Near East Foundation (NEF) – Iraq
Agricultural Extension Officer
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Reporting To: Program Director
Background: Building Resilient Livelihoods among Vulnerable Iraqi IDPs, Returnees, and Host Communities in Salah Al-Din and Diyala’
In partnership with U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the Near East Foundation Building Resilient Livelihoods project builds resilience and supports economic well-being for IDP, returnee, and host community women and youth in Salah Al-Din and Diyala.
Position Description
The Agricultural Extension Officer (AEO) develops and coordinates all capacity building activities in support of smallholder farmers including onsite extension services, siraj center trainings, and demonstration plots. It is important the AEO coordinates the development and scheduling of capacity building activities with the broader team. Additionally, the AEO manages a staff of field associates responsible for identifying beneficiary farmers, gathering data, and managing project relationships with farmers. The AEO will work with extension agents and other experts to build the capacity of field associates to provide direct assistance to farmers.
Responsibilities
The Agriculture Training and Technical Assistance Officer will:
- Participate in the recruiting of field associates as directed by the Program Director;
- Manage field associates to ensure that the beneficiary selection process, capacity development activities, and reports are delivered on schedule;
- Engage with local experts including extension agents, professors, and others to develop a cadre of experts to assist in the development and delivery of technical assistance;
- Works with farmer beneficiaries to facilitate the formation of farmer groups and, with the assistance of the Marketing Officer, assists farmer groups in consolidating purchases and sales to support better pricing;
- Ensure continued compliance with project monitoring and evaluation documentation requirements;
- Coordinate activities and training designs with other NEF Iraq staff;
- Maintain ongoing communication with project stakeholder regarding project progress and challenges for protection areas and promoting and inclusion of gender in all operations;
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Requirements:
The successful Agriculture Training and Technical Assistance Officer must be a self-directed individual with the following qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in agriculture or related field;
- At least five years of demonstrated professional experience in the area soil conservation, irrigation, pest management, post-harvest handling, or similar field;
- 3-5 years of experience teaching or training on agricultural topics;
- Proven record of effective team management;
- Demonstrated experience in workshop facilitation and training;
- Effective team player, able to develop and maintain effective working relationships within a distributed and dynamic team;
- Flexible, creative, and problem solving-oriented;
- Competent with MS Office applications, including Word, Excel and Outlook. Fluency in Arabic required, English a plus.
NEF will accept a rolling application until the position is filled. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible before Monday, December 30, 2019.
To apply:
Please apply by submitting the following documents to the Near East Foundation careers page at https://neareast.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=53&source=hawa
- Cover letter outlining relevant experience and availability
- Curriculum Vitae
- List of three references (including one from current, or most recent, employer)
Applicants are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Near East Foundation by visiting the NEF website at www.neareast.org.
The Near East Foundation promotes Equal Employment Opportunities for all applicants seeking employment and NEF employees.
