Country: Afghanistan
Closing date: 17 Feb 2015
Location: Kabul
Service areas(s): Afghanistan, Middle East and North Africa Team
About the Afghanistan Middle East North Africa Team
We have been highly active in the region since 1998, when we helped to set up the Office of the President for the Palestinian National Authority. In the intervening 15 years we have provided 12 years of support to the Afghan government on a wide range of government policies and institutions, 11 years of legal and communications support to the PLO for its final status negotiations, 10 year of support to centre of government institutions in Iraq, and two years of support to emerging local governance structures in Syria. Our achievement s include raising Afghan annual tax revenues by over $2bn, distributing $1.6bn to get public services following the collapse of the Gaddafi regime, establishing a national budgeting process and development plans in Palestine and established lasting institutions at the centre of government in Iraq that have been instrumental in managing the transition of power through three different leaderships in Iraq. At the ground level, we have mentored over 300 up and coming entrepreneurs, delivered basic services to over 80,000 people in opposition-controlled Syria and supported the delivery of education to over 200,000 children in Afghanistan as a result of the reforms we helped to introduce at the Ministry of Education.
We are at the cutting edge of development approaches in this complex and dynamic region. We are building capacity at the institutions at the centre of government in Iraq, implementing a mentoring programme for entrepreneurs across the region, building demand side accountability in Libya, designing private sector development interventions in Yemen and pioneering approaches to supporting emerging local governance structures in Syria.
About the role
The AfMENA team is seeking exceptional candidates for the post of Assistant Manager/Junior Manager. This post will be based in Kabul.
Our Professional Development Scheme works for 9 months. At the end of this period Adam Smith International may provide an offer of permanent employment as a Manager. During these 9 months you will be responsible for working with the team to support project management and business development activities. Specific responsibilities include:
· Supporting implementation for existing projects in Kabul (ranging from 1 million to 10 million portfolio of programmes), including logistics and administration, financial management, organisational development, reporting, recruitment, and contracting;
· Supporting project delivery, making sure clients are satisfied and our consultant teams are operating effectively;
· Drafting terms of reference for new project roles;
· Contacting potential associates, reviewing, editing and formatting CVs and negotiating fee rates;
· Report writing;
· Contributing to the development of technical proposals, writing project descriptions and company capability statements, supporting others in the development of approach and issues sections of proposals and reports;
· Researching and developing background information briefings for others on country, region or sector development trends.
About you
Our projects require the highest quality people. People empowered to overcome challenges with a ‘can do’ attitude tempered with insight and pragmatism. Each team member is carefully selected, based not just on their technical ability, but on their proven experience. It’s this combination that ensures we deliver real societal impact and measurable results beyond those anticipated.
You should have demonstrated ability to build productive relationships with people from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds; ability to work effectively in politically sensitive and physically challenging environments - and ability to work well within a team environment.
Adam Smith International seeks the following skills and experience:
· A postgraduate degree in economics, political science, international development, business management, or other relevant field from a top-tier university;
· A demonstrated interest in economic development, particularly in challenging countries;
· Good understanding of Afghanistan;
· Good numerical ability with a focus on financial awareness and ability;
· Demonstrated experience of using initiative, client-orientation, risk taking, and working in complex and pressured contexts;
· Outstanding written and spoken English;
· Enthusiasm, flexibility and a strong attention to detail;
· Excellent communication to high level stakeholders, inter-personal, and team-working skills;
· Be willing to relocate to Kabul;
· You must be eligible to work in the UK.
What We Offer You
We offer you a dynamic and friendly team environment and the opportunity to work on a highly successful portfolio of programmes. We have a strong commitment to our people and strive to live by our principles:
· Take responsibility (Accountability)
We are individually and collectively accountable for what we do.
· Always find a way (Resourcefulness)
We think innovatively to reach a solution.
· Promote Quality (Excellence)
We maintain and promote professional standards in everything we do.
· Commit to the Outcome (Achievement)
We take pride in delivering our best to achieve results
We’ve built a culture to reflect our principles, full of likeminded professionals who are smart, passionate and great at what they do. We offer a highly competitive compensation package and excellent benefits.
How to apply:
Heard Enough? Ready to Apply?
We would love to hear from you. Please submit a CV (no more than 3 pages) and short cover letter to recruitment@adamsmithinternational.com with a subject line of “Assistant Manager/Junior Manager, AfMENA - Kabul”. You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this position. Shortlisted applicants only will be contacted. Thank you for your consideration.
