Grant Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO Afghanistan is investing across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan in resilience reinforcing actions that focus on protecting agriculture livelihoods and local ecosystems, boosting local production of nutritious foods and cash-incomes, and safeguarding critical agriculture sectoral development gains achieved over the past couple of decades through revitalizing rural markets and economy. In particular, FAO provides a combination of humanitarian and basic needs/non-humanitarian assistance to female and male farmers and herders across Afghanistan in the agriculture, livestock, irrigation and natural resources sub-sectors through its projects and programs, as described in the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) and the United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan (UNSFA) 2023-2027, specifically under UNSFA Priority 2 Economic Opportunities and Resilient Livelihoods.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) or Deputy FAO Representative (DFAOR) in Afghanistan. S/he will work under the overall guidance of the Head of Programme Unit and the direct supervision of the Technical Advisor (Development Action Team Leader) or as may be assigned. The direct supervisor or as assigned, will be responsible for all day-to-day supervision, technical guidance and the performance evaluation.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will contribute to support the grant management platform of FAO in Afghanistan.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Supports the preparation and publication of Calls for Applications under the matching grants programme, in collaboration with national counterparts and FAO technical units.
• Manages the receipt, registration, and categorization of grant applications through the FAO grant management platform, ensuring that all submissions meet eligibility and completeness criteria as defined in the GOM.
• Maintains a comprehensive tracking system for all applications, from submission to evaluation and contracting stages.
• Participates in the Technical Committees (TC) as outlined in the GOM, contributing to eligibility screening, scoring, and ranking of applications.
• Ensures that all evaluation documentation, minutes, and scoring sheets are properly archived and uploaded to the grant management system.
• Supports communication with shortlisted and selected applicants to gather required documentation prior to signing Grant Agreements.
• Drafts and administers Grant Agreements with selected beneficiaries, ensuring compliance with FAO’s contractual and financial rules and procedures.
• Coordinates with the Operations and Finance Units to facilitate payment requests and track disbursements in line with contractual milestones.
• Maintains updated records of each grant’s contractual documents, payments, and deliverables for audit and verification purposes.
• Monitors the progress of approved grants to ensure timely utilization of funds, adherence to implementation schedules, and compliance with technical and financial requirements.
• Conducts desk reviews and field-based verification of grant activities in coordination with regional field teams.
• Participates in inspection and verification missions to beneficiaries’ sites, ensuring that investments are used for their intended purposes and in line with approved business plans.
• Reviews and validates narrative and financial reports submitted by grant beneficiaries and Implementing Partners, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and consistency with contractual obligations.
• Tracks and flags any compliance issues, delays, or risks to the Grants Manager, recommending corrective actions where necessary.
• Contributes to the compilation of analytical and progress reports on grant implementation for internal management and donor reporting purposes.
• Supports the organization of training sessions, awareness workshops, and mentoring activities for potential applicants and beneficiaries on grant procedures, eligibility, and reporting requirements.
• Provides on-the-job guidance to Ips and beneficiaries on the use of the grants management platform and documentation standards.
• Contributes to developing guidance notes, checklists, and templates to facilitate smooth implementation of the grants process.
• Updates and maintains the grant management platform to ensure accurate and up-to-date information on application status, contracts, payments, and implementation progress.
• Produces and shares periodic dashboard, summaries, and analytical reports for management decision-making.
• Supports the digitalization of records and ensures that all grant documentation is properly stored and accessible for audit and review.
• Liaises with Operations, Procurement, Finance, and MEAL units to align grant disbursement, procurement of in-kind inputs, and reporting requirements.
• Ensures coordination with FAO Regional Offices for the follow-up of beneficiaries and verification missions.
• Supports communication with national counterparts, donors, and other stakeholders to ensure coherence and transparency of the grants process.
• Participates in lessons learned and review workshops to improve the grants process.
• Contributes to identifying potential areas for system and procedural improvement within the GMU.
• Perform any other related duties as maybe assigned by the supervisor(s).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in management, accounting, economics, agribusiness or related field.
• At least 4 years of relevant UN/INGO experience in grant projects.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English and proficiency in local language (Dari/Pashto).
• National of Afghanistan.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Previous work experience and familiarity with UN agencies administrative, finance and operations system are desirable;
• Ability to develop plans for the implementation and coordination of projects, in partnership with UN agencies and other concerned stakeholders and/or partners;
• Familiarity with agriculture/food security issues and development/humanitarian contexts is desirable;
• Ability to manage tight deadlines and multiple work streams;
• Ability to operate effectively in a team, contributing positively to team operations and working relationships.

Selection criteria

• Relevant experience in the fields of agricultural value chains development, rural business development etc, is desirable.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION