Project Coordinator (Subject to Donor Approval)

The Afghanistan Social Improvement Organization (ASIO) is a non-governmental and non-profit organization established in 2010. Registered with the Ministry of Economy under registration number 1579, ASIO operates as a domestic NGO. Committed to compliance with Afghanistan’s government laws, rules, and regulations, ASIO also adheres to donor guidelines and regulations.

ASIO considers itself accountable to the government of Afghanistan, partnering agencies, and the communities it serves. Our mission is to provide developmental and humanitarian services to those in need, regardless of their race, political affiliation, ethnicity, religion, or any other dependency.

Our Objectives:

Creating a Productive Work Environment: ASIO aims to foster a highly productive work environment and professional relations. We encourage open and honest communication among our employees.
Employee Growth and Capacity Building: We provide opportunities for growth through in-house trainings, workshops, and exposure to other agencies and organizations. By enriching their capacity and skills, our employees actively contribute to the development of education systems, agricultural productivity, livestock production, vocational training, and construction projects.
Standard Quality Services: ASIO is dedicated to improving the livelihoods of the needy people in our country. We strive to provide standard quality services that positively impact their lives.
Gender-Inclusive Policies: ASIO has established a set of policies to guide employees in creating a suitable work environment for all genders.

Areas of Expertise: ASIO is renowned for its expertise in implementing livelihood programs, agricultural development, animal husbandry healthcare, skill improvement training for internally displaced persons (IDPs), education projects, and construction initiatives. Our team of experts plays a crucial role in achieving our organizational goals.

Join ASIO and be part of a dynamic team committed to make a difference in the lives of Afghan communities.

Job Summary:

The Project Coordinator is responsible for the overall planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of project activities to ensure effective delivery of project objectives in accordance with organizational policies, donor requirements, approved work plans, and budgets. The Project Coordinator will provide leadership to project teams, maintain effective stakeholder relationships, ensure quality implementation, and contribute to achieving sustainable project outcomes.

Duties & Responsibilities:

·       Lead and coordinate the implementation of agriculture and livelihood project activities in accordance with approved project plans and donor requirements.

·       Develop detailed project work plans, implementation schedules, and activity timelines.

·       Ensure activities are implemented according to approved project proposals, objectives, budgets, and donor requirements.

·       Ensure timely delivery of project activities related to crop production, livestock and income-generating activities.

·       Monitor seasonal agricultural calendars and ensure interventions are implemented at appropriate times.

·       Provide technical guidance to agricultural staff, VST focal points, value chain staff members and community facilitators on agriculture and livelihood sectors.

·       Promote improved agricultural practices, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable farming techniques.

·       Support the team in introduction of improved seeds, agricultural inputs, tools, and technologies.

·       Facilitate demonstration plots and practical agricultural training sessions.

·       Coordinate livelihood improvement activities aimed at enhancing household income and food security.

·       Support the development and strengthening of agricultural value chains.

·       Facilitate capacity building and professional development of project team members.

·       Promote teamwork, accountability, and effective communication within the project team.

·       Serve as the primary focal point for project coordination with relevant stakeholders.

·       Maintain effective collaboration with government authorities, donor representatives, community leaders, implementing partners, and other relevant actors.

·       Facilitate coordination meetings and stakeholder consultations.

·       Ensure effective communication and information sharing among project stakeholders.

·       Represent the organization in project-related meetings, workshops, and coordination forums.

·       Monitor project expenditures and ensure efficient utilization of allocated resources.

·       Review budget performance and support budget forecasting processes.

·       Coordinate procurement, logistics, and administrative requirements necessary for project implementation.

·       Ensure project activities are implemented within approved budgets and timelines.

·       Support financial reporting and compliance with donor and organizational regulations.

·       Coordinate project monitoring activities and track progress against project indicators.

·       Ensure timely collection, verification, and reporting of project data.

·       Support baseline, midline, endline, and other project assessments.

·       Facilitate donor monitoring visits, evaluations, and audits.

·       Promote accountability mechanisms and beneficiary feedback systems.

·       Ensure lessons learned and best practices are documented and utilized.

·       Prepare and submit weekly, monthly, quarterly, and final project reports.

·       Provide timely project updates and progress reports to management and donors.

·       Maintain accurate project records, files, and supporting documentation.

·       Document project achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and success stories.

·       Ensure all reports meet donor and organizational requirements.

·       Ensure project activities comply with donor agreements, organizational policies, and applicable regulations.

·       Monitor the quality of project outputs and services.

·       Conduct regular field visits to verify implementation quality and compliance.

·       Ensure safeguarding, accountability, protection, and ethical standards are maintained.

·       Support corrective actions for identified compliance or quality issues.

·       Facilitate community mobilization and participation throughout project implementation.

·       Support transparent beneficiary selection and verification processes.

·       Ensure project interventions address the needs and priorities of target communities.

·       Promote beneficiary participation in project planning and review processes.

·       Oversee complaint handling and beneficiary feedback mechanisms.

·       Identify project risks and implementation bottlenecks.

·       Develop and implement risk mitigation and contingency plans.

·       Monitor operational, financial, security, and programmatic risks.

·       Address project challenges promptly to minimize disruptions.

·       Escalate significant risks and issues to management when necessary.

·       Maintain positive and professional relationships with donors and project partners.

·       Facilitate donor visits, project monitoring missions, and review meetings.

·       Ensure timely submission of information and documentation requested by donors.

·       Contribute to proposal development, project design, and fundraising initiatives.

·       Support identification of future partnership and project opportunities.

·       Any other tasks assigned by the Program Director.

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture or a related field.
• A Master's Degree in a relevant field will be considered an advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in agriculture and livelihood projects coordination and management, with NGOs, INGOs, UN agencies, or donor-funded programs.
• Experience in managing multi-sector projects and supervising project staff.
• Practical experience in donor compliance, project reporting, and partnership management.

Technical Skills:

• Strong knowledge of sustainable agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, and livelihood programming.
• Understanding of agricultural extension approaches and farmer training methodologies.
• Experience with agricultural value chain development and market systems approaches.
• Knowledge of food security and resilience programming.
• Strong planning, budgeting, reporting, and project management skills.

Organizational Responsibilities: 

Notice to Applicants: Please be aware that as part of our commitment to ensuring the highest standards of professional conduct, all candidates applying for a position with our organization will be subject to comprehensive background and reference checks. This is to verify the accuracy of the information provided and assess suitability for the role. In addition, we place a strong emphasis on ethical behavior and integrity in our work environment. As such, adherence to our code of conduct forms an integral part of our annual performance appraisal process. We encourage all prospective applicants to bear this in mind when applying.

Policy Adherence

Adhere to the Code of Conduct, all applicable policies of the ASIO, maintain humanitarian principles and respect international humanitarian law.

Fraud prevention:

Committed to fraud prevention, detection, reporting and fraud risk reduction as per ASIO policies and procedures, donor regulations and local laws.

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA):

The Afghanistan Social Improvement Organization (ASIO) strictly prohibits any form of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by its staff towards the individuals they serve. Such actions are in direct violation of the universally recognized norms, values, principles, and standards that form the foundation of our organization. The responsibility of safeguarding against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) lies with everyone, and all potential candidates must adhere to ASIO’s PSEA Policy without exception. Consequently, candidates under consideration will be subjected to thorough reference and background checks concerning any past incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse. They may also be asked to furnish additional information as part of the selection process. 

Compliance & Ethics:

Promotes and encourages a culture of compliance and ethics throughout and within Afghanistan Social Improvement Organization “ASIO”. As applicable to the position, maintains a clear understanding of within Afghanistan Social Improvement Organization “ASIO” and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards.  Conducts tasks with the highest level of integrity. 

Safeguarding:

It is all staff’s shared responsibility and obligation to safeguard and protect populations with whom we work, including adults who may be particularly vulnerable and children. We must ensure that our staff and partners do not engage in any conduct that could harm or exploit these individuals. This includes sexual exploitation and abuse, neglect or abuse of children and adults at risk, and any form of human trafficking.