Afghanistan: Deputy chief of party - technical

Chemonics seeks a technical deputy chief of party for the ongoing USAID Regional Agricultural Development Program – South (RADP-S). The project aims to improve food and economic security for rural Afghans in Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul, and Uruzgan provinces. It focuses on improving productivity and profitability for targeted value chains selected from wheat, high-value crop, and livestock sectors. It achieves this objective through a relatively long-term agricultural value chain facilitation approach; agricultural technical training; and supporting policy, legal, and regulatory development. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

Responsibilities include:

• Manage technical implementation and supervise value chain advisors, enabling environment advisors, Afghan value chain leaders, and a crosscutting team specializing in market facilitation, small and medium enterprise/market development, agricultural finance, association development, capacity building, environmental compliance, and water resource management


• Supervise provincial program directors led by key implementing partners


• Oversee subcontractor performance on demonstration farms and commercial linkages throughout market systems in the target geographic area and the wheat, high-value crop, and livestock sectors


• Provide technical input for a monitoring and evaluation framework to measure progress and the impact of technical activities in each value chain


• Prepare scopes of work related to technical program consultancies under the RADP-S contract


• Apply current international agricultural development best practices and track activities in Afghanistan relevant to RADP-S technical activities


• Lead project work planning and reporting and contribute to contract deliverables


• Perform other related duties as required by the chief of party or his designee

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in agricultural production, agricultural science, water resources management, international development, business management, or a related field required


• Experience with facilitative value chain and/or market systems approaches


• Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in managing and implementing large donor-funded agriculture or counter-narcotic programs, particularly in transitional, Islamic, or post-conflict countries


• Minimum five years of progressively responsible project management and supervisory experience, including directly supervising a diverse team of professional staff


• Excellent interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to motivate staff to be accountable for program outcomes


• Experience mentoring and building the capacity of national staff


• Experience with agricultural development programs implementing agricultural extension, agribusiness, market systems, or value chain development activities


• Experience working with host-government and private sector partners in planning and evaluating agriculture development activities at the national and sub-national levels


• Experience working with a range of stakeholders, including high-level government officials and rural farmers


• Experience designing and managing quality assurance and quality control activities, with an emphasis on results management


• Ability to interact regularly and professionally with senior host-government counterparts on policy and other strategic planning issues


• Organizational skills and a strong track record of meeting deliverables and deadlines


• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity


• Equivalent to a FSI S4/R4 proficiency in English required; professional proficiency (equivalent to FSI S3/R3) in Dari or Pashto preferred

​Application Instructions:

Send electronic submissions to RADPSRecruit@chemonics.com by August 19, 2016. Please include “DCOP-Tech” in the subject line. No telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted.

In addition, please download and complete Chemonics’ equal employment opportunity self-identification form and submit it separately to EEOselfidentify@chemonics.com with only ” DCOP – tech – RADP-S” in the subject line. If you prefer not to disclose your sex, race, or ethnicity, you may check “I do not wish to complete the information requested.” Thank you for completing the form and supporting our equal employment opportunity reporting requirements.

​​​​Chemonics is an equal opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics.​​