Agriculture Officer

ABOUT OXFAM

Oxfam is a global movement of people who won’t live with the in Justice of poverty. Together we save and rebuild lives in disasters. We help people build better lives for themselves. We speak out on the big issues that keep people poor, like inequality, discrimination against women and climate change. And we won’t stop until every person on the planet can live without poverty.

Oxfam GB is a member of the international confederation Oxfam.

Iraq context

Oxfam’s program has been established in 2014 in response to the ISIS conflict in Iraq. Oxfam implemented activities during the past few years was built around the delivery of 3 main areas: A) Lifesaving humenitarian assistance b) Recovery assistance, and C) Promotion of Women Rights.

1. Lifesaving humenitarian assistance: to newly displaced populations residing in camps or host communities. The bulk of this work was done around the Mosul Operation with activities implemented in the governorates of Erbil, Salah Al Din and Ninewa. Activities included: Establishment/rehabilitation of safe water (boreholes, repair of infrastructure); Emergency water supply (distribution of water through trucking and bottled water); Setting up water tanks and networks in camps; Distribution of hygiene items; construction of latrines; Cash for Work opportunities inside the camps to allow construction work and solid waste menagement; and Distribution of emergency winterization kits.
2. Recovery assistance: to returnees, local host communities and IDPs to recover from the post-conflict and to cope with protracted displacement. The main activities implemented under this area of work included: Rehabilitation of water infrastructure; Supporting local authorities to rehabilitate essential public services (schools and hospitals); Grants to returnees to recover damaged businesses; Provision of livestock to support farmers; Cash for Work opportunities contributing to income for vulnerable families and supporting rehabilitation of infrastructure of public interest (irrigation canals, main roads).
3. Promotion of Women Rights: through contributing to the implementation of the National Plan for 1325 UN Resolution, and economic empowerment of women through provision of training and grants to establish/rehabilitate businesses.

In order to serve these three objectives, Oxfam work aimed to integrate the following key sectors together for every intervention in a given location:

1. Water Sanitation and Hygiene
2. Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods
3. Non-food-Items and Shelter
4. Protection of lives and rights of civilians
5. Justice between men and women Justicee
6. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning
7. Advocacy and Media work

Job Purpose

Responsible for implementation of agriculture and livelihood project titled ‘FEMINACT’’ in Anbar as well as supporting other food security and livelihoods programmes as required. The post will seek to maximise active participation and support of different gender and age group with their strong inclusion in economic development activities to maximum the benefit for the target population.

Core Details

Location: Anbar

Our package: As Per the Oxfam Salary Scale

Internal Grade: D2

Contract type: Fixed Type

Hours of work: 40 hours per week. This is a full-time role; however, Oxfam offers various flexible arrangements that candidates can discuss with the Recruiting Manager at interview stage

This role reports to: Project Manager

Staff reporting to this post: NA

The annual budget for the post: NA

Key relationships/interactions: Justice between Men and Women, Protection Team

Screening checks: All successful candidates will be screened through Refinitiv World-Check One to comply with counter-terrorism and financial sanctions regulations.

key Responsibilities

• Responsible for day-to-day implementation of agriculture value chain development activities as well as youth and women lead enterprise initiatives in agriculture.
• Provide on-site technical assistance and advice on crop management, soil health, pest control, and irrigation techniques.
• Disseminate information on the latest agricultural research, technologies, and government policies to farmers and agri-enterprises.
• Implement trainings and capacity building initiatives for farmers, partners, market actors and communities.
• Facilitate relationships and linkages among traders, private sector actors, trade cooperatives/unions, community committees, government stakeholders, MFIs and others and facilitate to bring them as a strong contributor in the programme and community development.
• Build and maintain relationships with agricultural research institutions, government agencies, and non-governmental organization as well as agribusinesses and input supplier
• Under the supervision of Economic Justice technical lead, draft weekly, monthly implementation plan and ensure team is well equipped with all the information and resources to implement the plan.
• With overall guidance from EJ lead, identify agri-entrepreneurs and lead farmers for training and grants.
• Work with team members to ensure that all planned activities comply with existing policies and procedures and all statutory obligations.
• Facilitate and contribute to conduct agriculture studies and market assessments as well as policy advocacy initiatives and climate adaptation studies etc.
• Supervise the overall process of beneficiary registration and selection process and ensure appropriate inclusion in the program as per agreed and approved selection criteria and methodology.
• Participate in regular market and labour market monitoring to identify and recommend emerging opportunities in agriculture value chain sector.
• In consultation with EJ technical lead and project managers agree on the range of advice, support, training and/or other assistance required to facilitate operational aspects of the programme.
• As delegated to supervise the implementation of the livelihoods and economic development interventions for the programme ensuring achievement of the set objectives and milestones.
• Work closely with MEAL staff to conduct monitoring of all post-distribution activities and collate information.

What we are looking for:

We’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam’s mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our feminist principles and values of empowerment, accountability and inclusion in all you do.

An ideal candidate for the role will also be / have:

skills, experience and knowledge

• University degree in the relevant field (e.g. agriculture, agronomy, economics, business, social sciences or related discipline) or equivalent experience;
• Minimum 2 years’ experience of working in the humanitarian and development sector; especially in gender and livelihood sector.
• Experience of working in livelihoods interventions like, enterprise development, business management training, youth and women economic empowerment program.
• Experience of engagement with private sector, market actors, and business support services providers.
• Experience and skills in playing a supportive role, demonstrating ability to support field teams’ members to deliver results for operational work.
• Demonstrated understanding and experience in Cash and Voucher Programming in a humanitarian & development context.
• Experience of working with an NGO – especially in project implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• A good understanding of the Iraqi context and cultures.
• An understanding of gender, protection and diversity issues in livelihoods and economic development programs.
• Strong communication & interpersonal skills, community mobilisation experience and ability to work in teams.
• Ability to travel and to work in difficult circumstances.

Essential

• Good written and spoken English, as well as strong spoken and written Arabic is essential.

Desirable

A good understanding of the Iraqi/Kurdish, context and cultures.

Key Attributes

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Negotiation skills and the ability to influence and inspire confidence in others in diverse working environment
• Community mobilisation experience
• An understanding of gender, protection and diversity issues in Cash and Voucher Programming would be advantageous
• Ability to work effectively with others
• Ability to work well under pressure and in response to changing needs.
• Ability to travel and to work in difficult circumstances

Organisational Values

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions
• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen
• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences

Note to candidates: Shortlisted candidates will be assessed on our organisational values and attributes at the interview stage. The successful candidate(s) will be expected to adhere to our code of conduct. We encourage candidates to read and understand our code of conduct here

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.

https://jobs.oxfam.org.uk/vacancy/22310/description