Business Support Assistant (SBC Project), SC-4, Cotabato (Filipino National)

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WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

JOB DETAILS

JOB TITLE: BUSINESS SUPPORT ASSISTANT (BSA) - SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE (SBC) Communication PROJECT TYPE OF CONTRACT: SERVICE CONTRACT JOB GRADE: SC-4 UNIT/DIVISION: PROGRAMME UNIT/ACTIVITY 2 DUTY STATION (City, Country): COTABATO CITY, MAGUINDANAO, PHILIPPINES DURATION: 12 MONTHS WITH POSSIBLE EXTENSION NUMBER OF VACANCIES: TWO (2)

BACKGROUND

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food aid arm of the United Nations and the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition worldwide. For the next two years, WFP will embark on “The Project for the Improvement of Agricultural and Fisheries Value Chain for Smallholder Farmers and Fisherfolk in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).” This will improve the livelihoods, food security, and nutrition of BARMM’s smallholder farmers and fisherfolk. It will also strengthen their inclusion in the nutrition-sensitive agricultural value chain through improved market linkages, enhanced agricultural productivity, and nutrition-relevant Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Communication.

The WFP Philippines Country Office (CO) is looking for two (2) Business Support Assistant (BSA) for the SBC component activity of the value chain project. Both BSA positions are full-time and based in the Cotabato City Sub-Office (SO) in Maguindanao.

SBC is the strategic use of communications approaches, activities, and tools to positively influence behaviours. For this project, the evidence-based strategy will address nutrition and nutrition-related behaviors. The strategy considers the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the targeted individual, such as a pregnant woman or lactating mother, while taking into consideration the multi-level social and contextual dimensions of these behaviors. SBC takes a socioecological view, acknowledging that behaviors are influenced by factors at different levels of influence (e.g., from the self-efficacy of the mother to the cultural values and policy environment enabling or inhibiting that self-efficacy).

The SBC component builds on the CO’s formative research in this area, BAMBINA (Better Access of Mothers and Babies on Integrated Nutrition Agenda). In late 2020 to early 2022, BAMBINA collected data from municipalities in Maguindanao across nine target groups, on food and nutrition behaviors. This project invited 30 experts from local, regional, and national sectors for consultative meetings. The project also sought the expertise of a media firm, which developed a media landscape analysis and a media implementation strategy. Taken together, these efforts culminated in a strategy and action plan, which outlines behavioral gaps that may be addressed by communications activities, approaches, and tools. There is now an opportunity to implement that strategy and action plan. BSAs are needed for its successful implementation.

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT

BSAs, with guidance from the project manager (PM), will implement the day-to-day project tasks, activities, and procedures. They support the successful execution of the communications strategy and action plan, work with local stakeholders and with implementing partners, and help monitor communications and behavioral objectives. Each BSA helps oversee the field staff in their designated project sites—a group of municipal coordinators, barangay leaders, and community workers tasked to implement the communications campaign in the field. The BSA helps ensure that the field staff have the human and material resources to implement the project and that they are running the campaign as designed. In-person, in-office work and frequent travel in project sites are required, though remote work may be occasionally warranted, depending on minimum public health standards. BSAs are expected to work under minimum supervision but with routine, close coordination and collaboration with the PM. The BSAs and PM all report to the SBC Consultant.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

The BSA holds key responsibilities, including the following, which are neither all-inclusive nor exhaustive:

1. Perform day-to-day project tasks, activities, and procedures in compliance with the implementation plan 2. Facilitate community-based seminars, workshops, and other community mobilization activities 3. Conduct interpersonal, one-to-one, and household visits 4. Make regular field visits, take time to perform communications activities, and interact with beneficiaries, partners, authorities, and stakeholders 5. Support and enable field stuff to run communications campaign as designed 6. Collaborate with relevant implementing partners and local authorities, including civil society groups for indigenous peoples and for people with disabilities 7. Assist in the fidelity of the communications/messaging design to the strategy and action plan 8. Help ensure the planning and implementation of the communications activities 9. Support the coordination of all implementation and procedure training sessions 10. Help build and cultivate strategic relationships at the community level in ways that lead to increased impact and local ownership of the project 11. Help prepare progress reports and other project documentation 12. Assist in accurate, timely data management, including key data points for collection and analysis 13. Perform administrative duties, including making purchase request, and coordinate with relevant units (e.g., procurement, finance), as appropriate 14. Work flexibly and take on additional tasks as may be needed to meet project and program objectives 15. Participate in internal and external meetings as well as relevant trainings or workshops 16. Submit a monthly accomplishment report and attendance report as the basis for salary 17. Promote WFP safety standards in the local context of the project and coordinate with designated focal persons on gender, safety, security, and wellbeing, as appropriate 18. Coordinate with the various departments or units in the CO and SO to ensure full compliance with WFP’s policy, procedures, and standards 19. Perform other related responsibilities as required

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Training • Completion of secondary education. • Bachelor’s degree in nutrition, communication, public health, or behavioural science/psychology is desirable. • Advantages: formal training developmental studies, health promotion/education, and/or project operations

Experience • Minimum four (4) years of progressively responsible work in project operations, including implementing and monitoring/evaluating community-based project activities • Advantages: * experience in communications projects focused on social or behaviour change * experience in development of communications tools, materials, or activities * experience in community mobilization * experience in training facilitation and capacity building * exposure to food, nutrition, or health environment in rural areas * exposure to gender and protection issues at the community level * exposure to issues related to indigenous peoples

Knowledge & Skills • Excellent interpersonal skills, including strong professional communication and facilitation skills • Demonstrative sensitivity to local cultural knowledge, attitude, practices, and beliefs • In-depth knowledge of project management cycle • Strong understanding of the logical framework approach as well as of monitoring, evaluating, reporting, and communication strategies or tools • Strong analytical and writing skills • Ability to work within tight deadlines and manage multiple tasks simultaneously and independently • Proven ability to conceptualize, develop, plan, and manage project activities • Demonstrated leadership and teamwork skills, including good analytical, negotiation, and advocacy skills • Ability to work in a team and establish effective, empathic working relationships with people of different diverse backgrounds and identities • Advanced computer skills with mastery of Windows and Microsoft Office;

Language • Fluency in both oral and written English and Filipino • Advantages: knowledge of local languages (Maguindanao, Hiligaynon)

REMUNERATION PACKAGE

• Approximate monthly salary is a minimum of PHP 49,000++ and a maximum is PHP 61,000++
• Medical coverage that can be extended to eligible dependent/s

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline for applications is on 27 December 2022, Tuesday, 11:59 PM (Manila time). Qualified candidates are required to complete an online candidate profile on UN WFP Careers Website https://www.wfp.org/careers Only applications received on this website are considered valid and will be processed and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.