Job Opportunities at World Food Programme

JOB PURPOSE

• This role of the Conflict Analysis both strategic and operational. Conflict and insecurity remain the one of the main drivers of humanitarian needs within the RBJ region, particularly in Democratic Republic Congo and Mozambique which are affected by ongoing conflict in the last several years. There is also a growing tension and potential civil unrest some other Southern Africa Countries including Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Madagascar partly due to economic crisis and income inequalities. The conflict in the great Lakes region is one of the main contributors of refugees and internally displaced people in the Southern Africa Region. The large number of IDPs, refugees and asylum seekers coupled with the impacts of fuel, fertilizer, fuel price hikes due to the impacts of the war and COVID-19 are likely to pose further instability and tension among the food insecure populations, including those in urban areas. 
• This role is intended to build the capacity of staff in Country Offices in Southern Africa region to undertake conflict sensitivity analysis from a food security and overall humanitarian assistance needs assessment perspective, to integrate conflict sensitivity into operations there by contributing for peaceful coexistence and stability, and to support the development of access strategies as well as WFP’s role in humanitarian negotiations in conflict, insecure and transitional settings.
• The effectiveness of humanitarian action hinges on access - access by humanitarians to people in need, and by people in need to essential goods and services. Negotiation is one of the most important enablers of access in situations of armed conflict. 
• The Programme Policy Officer will be responsible for increasing the application of conflict-sensitivity in WFP operations; and enhancing WFP’s programmatic offering with respect to stabilization and contribution to peace. This will be achieved through a combination of technical support, capacity building, coordination, partnership development and knowledge management.#
• In addition, the Officer will support the WFP’s on policy and operational direction on issues related to humanitarian access and engagement with relevant stakeholders, including humanitarian actors, communities, parties to the armed conflict, and provide advice on diverse issues related to safeguarding humanitarian principles and ensuring the effective delivery of WFP assistance and protection activities. 
   

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)
Technical support

•  Analysis: conflict sensitivity/peace contribution - In conflict-affected and transitional settings, support WFP Country Offices, lead and undertake political and contextual analysis and analyse the context/conflict and assess the conflict sensitivity of WFP’s operations and partnerships across the entire portfolio, by identifying programmatic and operational conflict-related risks including choices of transfer modalities, and proposing mitigation measures, as well as opportunities to adjust and design WFP’s interventions to contribute to peace. In addition, support the incorporation of the conflict sensitivity lens in the participatory planning and response among refugees and host communities, internally displaced people etc and contributing to the broader protection efforts. 
•   Capacity Building: Initiate, plan and implement efforts that build the capacity of WFP staff in the region including building systems and processes to undertake conflict sensitivity analysis and assessments. Build and maintain a cadre of expertise across the region and set up focal points who will champion conflict sensitivity, humanitarian access and peace building approaches in all WFP programming. Providing capacity building trainings on Conflict Sensitivity, humanitarian access, contribution to peace to CO focal points, develop contextualized training materials and guidance tools and supporting action plan developments.
•  Advise: development and implementation of access strategies - Based on analysis above, advise WFP Country Offices on components, good practices, key actors and concerns to be considered in the formulation of strategies to reach affected communities and facilitate their access to essential WFP assistance and services. This includes advising and coordinating with Programme, ERPs, Humanitarian Military Advisors, Security Officers, Supply Chain colleagues at the CO and RB levels to ensure coherent and well-informed engagement, regular input and information sharing as situations evolve.  
•  Community Engagement and Communication Strategy- Contribute for effective community participation through identifying state and non-state actors, armed groups, community, and other local structures from the conflict sensitivity approach; and design programmes to contribute for peaceful coexistence and social cohesion and mitigate protection and security risks. Close monitoring of the conflict dynamics and risks for preparedness and early action and identify peace actors and access focal points in the hotspot areas to facilitate the humanitarian assistance.

Partnerships

•  Inter-agency engagement - Ensuring that WFP is visible and actively participating in relevant inter-agency discussions and coordination concerning conflict sensitivity and access, and WFP’s role in contributing towards peacebuilding outcomes. This includes forging partnerships with traditional and non-traditional partners (including peacebuilding actors), think tanks, academia and other experts to improve performance in this area.

Knowledge Management

•  Documentation and dissemination – Documenting good practices and learning from across the region and ensuring that it is systematically disseminated to feed the corporate development of guidance and tools and among countries offices of the region. Ensure that Country Offices are acting in a timely manner on any new opportunities to enhance their engagement on conflict-sensitivity, humanitarian access and contribution to peace opportunities (including emerging funding windows). Participate in learning events and activities to build the knowledge across the emergent peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity network across WFP.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance

• Displays ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools.

Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Voucher)

• Demonstrates the ability to design, implement, monitor and provide oversight over effective and efficient programmes deploying different transfer modalities.

Broad Knowledge of Specialized areas (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.)

• Demonstrates the ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring.

Emergency Programming

• Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches

Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government

• Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes..

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education:

• Advanced academic degree in international relations, development studies, conflict studies, or another relevant discipline Essential

Experience:

• At least 5 years of professional experience related to supporting and analysing governance structures and institutions.
•     Experience in developing monitoring mechanisms
•     Widespread experience in integrating conflict sensitivity into both humanitarian and development programming
•     Solid knowledge of peacebuilding programme design, including the articulation of theories of change of food security/food assistance programming and analysis.
•      Proven experience in facilitating and leading capacity building trainings and materials productions on Conflict sensitivity and peace building programming from the food security perspectives.

Language:

• Essential - Fluency in English (oral and written).  Desirable - Knowledge of French and Portuguese 

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS
Technical Skills & Knowledge:

Essential

• Commitment to WFP’s mission and values
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong communication skills
• Strong influencing and networking skills
• Ability to work independently under minimal supervision 
• Proficiency in Window MS office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)

Desirable

• Technical training in areas that are directly or indirectly relevant to peacebuilding and/or conflict-sensitivity

Competencies

• Knowledge of WFP’s operation and previous experience with WFP is considered an asset.
   

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Experience in supporting strategic planning processes to integrate conflict and peace
• Experience in negotiating humanitarian access and developing access strategy in complex emergency setting with state and non-state actors.
• Experience in design and completion of conflict analysis
• Experience in capacity building (training, accompaniment)

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BACKGROUND & PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

• WFP strives to be a leader in environmental sustainability within the UN system. In pursuit of this goal, WFP adopted a new Environmental policy in February 2017, and an Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework (ESSF). The Policy commits the organization to avoiding unintended harm to the environment, its beneficiaries, or any other affected populations as a result of our operations and programmes, and to maximize environmental benefits. The ESSF contains 3 tools: a set of environmental and social standards, risk screening of activity design and mitigation/ management plans (safeguards), and an environmental management system (EMS) consistent with the international standard ISO 14001. Collectively, these three elements are known as WFP's Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework (ESSF).
• The Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Service is supporting all programme regions to identify Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Advisors for short-, medium or long-term contracts to help roll out and mainstream the application of environmental & social safeguards across country strategies and programmes.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
    Technical support to Country Offices (CO) and Regional Bureau (RB):

• Support the application of the WFP, donor and government standards (as applicable) on environmental & social safeguards tools (including risk screening) to programmatic activities at CO level;
• Support the application of the safeguards’ requirements in new proposals to donors (including proposals to the Adaptation Fund, Green Climate Fund, IFIs);
• Check the extent to which alternative screening tools used by country offices are aligned with WFP’s standards/tools;
• Provide advice to COs during an emergency response, to promote adherence to WFP’s environmental and social standards;
• Support the elaboration and review of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) when required;
• Revise Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) of high-risk projects when required;
• Support the formulation of environmental and social safeguards assessments in the Country Strategic Plans (CSPs).
   

   Capacity Building and Training

• Promote awareness of WFP's potential environmental and social impacts and of the safeguards framework as a tool for systematically managing those impacts;
• Train country office staff on the application of, and compliance with the Environmental and Social Safeguards requirements by delivering online webinars and/or in-country training sessions and ensuring these are embedded in or linked with other relevant RBJ programmatic trainings;
• Collect and share best practices from within the region to promote ongoing engagement and improvement;
• In collaboration with HQ and other Environment and Social Safeguard advisors in other regions, develop  training modules and awareness raising material specific to the region on environmental and social safeguards standards, including case studies and good practices from the region.
   

   Strategic Direction and Guidance to CO'S  & RB

• Seek opportunities to link WFP safeguards to national safeguard regulations and capacities;
• Support country offices to comply with national environmental regulations;
• Seek opportunities to access regional and country-specific funding sources to increase the involvement of local stakeholders.
   

  Monitoring

• Monitor country office engagement in the implementation of environmental &social safeguards;
• Ensure that country offices identify and record risks in a corporate digital platform and relevant performance dashboards and scorecards;
• Support country offices in reporting on the application of the WFP Safeguards in the Annual Country Reports.

Other as required.

DELIVERABLES

•     Improve the capacity-building at Regional Bureau and Country Office’s level by providing training, guidance and technical support;
•     Provide ESS support to Country Offices developing new country strategic plans, programmes and proposals and ensure that donor requirements in relation to ESS are adequately addressed and budgeted for;
•     Develop region-specific training modules and guidelines on environmental and social safeguards and awareness raising material;
•     Document case studies and good practices from the region in integrating environmental and social safeguard standards in WFP programmes;
•     Ensure that the formulation of new Country Strategic Plans includes a strategic assessment of environmental and social risks and provide technical support as required;
•     Elaborate and revise Environmental & Social Management Plans (ESMPs) where required, and support Environmental & Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for high-risk projects when/if required;
•     Support COs in reporting on the application of WFP’s safeguards for both specific projects and for CSP activity implementation;
•     Support country offices in the region adequately to report on the application of WFP safeguards in relation to their programmes being implemented.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education:     

• Advanced University Degree (Masters or equivalent) in one of the following areas: Environmental Studies, Environmental Management, Engineering, Agriculture, Social Science, International Studies, Human Rights, or a related field;  Additional education in a complementary field (e.g., additional education in social science when the first degree was in environmental science - or vice versa) would be an advantage;

Experience:  

•  At least six (6) years of post-graduate experience in areas related to: environmental and social sustainability, environmental and social safeguards, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), or corporate sustainability for national and/or international environmental and social safeguards frameworks and regulations;
• Experience in developing and delivering training;
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, would be an advantage; Work experience with the UN, particularly with WFP or WFP’s donors, would be an advantage;

Language:    

•  Excellent written and spoken English (level C) is a requirement; working knowledge of a second official UN language is an advantage.

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JOB PURPOSE

• Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Evidence Generation Block, the incumbent will play a key role in supporting government and particularly as it relates to the Rapid Rural Transformation initiatives and other partners to establish and manage hydroponic units for the production of high value crops and vegetables. The consultant will also support in facilitating trainings for WFP, government and smallholder farmers on the management of the hydroponics units and market access. 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Key roles and responsibilities for this position will include transfer of knowledge and skills to Government officials and Smallholder Farmers to own and manage horticulture initiative that uses hydroponics technology. Specific roles also include:

•  Assist in developing specific technical guidance and appropriate manuals related to hydroponic farming;
•  Provide technical assistance and Training of Trainers (ToT) on hydroponics system set up and management, the ToTs will include WFP staff, smallholder farmers and government officials; 
• Work with target schools and smallholder farmers to set up and manage a Hydroponic farm environment; 
•  Support target schools and smallholder farmers to plan and coordinate the production of vegetables, fruits, horticulture & floriculture plants from seed, and bulbs propagation preparation to harvest in hydroponics environment, including new varieties to rootstocks 
•  Ensure the right capacity and skills exist in the target schools and communities in order to maintain crop production by cultivating, de-budding, pruning, and maintaining optimal growing conditions in assigned greenhouses 
•  Enhance the capacity and skills of target schools and smallholder farmers on Nutrient preparation & management 
•  Provide overall guidance and supervision to target schools and communities on the general maintenance of greenhouse structures, irrigation equipment and water supply systems
•  Work closely with the M&E unit to support target schools and communities to establish and maintain a strong monitoring and evaluation system for monitoring and evaluation the outputs of the hydroponic system including production levels, sales and incomes. 
•  Liaise with the communication unit to ensure systematic documentation of the impact stories and best practices coming from the implementation of the hydroponic interventions in schools and target communities 
•  Support Regional hydroponics initiatives in RBJ Country Offices

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

• Capability Name    Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level
• Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance    Displays ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools.
• Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Voucher)    Demonstrates ability to analyse and consolidate quantitative and qualitative information from different sources (e.g., market studies) to inform transfer modality selection and programme development.
• Broad Knowledge of Specialized areas (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.)    Demonstrates the ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring.
• Emergency Programming    Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches.
• Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government    Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education:

• Post-secondary qualification on related field, preferably in Agricultural, Horticulture, Agricultural Extension or related fields.
   

Language:

• Excellent knowledge of English. Good working knowledge of a second UN language preferably French, Spanish or Arabic is desirable.
   

Experience: 

•     3 years of relevant experience.
•     The candidates should be able to demonstrate strong competence with progressively responsible roles in one or more of the following agricultural technologies: low-tech and low-cost hydroponic solutions, community-based programming on agriculture, and training facilitation at all levels
•     Traceable record of successful implementation of hydroponics

Knowledge & Skills: 

•     Working knowledge and technical experience on hydroponics; 
•     Experience of working in farming technologies, land and water management for agriculture; 
•     Experience of working in projects with communities and community-based interventions; 
•     Experience of working in the humanitarian context would be an advantage.