CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, health, agriculture, education, and peacebuilding.

CRS is currently implementing programs in the provinces of Bamiyan, Ghor, Herat, and Kabul, and is exploring additional expansion. CRS maintains four main offices in the country as well as several sub-offices that support the direct implementation of program activities. With 100 staff, the Country Program is growing to meet new needs throughout the country.

CRS has invested significantly in improved livelihoods in Afghanistan, with a focus on supporting agricultural livelihoods as well as developing alternative livelihoods. CRS provides livelihood recovery and development support to vulnerable and shock-affected groups in Afghanistan, integrating disaster risk reduction and climate resilience elements to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of improvements to livelihoods.

Background:

HASEL consortium is implementing a 36-month funded project in Ghazni, Zabul, Paktika, Herat, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces to support households and communities to improve their livelihoods and resilience sustainably. The project focuses on community-led solutions that will improve watershed and disaster risk management (DRM), increase farmers' access to the markets, farmers' capacity building, Agricultural inputs distribution, and savings loan groups. Through this project, the vulnerable communities will have strengthened resilience to crises and disasters such as droughts, floods, food security, and market shocks, and will enhance their economic stability.

The consortium needs to conduct a series of assessments and research activities before implementing the project. The results of these assessments will serve as essential inputs, ensuring that the action interventions are contextually relevant, harmonized among partners, and tailored to meet the needs of vulnerable groups. CRS is going to lead the Climate Vulnerability Assessment for the consortium. CRS is seeking to hire a qualified Technical Advisor to manage and lead the VCA for the entire target area under the EU project, with the support of PIN, MC, and AWEC in the target areas, and drafting the assessment result report to be shared with the donor.

Project Summary:

CRS is implementing a 36-month EU-funded project in three districts (Injil, Gozara, and Koshk Robat Sangi districts) of Herat province to support households and communities to improve their livelihoods and resilience sustainably. The project focuses on community-led solutions that will improve watershed and disaster risk management (DRM), increase farmers' access to the markets, farmers' capacity building, Agricultural inputs distribution, and savings loan groups. Through this project, 20 vulnerable communities in the Herat province will have strengthened resilience to crises and disasters such as droughts, flooding, food security, and market shocks, and will enhance their economic stability. CRS will also carry out some assessments and baseline surveys under this project. 

Job Summary:

The purpose of a climate vulnerability assessment is to identify and understand the regions, populations, and sectors most at risk from the impacts of climate change, such as droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. Given Afghanistan’s fragile environmental conditions, dependence on agriculture, and limited adaptive capacity, such an assessment is essential for informing national and local planning efforts. This assessment should offer and valuable opportunity to develop strategies for the implementation of the HASEL project, considering the climate vulnerabilities of the target communities under the HASEL project.

The consortium intends to use the findings of this assessment to influence and engage a wide group of stakeholders, including donors, in conversations about the importance of climate change impacts to the livelihood of people in Afghanistan. Also, this assessment will help the consortium in the target area under the project to design their DRM activities and intervention plan more effectively for the upcoming three years and future planning.  and management integrated into multisectoral and diverse programming and provided concrete evidence for the investment needed by donors to ultimately strengthen the sustainability of the programming they fund. This assessment will also contribute to the consortium learning about community climate vulnerabilities, Risks, and coping mechanisms, and will offer a hypothesis and recommendations to be applied throughout the project planning, implementation, and closing-out phases for the target areas. With increased donor interest in such evidence, this assessment will also position the consortium competitively to design new projects and obtain funding that integrates the findings of this assessment.

This assessment will be led by CRS with the support of PIN, MC, and AWEC in Ghazni (Jaghori and Gelan districts), Zabul (Arghandab and Daychopan districts), Paktika (Barmal and Urgon districts), Herat (Injil, Guzara, and Koshk Robat Sangi), Helmand (Nad Ali district), and Kandahar (Daman and Dand districts and Kandahar City).

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Desk review and consultation with key stakeholders and submit an inception report clarifying understanding of ToRs and work plan with a timeframe for key deliverables, methodology, and instruments/tools for data collection in the target areas.
• Lead the Climate risk and vulnerability assessment (including consultations, field work, analysis, etc.) for the consortium
• Orient the assessment field staff of all the consortium members on the tools and data collection and provide technical guidance during the assessment in including daily debrief.
• Preparation of the draft climate risk and vulnerability assessment report and action plan for the climate resilient action plan for the target areas according to the project proposal.
• Finalization of the draft climate risk and vulnerability assessment report and strategy/action plan for climate resilient and DRR risk management and mitigation, considering feedback from stakeholders and consortium members.
• Review the CVA ToR and follow it’s all its technical scales and scopes

1. Initial Design Workshop: Technical Advisor in consultation with consortium partners (e.g. design of assessment questions, joint mapping of information needs, identification of existing data, and dissemination strategy)
2. Desk Review: Consultants conduct A desk review to analyze existing literature, policies, and data related to climate risks and vulnerabilities in Afghanistan, particularly in the project target areas. This will provide a foundational understanding and guided the design of primary data tools.
3. Lead the Primary Data Collection: In collaboration with consortium members Afghanistan team Technical Advisor lead the primary data collection, develop the tolls for data collection, neuromotor orientation on the tolls and assessment questions, daily debrief with the data collection team to make sure the assessment is following the correct direction and achieving the objectives of assessment. Since the hazard and risk might be different between locations of the project. So, the assessment suggests two steps to data collection: 
   1. First steps:
      1. Hazard mapping
      2. Risk assessment
   2. Second:
      1. Livelihood sensitivity
      2. Adaptive capacity
4. Data Analysis and Mapping: The Technical Advisor will conduct qualitative analysis of the primary data collected; the collected data will be analyzed using a framework based on exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.
5. Draft Report Development: The Technical Advisor will prepare a draft report by summarizing the key findings, vulnerability maps, and initial adaptation recommendations. It integrated both desk and field data into a coherent narrative for stakeholder review.
6. Data Synthesis Workshop: With consortium partners, data was reviewed and validated. The draft findings were discussed during a synthesis workshop by the consultant. 
7. Final Report: The Technical Advisor will draft the CVA assessment result final report and share it with CRS and the consortium coordinator
8. Dissemination of Key Findings: The final report and key findings will be disseminated through the consortium partners. Including smart climate strategies for the project implementation

Validation of Findings

Following preliminary analysis, the Technical Advisor will hold a validation workshop with members of the HASEL consortium, as well as the consortium members' local and global Technical Advisors for landscape restoration. The Technical Advisor will adjust the findings and conclusions as appropriate based on this workshop and may propose avenues for additional data collection to fill in information gaps that arise.

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Environment Science, Environmental Management and Natural Resources management, Disaster management, Climate change adaptation and resilience.
• Experience working as a Technical Advisor or in an in-house role responsible for identifying climate change risks and putting in place risk mitigation plans for the livelihoods
• Understanding of global climate change science and international decarbonization scenarios as well as best practice approaches to risk assessment and quantification
• At least eight years’ experience in the climate change and environment sector, especially in similar work.
• To have performed at least three assignments related to climate change with proof documents.
• Knowledge of Geo-Spatial Information, Geodatabase Management, Environmental Modelling & Agriculture Remote Sensing, Land Surveying, and Geospatial Project Management is desirable.
• Experience in working with educational institutions regarding environment and climate change adaptations and mitigation is desirable.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong sensitivity and respect for local cultures
• Proven skills in facilitating community training, community mobilization, conducting needs assessments, data collection, and writing activity reports of project activities
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented
• Excellent communication and good judgment concerning problem-solving
• Professional manners in dealing with community members and co-workers.
• Strong listening and interpersonal skills
• Ability to travel regularly to the field daily
• Having management and supervision skills
• Ability to establish and develop relationships with project-relevant internal and external stakeholders.

Supervisory Responsibilities: N/A

Key Working Relationships:  

• Internal: Program manager, MEAL team, Technical Advisors, Head of Program, Head of Office, and the operation team
• External: Consortium members, communities, Government departments, UN clusters, Universities, and other relevant stakeholders in the project

Required Languages – Fluent English (reading, writing, and verbal skills).  Ability to speak Dari and Pashtu.

Travel – The position will be based in Herat, with anticipated travel up to 80% to field locations and other provinces when needed.

CRS is committed to providing daily allowances for mahram who accompany female staff on day trips to the field, and per diem and accommodation for mahram who accompany female staff on work-related trips that require overnight stays.

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results. 

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. 
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.  

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. 

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Protection Acknowledgment: CRS prohibits all forms of abuse and exploitation towards children and vulnerable adults. As a professional candidate, you commit to adhering to the Agency’s policy on protection, rights and dignity of children and vulnerable adults and to safeguard them from abuse and exploitation as defined in CRS’ Safeguarding Policy

Applications comprise a one-page cover letter to explain your interest and suitability for the post and your CV. Please do not attach your education documents and work certificates unless requested.

Dear Applicants!

The process of submitting a CV/Application has been changed to the online system. Therefore, interested candidates are encouraged to apply using the link provided below. Applications sent to any other email address or location will not be considered. Please ensure to rename your application file according to your name entered on the first page of the application forms.

Interested candidates can submit their applications by clicking on this link.

Please note that applications received after the closing date (i.e., July 9^th, 2025), will not be given consideration. Only short-listed candidates whose applications respond to the above criteria will be contacted for tests and interviews.