Title: Export Facilitation Director

Location:  Kabul, Afghanistan

Reports to:  Chief of Party

Contract Period: January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022. Project is funded pending USAID Key Positions approval.

Project Summary

The Agriculture Marketing Program (AMP) is a national program focused on the development of the horticulture sector.  This program follows the development of the CHAMP Program from 2010 through 2019.  AMP is a nationwide program heavily focused on exports and value add processing.  The goal of the program is to expand agricultural exports by $500M in the next three years, support the development of new value-added products and develop new markets for Afghan agricultural products. The expanded exports will create additional demand for agricultural products that will drive job growth in rural areas.

In the event of a political settlement for peace, AMP will scale our efforts up in the newly accessible areas.  These activities would be focused on increased and improved horticultural production and market connections.

Roots of Peace is in the award stage of an AMP. AMP will establish market linkages connecting rural farmers with markets and facilitate trading relationships with Afghan traders or exporters being supported by other USAID mechanisms, as well as other traders and exporters identified by AMP itself. The Agriculture Marketing Program will maintain USAID's existing trade offices in India, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates, and possibly increase their locations.

Objectives

• Target and develop new markets
• Organize export activities that will directly lead to $500 million in increased agricultural exports over three years.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Assume overall responsibility for export facilitation of AMP under the direct supervision of the COP. Export activities to include:

Export Market Expansion:

• Identify best new markets to expand Afghan agriculture exports
• Increase number of international markets for Afghan agricultural exports
• Establish and implement plan for expansion of exports to new markets

Trade Shows:

• Play a leadership and coordinating role for the program beneficiaries to participate in international trade events including providing additional support via the trade offices.
• Provide a strategy to maximize participation of Afghan businesses, as well as maximize the value they gain from attending.
• Establish relationships with potential buyers and investors in advance of these events so that Afghan businesses have pre-set meetings during the events
• Organize relevant activities to prepare Afghan businesses to meet the needs of international buyers
• Manage the recording and tracking of all sales and deals signed from the participation at overseas exhibitions and trade events in the tracker used by OAG.
• Support new value-add products
• Provide support for women-owned export companies to grow their business.

Trade Missions and Special Events:

• Lead trade events/missions to overseas markets leveraging the resources in the trade offices.
• Proactively marketing Afghan products.

Trade Offices:

• Support USAID's current network of Trade Offices in India, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates to help facilitate Afghan exports into these countries by coordinating business to business events, identifying new partners, and helping sellers comply with all applicable regulations.
• Help these Offices to strengthen their organizational and technical capacity-with the priority and ultimate goal being to advance their progress to complete self-sufficiency.
• Create relationships with international buyers
• Exploring different categories of end-buyers and retailers, such as supermarkets.
• Manage existing trade office operations in India, Kazakhstan, UAE and evaluate the need for additional trade offices.
• Identify key market information for Afghan businesses and organizations.

Collaboration with Business Associations:

• Coordinate with and support the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and similar industry associations to facilitate linkages between Afghan businesses and export markets in the region.
• Strengthening relationships with target market stakeholders such as chambers of commerce, trade associations, wholesalers, and host governments.

Collaboration with other agriculture development programs:

• Coordinate with other USAID programs for trade shows, trade missions and other export marketing activities
• identify key barriers restricting the expansion of Afghan agricultural exports.  Work with other programs to divide work on these export restrictions.  Track progress of AMP and other programs addressing these restrictions.

Women & Youth:

Increase the participation of women-owned enterprises in trade facilitation activities, such as attending international trade shows to help them expand and create stable long-term employment opportunities for women. Identify opportunities to support youth and women in program implementation including the trade facilitation activities, both those that are directly involved in exporting Afghan products, as well as those that indirectly benefit from exports such as agribusinesses involved in processing or transformation of agricultural products

Direct Reports:

Sr. Marketing Specialist

Event Specialist

Gender Specialist

Trade Specialist

Reporting:

Prepare monthly and quarterly reports and submit to the communication department in timely manner.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have, at minimum, Bachelor Degree in business, economics, agricultural economics, marketing, post-harvest technologies or related degree. A Master’s Degree is preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years business/SME/private sector development, mainly supporting exports and investment, and providing individual enterprise assistance and mentoring.

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in International Development sector?

• Previous experience working on at least two USAID development programs, totaling a minimum of two years in length.
• Must have been an export promotion expert or manager for at least one development project.
• Development experience in multiple countries including one high conflict country.
• Fluent in English speaking and writing.

Criteria for Selection

• Candidates for the Export Facilitation Director be judged on the following criteria:
• Applicability of Formal Education to this project
• Track record in conducting high value agriculture value chain development, marketing analysis and export promotion.
• Practical knowledge of the South Asia, Gulf Countries’ and Central Asian markets
• Experience working with horticultural, agribusiness enterprises, event management, export facilitation, trade shows, and linkage facilitation.
• Private sector experience working with a major agricultural supplier and/or exporter in high value agricultural products will be an advantage;
• Experience working with USAID
• Both spoken and written fluency in the English language.

Location:

Throughout the assignment, the Export Facilitation Director will reside in Kabul.

How to Apply:  Please send CV/`resumes that clearly show you meet all qualifications requirements, with “Export Facilitation Dir - Afghanistan” in the subject line to linda.aines@internationalink.net .  A list of 3 or more referees included in this application package will be helpful.

Deadline for Application:  October 2, 2019 or until filled.

About Roots of Peace

Roots of Peace is a humanitarian organization that has worked in war-torn countries around the world. Once our partners have removed the remnants of war (the way it was originally written it sounded as though ROP removes landmines and we don’t), such as landmines and unexploded ordinance, ROP restores the land to productive agricultural uses in order to rebuild peaceful communities for generations to come. For the past twenty years, the Roots of Peace award-winning “Mines to Vines” approach has impacted one million farmers and families, enabling the exports worth over $150 million to international markets. Since beginning our work in Afghanistan in 2003, Roots of Peace has worked with agricultural value chains in every province of the country resulting in 100,000 tons of exports, creating over 9,000 full-time agribusiness jobs that benefited more than 38,000 families from these value chain approaches. From farmers to exporters, Roots of Peace develops entire agricultural value chains by implementing the ROP Development Model which is designed to serve as a catalyst to generate much broader impact industry-wide - improving incomes for smallholder farmers, bringing peace to rural communities, transforming national industries.