Representative (Administration), FAO Representation, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Jamal Mina, Opposite Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan.

The last date for receiving applications is 04 March 2021. Please note that applications received after the closing date will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for test/interview.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

  • FAO is committed to achieving workforce gender diversity;
  • People with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
  • All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality;
  • Candidates endorsed in the selection process for this vacancy announcement will be considered for

the FAO NSHR Roster for two years. The Roster is used to fill other similar positions at the same or

lower grade, and in the same or another duty station inside the country;

  • FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.
  • Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All, and Integrity and Transparency.
  • The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

  • FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing);
  • Candidates who wish to apply for the position should indicate their preferred duty station(s) in their application letter (or email);
  • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview/test;
  • Application received after the closing date will not be given consideration;
  • Please make sure to sign the first page of your PHF while applying for the vacant post;
  • Do not forget to write the post title and VA number on the subject of your email, or your application

will be ignored;

  • Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments;
  • Email will only be sent to the interviewed candidates.

Documents

fao_-_ph_form.doc
04_-_2021_nat_-_soybean_trial_seed_associate_sc_unfao.pdf