Training & Research Assistant

The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development, ACBAR, is an independent forum founded in 1988 in response to the demand from NGOs working with Afghan refugees in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan to more efficiently coordinate assistance and delivery of services. With its main office in Kabul since 2002, ACBAR brings together 211 National and International NGOs working in in all sectors of humanitarian assistance and development in Afghanistan. Based on the 3 pillars of Information and Coordination, Advocacy and Enabling Environment, and Capacity Building, ACBAR’s activities focus heavily on sharing information with members, coordination of members and the aid community in general, at the national and regional levels, and carrying out advocacy on issues affecting the work of its members and other I/NNGO in Afghanistan. ACBAR has a mission to provide an efficient platform for members to carry out effective humanitarian, development, and peace building activities in Afghanistan. The members are the drive behind ACBAR, and their active participation is essential to ACBAR’s continuous dynamism. 

For more than ten years, ACBAR has supported its members with programs designed to raise the internal capacity of national and local NGO’s to successfully acquire and implement humanitarian and development programs.  Through the various “Twinning” programs that ACBAR has implemented, more than 100 NGO partners have received this support, with many going on to become strong, influential NGO leaders across the country.  But as the operating context and funding environment continues to change, ACBAR will transition our capacity strengthening program to a service-oriented model that builds off the knowledge and experience we have gained as an organization under past programs, while making our services accessible to more members and more fit-for-purpose in the current environment.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Training & Research Assistant is responsible for identifying training needs and mapping out development plans for participating NNGO/CSO partners and ensuring that they are provided the appropriate training support. Training & Research assistant is responsible to support ACBAR’s efforts to address a key capacity gap among national and local NGOs (NNGOs and LNGOs) in collecting, managing, analyzing, and using data and research to improve program quality and decision-making. The training & research assistant will also work with external research consultants, and other agencies in the conduct of research activities. The regular working hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., including lunch break, from Sunday through Thursday, or as scheduled during travel, and as noted in the Human Resources Policy Manual.

ESSENTIAL TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential tasks include the following:

They are not necessarily in the order of importance.

Training:

• Develop pre- and post- tests, training evaluations, and other training review methods with assistance from training & research team.  
• Assess participant learning performance and identify needs for additional specialized or adaptive instruction
• Maintain records of completed training both hard and soft

• Work with the training Manager and REALIGN Team includes Capacity strengthening specialists and all other relevant staff. Support the implementation of all ACBAR training activities by working closely with internal and external trainers/consultants;
• Provide support in the design and development of trainings where needed.
• Support the trainers in delivering the trainings in quality, and focus on building the capacities of participating NNGOs and CSOs.
• Co-facilitate trainings alongside other assigned trainers
• Ensure timely and quality reporting by submitting a monthly summary report highlighting training, research, lessons learned, and challenges, and recommendations including success highlights, feedback and recommendations for ACBAR’s REALIGN Program (sent to the training Manager).
• Assist in documenting learning indicators related to data management and analysis capacity (e.g., pre/post assessment results, training outputs, adoption of tools or workflows).
• Work along with MEAL and REALIGN project team and relevant stakeholders for conducting training need assessment. 

Research Support:

• Assist in organizing and preparing research-focused seminars for NNGOs and LNGOs, including compilation of training resources, agendas, and participant materials.
• Support follow-up work that strengthens partnerships between international research-focused organizations and Afghan local counterparts.
• Coordinate with partner research organizations to support seminar delivery inputs where required, including logistics, templates, and follow-up materials.
• Support the design or refinement of basic data collection tools used in program learning (e.g., surveys, interview guides, focus group discussion guides) aligned with capacity strengthening support programs for national NGOs.
• Assist project team in providing support to NGOs members on research-related capacity building (e.g., data collection methods, survey tools, research ethics, basic analysis, and reporting standards)
• Provide technical assistance to NGO partners to strengthen their research implementation and documentation.

EDUCATION, TRAINING and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor degree (Master’s degree will be preferred) in relevant professions including Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Project Management, Humanitarian Aid, and Development Policy and Management
• Attended a Training or Trainers workshop/training course.
• Experience with NGOs and humanitarian response.
• Minimum of (4-6) years of experience with NGOs & 3 years’ experience in training / research support.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS, AND REASONING ABILITY

• Ability to visit and conduct face to face meetings with NGO partners
• Demonstrate very good written and verbal communications skills in English, Dari and Pashto
• Ability to conduct research & training in English language
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines with quality results.
• Ability to work in a team

• If you meet the required qualifications and experience, please complete the application form using the link below. The deadline for submission is 22 04, 2026. Before applying, ensure that your CV and cover letter are combined into a single file, as you will be required to upload them during the application process.

ONLY AFGHAN NATIONALS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS POSITION

Job application form link: https://form.acbar.org/app/form?id=nrZTNw