CARE is a non-governmental, non-political, non-profit, non-partisan and non-sectarian humanitarian organization, extending its relief and development assistance to those in need. CARE, as an International Confederation of 13 member organizations is one of the world's largest private humanitarian organizations working in more than 90 plus, countries committed to helping communities in the developing world achieve lasting victories over poverty.

Job Summary:

The Afghanistan Integrated Youth Activity’s (AIYA’s) Agribusiness Specialist is a senior technical member of staff responsible for designing, leading, supporting and implementing activities focused on enhancing market-relevant higher education, TVET and informal agribusiness training in target project provinces.

S/he is responsible for supporting AIYA’s objectives of 1) supporting youth to complete market-relevant post-secondary education and training opportunities, and 2) supporting youth to complete market-relevant secondary-equivalent education and training opportunities. 

Under his/her leadership AIYA will 1) Increase access to post-secondary learning opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, skills and experience needed for increased economic opportunities, 2) Improve delivery of in-service-continuing professional development for post-secondary instructors, 3) Expand training opportunities for youth to gain employability and entrepreneurial skills and knowledge in climate-resilient livelihood sectors, 4) Enhance quality of existing informal and alternative education and training opportunities and providers, 5) Enhance partnerships with the private sector to improve agribusiness and other market relevant skills, and 6) Improve access to extension services and other forms of community education and outreach.

S/he will engage closely with provincial teams to achieve AIYA’s objectives and will coordinate closely with technical peers with experience in education, agriculture and business to ensure that activities derive tangible economic outcomes.

Job Responsibilites:

Increased access to post-secondary learning opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, skills, and experience needed for increased economic opportunities.

1. Work with education colleagues to assess the capacity of higher education institutions and TVET providers in terms of their agribusiness course offerings, teaching personnel and resources.
2. Identify and map agribusinesses in each target province and assess their willingness to engage in skills development activities, labor market needs, capacity to provide on-the-job training, and facilitate the collaborative design of vocational courses tailored to industry needs.
3. Engaging agribusinesses in education partnerships to facilitate the collaborative design of courses tailored to industry needs.
4. Support identification of digital learning hubs for agricultural education, and development of agribusiness curricula, in partnership with private sector partners.
5. Establish partnerships with agribusinesses to co-design online learning courses that enhance agriculture sector training by integrating industry insights and market needs into the curricula
6. Identify short online agribusiness courses, providing certifications, offered by international institutions relevant to Afghanistan’s agriculture sector

Improved delivery of in-service/continuing professional development for postsecondary instructors.

1. Support the comprehensive assessment of instructors’ agribusiness knowledge and pedagogical practices among higher education institutions and TVET centers in target provinces, through observations, surveys and student/peer feedback.
2. Support design and implementation of professional development programs to enhance instructors’ agribusiness knowledge.

Strengthened capacity of providers of post-secondary learning opportunities to provide market-relevant education and training.

1. Support establishment and implementation of internship / apprenticeship program
2. Identify and engage agribusiness mentors for the AIYA mentorship program

Expanded training opportunities for youth to gain employability and entrepreneurial skills and knowledge in climate-resilient livelihood sectors.

1. Support integration of agribusiness education into remote learning platform.
2. Organize exposure visits for youth to interact with key value chain actors in the agribusiness sector. The visits will provide participants with firsthand experience of the diverse career opportunities available within agribusiness, showcasing the various roles and pathways that exist. 
 

Enhanced quality of existing informal and alternative education and training opportunities and providers.

1. Support evaluation of nonformal and informal agribusiness training providers to identify critical pedagogical gaps that may hinder effective teaching and learning. The assessment will involve analyzing instructional methods, learner engagement strategies, use of self-directed learning and training, and curriculum relevance to ensure that these providers are equipped to meet the diverse needs of their learners.
2. Provide targeted training to agribusinesses to support them in delivering effective extension training.
3. Engage with community-based training providers and agriculture enterprises to collaboratively develop and update existing curricula across each province. 
4. Seek collaboration with agribusinesses to offer specialized training programs for youth

Enhanced partnerships with the private sector to improve youth and women agribusiness and other market relevant skills.

1. Participate, as needed, in Provincial Training Network Meetings designed to bring together key stakeholders, including education institutions, chambers of commerce, prominent business leaders, association and community organizations to enhance skill development and workforce readiness.
2. Develop/manage Value Chain Analyses for the dairy, poultry, high value/resiliency crop, fungiculture and medicinal crop/vegetable value chains.

Increased use of cash transfers or other innovative approaches for youth to achieve self-identified educational, employment, and/or entrepreneurship goals.

1. Facilitate business plan development for YSLAs
2. Facilitate connections between youth and women SMEs and financial institutions.

Improved access to extension services and other forms of community education and outreach.

1. Provide targeted financial and technical support to agribusinesses to deliver extension services directly to young peopled engaged in or interested in agricultural livelihoods.
2. Train CAPs and CLPs to serve as entrepreneurs in rural areas – in product knowledge, sales techniques, customer engagement strategies, to connect farmers with the resources they need for sustainable agricultural practices.

Miscellaneous
1. Project reporting (Quarterly & Annual Reports)
2. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning activities
3. Communication activities
4. General administrative activities
5. Any other activities of a similar nature, requested by the Chief of Party

Responsibilities on Safety and Security, Gender and Inclusion and Safeguarding and Child Protection:
CARE personnel are expected to adhere to Safety & Security responsibilities, emphasizing team and individual accountability to maintain a safe environment. This includes readiness, compliance, and active engagement to mitigate risks through awareness, reporting, and policy enforcement. 
Gender equality and inclusion are fundamental at CARE, promoting equal rights and challenging discriminatory norms to achieve social justice. We foster an inclusive workplace respecting diverse gender identities, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences through dialogue, training, and diversity initiatives. All CARE staff must uphold ethical standards, following codes of conduct to prevent abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation, and neglect. Regular monitoring ensures accountability to uphold these principles and support our mission of social justice and poverty alleviation.

Safeguarding Responsibilities:

• Uphold CARE’s Safeguarding Policy (https://www.care-international.org/resources/care-international-safeguarding-policy) and Safeguarding Code of Conduct.
• Must read the Safeguarding Policy and either sign the Safeguarding Code of Conduct or sign a Code of Conduct that is consistent with or references this policy and Safeguarding Code of Conduct.

Safety and Security Responsibility:

We all have a responsibility to promote a safe and secure work environment, foster a safety and security culture, and ensure consistent application of, and compliance with, CARE Afghanistan safety and security policies and procedures.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, horticulture, business or similar field of study, Master’s degree in agriculture, horticulture, business or similar field of study.
Professional certificate in project management and/or English language 

Experience:

• At least five years of experience in agribusiness, agribusiness education, agribusiness consulting, business management or project management.
• Evidence of problem solving, dmonstrating initiative, creative thinking and unconventional approaches to work.
• Ability to undertake research into agribusiness education, curricula, courses, materials, etc.
• Ability to manage a large and complex workload, with limited supervision. 
• Motivation, flexibility and capacity to work under pressure to short deadlines, and strong sense of personal initiative.
• Fluency in English, Dari and Pashto languages – reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• Computer literacy with MS Office products and pdf software

• Experience in technical or vocational teaching, curriculum development, teacher/instructor training, organizational capacity assessments, education assessments, project reporting, and/or universal design for learning framework.
• Experience working with USAID-funded programs in a senior management or technical role.
• Strong analytical skills and business acumen.
• Attention to detail and ability to prepare accurate, well-formatted and professionally looking documentation.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including presentation skills in local and English languages.

This is a senior technical role, which is responsible for navigating challenges in Afghanistan's education sector, and devising innovative solutions to achieve ambitious targets.

Safeguarding

CARE places human dignity at the center of its relief and development work. At the heart of CARE’s efforts to impact poverty and social justice is its engagement with marginalized communities, and vulnerable adults and children. Vulnerable adults and children are particularly at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. CARE commits to the protection from sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse and of vulnerable adults and children, involving CARE Employees and Related Personnel. CARE has a zero tolerance toward sexual exploitation and abuse and child abuse. CARE takes seriously all concerns and complaints about sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse and child abuse involving CARE Employees and Related Personnel

CARE Afghanistan  participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we hereby request information from candidate’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. All CARE Afghanistan’s offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

• Please submit your completed CARE Standard Job application form (ACBAR: Application Form) along with updated CV to afg.vacancies@care.org.
• Applications after the closing date (12:00 AM) and without CARE Application form will not be accepted.
• Please Indicate the position title, Vacancy Number in the Subject Line (Agribusiness Specialist CARE-AF-1099 Kabul) otherwise your application will not be considered.
• Please note that there is no telephonic inquiry and only shortlisted applicants will be contacted with and call for Interview.
• The successful applicant will be expected to undergo a Background Check, Bridger check & Reference check and be compliant and sign up to Care Afghanistan’s Code of Conduct, PSHA (Prevention from Sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse) and other Care Afghanistan policies prior to a final offer being made.
• People with Physical Disabilities and Women are highly encourage to apply.
• CARE IS COMMITTED TO SAFEGUARDING POLICY (Available at: Safeguarding)
• CARE IS COMMITTED TO CODE OF CONDUCT (Available at: CARE Afg Code of Conduct (updated).pdf)