Soybean Trial and Seed Specialist

Date Posted: Nov 27, 2022

Job Detail

Location:

Balkh Herat Kabul Kandahar Kunduz Nangarhar
Company:

FAO Organization
Type:

Contract
Shift:

First Shift (Morning)
Career Level:

Experienced Professional
Positions:

6
Vacancy number:

2203195
Experience:

5 Year
Gender:

Any
Salary:

As per Company salary scale
Degree:

Bachelors
Apply Before:

Dec 08, 2022

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About FAO Organization

Project Background:

Combating land degradation and biodiversity loss by promoting sustainable rangeland management and biodiversity conservation project is a five year intervention of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) funded through the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This project aims to improve the sustainability of agriculture, forest, and land-use management through rehabilitating degraded rangelands, biodiversity conservation and enhancing and maintaining the livelihoods of Afghan rural communities in Khost, Laghman and Nuristan provinces in Afghanistan by employing the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) approach. The project has three major components: (i) capacity-building at the national, sub-national, and district levels in community based natural resources management for sustainable rangeland and forest planning; (ii) Integrated management and restoration of degraded landscapes for biodiversity conservation and sustainable/regenerative rangeland management; (iii) Systematic creation and sharing of knowledge, project coordination, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and institutional capacity development.

The Senior GIS specialist will be responsible for all the geospatial data creation and management which would facilitate the implementation of participatory assessment and mapping of natural resources of the target districts. In addition, they will be preparing land-use/land-cover, watershed and topographic maps for RMAs and FMAs and target areas.

The Senior GIS specialist will closely work with appointed specialists and support the project task team in preparing maps of land-use/land-cover, rangeland hotspots, FMAs and RMAs, mission maps etc which would facilitate in devising strategies and plans for implementation of sustainable natural landscape planning. They will provide technical guidance for the implementation of forest restoration and management, agroforestry and small-scale greenhouses.

FAO is looking for qualified national staff fill the position of senior GIS specialist. This position will support the work of the GEF-funded” Combating land degradation and biodiversity loss by promoting sustainable rangeland management and biodiversity conservation” project in Afghanistan.

Job Description

Job Posting: 24/Nov/2022

Closure Date: 08/Dec/2022

Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)

Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location: Afghanistan

Duration: 12 months (with extension subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

These are National Project Personnel positions – SB4

Reporting Line

The Soybean Trial and Seed Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, the direct supervision of the Regional Coordinator and the technical supervision of the Head of the Emergency Response and Resilience Programme Team as well as the Head of the Agriculture Team

Technical Focus

Provide technical and scientific guidance in the day-to-day management of the soybean national variety trials and ensure the best performance for the conduction of the variety maintenance program

Tasks and responsibilities

Develop a work plan in consultation with the Seed Certification Directorate and Soybean Farmer Association, on daily and weekly data collection pertaining to procurement, processing and seed quality assurance from private Seed Companies;
Assist Agriculture Research Institute of Afghanistan (ARIA) on Variety for Cultivation and Use (VCU)test and soybean variety screening and prepare data to present to variety release committee for the release of the soybean variety;
Assist ARIA on Distinctness Uniformity and Stability (DUS) test to collect morphological data of soybean varieties for development of Soybean catalogue;
Select appropriate sites for optimum production of Breeder, Foundation, and Certified Seeds;
Assist Improved seed Enterprise (ISE) on production of sufficient quantity of foundation seed;
Arrange a Seed Production Planning Workshop with the support of Seed Certification Directorate in the respective regions;
Ensure, availability of all inputs in the right quantity, of the right quality and at the right times for efficient seed production;
Ensure that adoption and implementation of the best agronomic practices in the field and post-harvest handling operations, including ensuring that processing and packaging of soybean are adopted for Breeder, Foundation, Certified Seeds of soybean value chain;
Conducting internal quality assurance measures for soybean, as appropriate;
Work closely with the Seed Certification Directorate to ensure timely and appropriate soybean field inspection, collection of seed sampling, seed testing and availability of test results;
Support private Seed enterprise on production of sufficient quantities of certified seed;
Ensure appropriate management of the soybean seed storage to avoid quality deterioration and effective seed delivery to relative locations, when necessary;
Coordinate the distribution of machinery to relevant stakeholders;
Lead training of field-level personnel in essential technical aspects of soybean seed production, and provide updates the Agriculture Team;
Assist in the formation of Common Interest Groups (CIGs) – advising the size of each CIG and its composition, and thereafter, assist farmers (member of the CIGs) on the production of soybean;
In collaboration with the Enterprise & CIGs (Common Interest Groups) Development Specialist, 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 as required.

Job Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) or University degree (Bachelor) in Agriculture, Agronomy or other agriculture related subject;
For Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) at least five (5) years of professional experience in Agronomy or seed management including the design and implementation of agricultural emergency and resilience projects, including at least three years of experience in project support services, field work management, trial data collection, Analysis, seed, seed production and handling and reporting experience;
For university degree (Bachelor) at least seven (7) years of professional experience in in Agronomy or seed management including the design and implementation of agricultural emergency and resilience projects, including at least three years of experience in project support services, field work management, trial data collection, Analysis, seed, seed production and handling and reporting experience;
Working knowledge (level C) of English and 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

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;
Previous work experience with the UN is an advantage;
Ability to work independently, to organize and coordinate with demonstrated ability to write clearly and concisely in working languages;
Experience of work under emergency conditions is preferred;
Experience organizing stakeholder meetings or workshops with various partners;
Strong professional command of Microsoft Office, in particular Word and Excel

Skills Required

Submission Guideline:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list.
If you are in possession of language certificate/s from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT), please attach the certificate/s when submitting the application.
For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.

Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply.

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT

Submission Email:

Careers@fao.org

Job Detail