Program Officer – Core Business & Coordination

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is the executing agency of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA). As one of the world's largest bilateral development organizations, JICA operates in over 150 countries and regions with approximately 90 overseas offices. Guided by its vision of "Leading the world with trust," JICA is dedicated to supporting socioeconomic development in developing regions and fostering international cooperation to address global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and regional instability.

In the current context of Afghanistan, JICA Afghanistan Office focuses on addressing basic human needs and supporting the humanitarian-development nexus. To ensure the effective, safe, and neutral delivery of assistance to the people of Afghanistan, JICA’s operations are conducted in partnership with international organizations, particularly United Nations agencies.

JICA actively collaborates with these multilateral partners to implement critical programs across vital sectors, including community resilience, agricultural development, water and sanitation, health, and education. Through these international frameworks, JICA remains dedicated to delivering essential human security and livelihood support directly to the Afghan population.

I. Organizational Context & Position Summary

• Functional Title: Program Officer (Economic Development & Displacement Solutions)
• Duty Station: Kabul, Afghanistan
• Reports to: Senior Program Officer / Deputy Head of Office / Head of Office
• Position Purpose: Under the direct supervision of senior management, the Program Officer oversees and manages JICA’s funded program portfolio in Afghanistan focusing on livelihood restoration, sustainable agriculture, and durable solutions for returnees and IDPs. Operating primarily through strategic funding partnerships with UN agencies and INGOs, the incumbent is responsible for project progress monitoring, financial/operational oversight, and proactively leading multi-stakeholder dialogues to identify and form future collaborative opportunities and project pipelines.

II. Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Strategic Partnership, Dialogue & Pipeline Development　

• Co-lead strategic dialogues with key international partners (e.g., FAO, WFP, UNHCR, IOM, UNDP, and INGOs) to identify critical gaps, assess feasibility, and co-formulate future project pipelines aligned with JICA’s strategic priorities.
• Translate regional socio-economic dynamics and sector needs into actionable partnership models and funding proposals in collaboration with UN partners and NGOs.
• Act as the focal point for inter-agency consultation, ensuring JICA’s operational policies, priorities, and quality standards are integrated into partner-led project concepts from the early formulation phase.

2. Project Portfolio Management & Progress Oversight

• Oversee the lifecycle of JICA-funded projects implemented by partners such as UN agencies, NGOs and others, ensuring strict alignment with agreed contribution agreements, work plans, and performance targets.
• Track financial disbursements, implementation timelines, and key performance indicators (KPIs), systematically identifying operational bottlenecks or delays and facilitating solution-oriented discussions with implementing partners.
• Review and evaluate technical and financial reports submitted by UN/NGO partners, ensuring high standards of accountability, transparency, and compliance with organizational guidelines.

3. Monitoring, Verification & Risk Management

• Establish and manage robust monitoring frameworks, effectively leveraging Third-Party Monitoring (TPM) mechanisms, partner reporting, and direct field/site visits (where feasible) to independently verify project progress and deliverables.
• Conduct regular contextual and operational risk assessments - particularly regarding political, legal, and operational constraints in local provinces - and establish joint risk-mitigation measures with partner agencies.
• Ensure social and safeguard compliance in funded interventions, particularly regarding vulnerable returnee communities, local power dynamics, and environmental considerations.

4. Sector Coordination & Strategic Representation

• Represent JICA in key sector-wide coordination mechanisms, including the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC), Early Recovery Working Group, and Displacement/Returnee Task Forces.
• Synthesize implementation insights, lessons learned, and impact evaluation data from funded projects to formulate policy briefs and strategic recommendations for JICA management and Headquarters.

5. External Liaison, Logistics Support and others

• Serve as a liaison between JICA, the relevant authorities, local government counterparts, and other relevant stakeholders, facilitating constructive communication and ensuring that operational requirements, regulatory considerations, and partner needs are appropriately coordinated.
• Accompany and support JICA management and technical teams in meetings, consultations, and negotiations with the relevant authorities and other external stakeholders as required; prepare detailed meeting notes, records of discussion, action trackers, and briefing materials to ensure effective follow-up and institutional knowledge management.
• Coordinate with relevant authorities and stakeholders to facilitate project implementation, including support for obtaining permissions, clearances, official endorsements, and other administrative requirements necessary for partner operations.
• Assist implementing partners, as necessary, in coordinating visa applications, travel authorizations, mission clearances, and personnel movements in accordance with applicable regulations and security requirements.
• Support the planning and execution of project-related missions, workshops, trainings, assessments, monitoring visits, and high-level events by coordinating schedules, venues, participant arrangements, transportation, and other operational requirements.
• Facilitate coordination with UN agencies, INGOs, local NGOs, community representatives, and other development actors to address operational constraints, ensure information sharing, and promote implementation efficiency.
• Monitor changes in administrative procedures, access conditions, and regulatory requirements that may affect project operations, and proactively advise JICA management and partners on necessary adjustments and mitigation measures.
• Maintain accurate records of official communications, agreements, government correspondence, mission documentation, and stakeholder engagement activities, ensuring compliance with JICA policies and audit requirements.
• Support security- and access-related coordination for field missions in collaboration with relevant authorities, UN agencies, and implementing partners, while ensuring adherence to JICA’s operational, safeguarding, and risk-management standards.
• Perform other external relations, protocol, coordination, and operational support functions as required to facilitate the effective and timely implementation of JICA-funded interventions.

III. Impact of Results

The effective portfolio management and strategic engagement of the Program Officer directly enhance the impact, efficiency, and visibility of JICA’s assistance in Afghanistan. By fostering strong strategic alliances with UN agencies and NGOs, ensuring rigorous progress oversight, and leading forward-looking project formulation, the incumbent ensures that JICA’s funding achieves maximum development effectiveness for rural communities, returnees, and displaced populations.

IV. Competency Profile

Core Competencies

• Integrity & Professionalism: Demonstrates commitment to organizational values, transparency in managing public/donor funding, and high ethical standards in fragile contexts.
• Accountability: Takes full ownership of monitoring responsibilities and ensures partner compliance with output targets and financial standards.
• Communication & Negotiation: Clearly articulates funding requirements, negotiates constructively with UN/NGO counterparts, and facilitates consensus in multi-partner environments.
• Teamwork: Collaborative partner who works seamlessly with internal management, HQ units, and external international organizations.

Functional Competencies

• Partnership Building & Dialogue Leadership: Proven ability to initiate, nurture, and lead joint programming discussions with UN agencies and INGOs.
• Grant & Project Oversight: Strong knowledge of grant management, logical frameworks, TPM management, and financial compliance tracking.
• Sectoral Knowledge (Agriculture, Livelihood Improvement & Displacement): Sound understanding of agricultural livelihoods, value chains, and returnee/IDP integration strategies in Afghanistan.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher from a recognized university in a relevant field (International Development, Economics, Public/Business Administration, Finance, etc.).
• Experience: Minimum 3–5 years of professional experience in international organizations, international NGOs, or donor agencies.
• Language: Full professional proficiency in written and spoken English. Fluency in local languages (Dari and/or Pashto) is required.
• Skills: Advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Exceptional communication, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Mindset:　Strong sense of public mission, high ethical standards, accountability, and ability to work effectively in a team.

1. You can apply for only ONE position across this JICA recruitment in this timing. Duplicate applications for multiple positions will lead to automatic disqualification.
2. Please complete all fields of the following URL (Microsoft Forms) in English.                                                                           Program Officer – Core Business & Coordination
3. All questions in this form are mandatory. Please ensure that every section is completed thoroughly and clearly. Any applications with missing information, blank fields, or vague/unclear answers will be automatically excluded from the selection process.
4. No supplementary documents (such as CVs, diplomas, or IDs) are required to be submitted at this stage. Your application will be evaluated solely based on the information and essays provided in this form.
5. Ensure your professional reference details are accurate. JICA reserves the right to contact any or all of your provided references directly during the initial shortlisting and document review process, prior to the interview stage, to verify your professional conduct and performance.
6. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next selection process. Due to the high volume of applications, individual notifications will not be sent to applicants who are not selected to proceed, and we do not accept inquiries regarding selection results. We appreciate your understanding.