MIEOAD is seeking a qualified and experienced Policy Consultant to be based in Faryab Province, with travel to designated locations as required. The consultant will lead and support the assessment, development, review, and finalization of MIEOAD’s organizational policies and related implementation tools. The assignment will contribute to the timely, consultative, and high-quality completion of the policy-development process in accordance with organizational needs, applicable standards, and donor requirements.
Key Responsibilities and Duties
- Prepare a clear methodology, work plan, and schedule for completing the policy-development assignment.
- Conduct a desk review of MIEOAD’s existing policies, procedures, project documents, donor requirements, and other relevant organizational documents.
- Carry out a policy gap assessment and identify areas requiring new policies, revision, clarification, or stronger implementation guidance.
- Develop practical and context-specific organizational policies suitable for humanitarian, development, fragile, and crisis-affected settings.
- Review relevant field information, organizational data, assessment findings, and lessons learned to ensure that the policies respond to actual operational needs and risks.
- Ensure that all policies are consistent with MIEOAD’s mandate, strategic objectives, organizational structure, and program activities.
- Ensure alignment with applicable Afghan laws and regulations, donor requirements, humanitarian principles, and recognized international standards.
- Integrate gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding, PSEA, protection, accountability, anti-fraud, confidentiality, and conflict-sensitivity considerations into relevant policies.
- Consult with MIEOAD management, staff, project teams, community representatives, civil society organizations, local authorities, partners, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Facilitate consultation and validation meetings, workshops, and interviews to collect feedback and build organizational ownership of the policies.
- Present draft policies to MIEOAD management and incorporate comments, recommendations, and required revisions into the final versions.
- Develop related procedures, standard operating procedures, templates, checklists, implementation tools, or monitoring mechanisms where required.
- Ensure that all policies are clear, consistent, practical, user-friendly, and suitable for implementation by MIEOAD staff.
- Provide technical advice on policy implementation, staff orientation, compliance, monitoring, and periodic review.
- Maintain consistency in language, structure, terminology, formatting, roles, responsibilities, and approval processes across all policies.
- Submit progress updates and complete all agreed deliverables within the approved timeline and required quality standards.
- Maintain confidentiality and protect all organizational, personnel, project, and beneficiary information accessed during the assignment.
- Promptly report any challenges, delays, conflicts of interest, safeguarding concerns, or compliance risks to the designated MIEOAD focal person.
- Perform other assignment-related duties requested by the line manager within the scope of the consultancy.
Qualifications and Requirements
- Education: Master’s degree or higher in Public Policy, Economics, Social Sciences, International Development, Law, Organizational Development, Public Administration, or another relevant field.
- Experience: At least five years of relevant professional experience in policy formulation, organizational policy development, research, governance, compliance, strategic planning, or program evaluation.
- Demonstrated experience in developing and reviewing policies for national or international NGOs, humanitarian organizations, civil society organizations, or development institutions.
- Previous experience working in fragile, post-conflict, humanitarian, or crisis-affected environments is strongly preferred.
- Strong knowledge of policy analysis, institutional assessment, stakeholder consultation, research methods, and program evaluation.
- Good understanding of humanitarian principles, donor compliance requirements, safeguarding, PSEA, gender equality, social inclusion, accountability, and risk management.
- Strong analytical, research, facilitation, report-writing, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear, practical, and professional policy documents.
- Excellent written and spoken English and Dari and/or Pashto.
- Ability to use MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email, online research tools, and other relevant software.
- Ability to work independently, manage multiple deliverables, respond constructively to feedback, and meet strict deadlines.
- Good knowledge of Afghanistan’s humanitarian, development, legal, and institutional context is required. Knowledge of Faryab Province is an advantage.
