Afghanistan: Agricultural Policy Advisor
Country: Afghanistan
Closing date: 31 Aug 2013
JOB TITLE
Agricultural Policy Advisor
LOCATION
? Kabul, Afghanistan, with some travel to various provincial capitals as necessary
CONTRACT LENGTH
? September 15, 2013 – September 15, 2014 (12 months)
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Policy Advisor will work closely with the Director General (DG) of the Planning and Policy General Directorate at the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL), other DGs, senior MAIL leadership, and the Agricultural Statistics and Management Information Systems (ASMIS) Directorate to advocate for, determine, and organize the demand for data within the Ministry. Moreover, the Policy Advisor will strengthen the relationships between ASMIS and General Directorates as well as create linkages with the greater agricultural community in Afghanistan to build the credibility of data disseminated by MAIL. The Policy Advisor will also spend considerable time building the technical and managerial capacity of the DG of Planning and Policy to design and implement sound policy for the use of statistics in decision making. The Policy Advisor will work within the Agricultural Data Collection and Utilization System (ADCUS) program funded by USDA and implemented by Purdue University and Altai Consulting.
Responsibilities:
? Technical and managerial development of the DG of Planning and Policy
? Build legitimacy of ASMIS and relationships with the agricultural community in Afghanistan (donor agencies, implementers, NGOs, private sector, farmers, etc.)
? Conduct a demand assessment of data internally and externally
? Design and implement sound policy for statistics use.
? Based on above, coordinate work with the Statistics Advisor to effectively implement data collection activities in 2014.
? Provide coaching and oversight as required by the DG of Planning and Policy
? Assist with the design of ASMI strategic planning for Post-ADCUS funding (sustainability and legacy of program)
QUALIFICATIONS
? Fluency in written and spoken English required. Fluency in Dari and Pashto preferred, but not required.
? Master’s Degree or considerable equivalent work experience.
? Strong background and understanding of policy design and implementation.
? Considerable experience working with senior representatives of a civil service.
? Demonstrates leadership and management abilities.
? Critical thinker and possess problem solving skills.
? Demonstrates well developed interpersonal and communication skills.
? Ability to work with minimal supervision, including prioritizing workloads to meet deadlines.
? Experience working in and understanding of Afghan culture and society preferred, but not required.
? Comfortable working with and giving presentations to diverse audiences and stakeholders in Afghanistan.
? Dedicated to the concepts of empowerment and building local capacity.
? Flexible and creative in the workplace setting. Moreover, will to adapt as new needs and opportunities arise.
? Experience with EpiData, SPSS, Excel, and PowerPoint desirable.
How to apply:
Please submit a CV and cover letter detailing your motivations to altaicareers@gmail.com .
