Consultant (Qualitative Study on BSFP in COVID-19 context)

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Application deadline 3 years ago: Sunday 17 Jan 2021 at 19:14 UTC

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" Qualified FEMALES are preferred and encouraged to apply. "

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

These jobs are found in Headquarters (HQ), Regional Bureaux (RBs) or Country Offices (COs) and job holders report to a more senior Programme Policy Officer. Job holders are likely to be working under the close support and guidance of a more experienced professional staff member receiving guidance and regular feedback on work performed. They are typically involved in programme or policy activities or similar nature and analytical work of limited complexity.

BACKGROUND

Nepal is among the few countries that have demonstrated progress in their nutritional status over the last decade. The 2019 Multi Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) demonstrated that the rate of stunting has reduced from 37.4% in 2014 to 31.5%, while the rate of underweight has reduced from 30.1% in 2014 to 24.3% in 2019. On contrary, the rate of wasting (acute malnutrition) has slightly increased nationally from 11.3% in 2014 to 12.12% in 2019. The Nepal Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2011 and 2016 too indicated that the rates of wasting remained unchanged over years in Nepal, and disproportionately higher in the Terai areas, mainly in Province-2.

The seasonal monsoon flooding and other socio-cultural factors aggravating malnutrition are assumed to contribute for the higher rates of wasting in the Terai areas. Province-2 has one of the poorest nutrition statuses in the country, where the prevalence of wasting is the highest (14.4 %), and the stunting prevalence (37.0%) stands at third position higher than the national average of 35.8% (NDHS 2016.

The nutrition situation in Nepal is further challenged by the COVID 19 pandemic that affected the food system through restricting the availability, access and affordability of fresh and nutritious food, mainly amongst the poor and disadvantaged groups, as well as through limiting access to essential health and nutrition services. Modeled estimates of the impact indicated that disruptions in essential health and nutrition services due to COVID-19 pandemic could contribute for up to 20-50% of child mortality in developing countries, like Nepal.

Despite strong program rationale that the BSFP is a good intervention to prevent malnutrition among children and PLW in the context COVID-19, opportunities, operational challenges and lessons for BSFP implementation in the context of COVID-19 have not been documented. Besides, the lack of quantitative data and the impossibility of collecting anthropometric or household data through face-to-face visits during this pandemic restricts analysis and interpretation of the nutrition program and situation.

Hence, it deemed important to have qualitative information to better understand the intervention needs, priorities, perceptions and operational challenges of implementing BSFP in the context of COVID-19. WFP is therefore, seeking for services of a national independent consultant for qualitative strudy to document operational challenges, opportunities, and values of conducting BSFP in the context of COVID-19.

JOB PURPOSE

To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position Title: Consultant (Qualitative Study on BSFP COVID-19 context)

Contract Type: Special Service Agreement (Consultant)

Grade: SSA-9 (Equivalent to NO-B)

Contract Duration: 4 months

Duty Station: Kathmandu

Post: 1 Position (One)

Nationality: Nepalese ONLY

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the overall guidance of a team of experts from Family Welfare Division, Minstry of Health and Population, and WFP, and direct supervision of WFP's Head of Nutrition, the consultant will carry out the following major tasks.

  1. Develop tools/guides for the qualitative study
  2. Conduct desk reviews of relevant national policy and strategy documents related to emergency nutrition preparedness and response,
  3. Conduct Focus group discussion (FGD) with beneficiaries that recently involved in BSFP, and local level stakeholders in Province-2,
  4. Conduct key Informants Interview (KII) with local level stakeholders in Province-2, including Provincial Government, Health Workers, Female Community Health Volunteers, and Cooperative Partners,
  5. Conduct KII with national level stakeholders including Nutrition Cluster members, FWD and donors, Local Manufacturers of super cereals among others to identify and explore barriers and opportunities
  6. Synthesis data from the desk review and interviews, and produce high quality report, and
  7. Conduct workshops among national level stakeholders to synthesize different viewpoints before finalizing the operational review.
  8. The consultant is also expected to secure ethical clearance from the Nepal Health Research Counsel.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT

(1) Inception Report: to be submitted with five working days of the agreement, and it will be 10 to 15 pages in length and will include the finally agreed the methods, sources and procedures to be used for data collection, timeline of activities and deliverables, and final tools for data collection and analysis.

(2) Draft Final Report of 30-40 pages in length.

(3) A final presentation on methodology and key findings to national stakeholders

(4) Final Evaluation Report, and

(5) Complete raw dataset in electronic format.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: The consultant must have at least Master’s degree in Public Health/Nutrition, Epidemiology, Social Science or other relevant subject.

Language: English and Nepali languages. Knowledge of Maithili language will be a plus.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

  • Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Understands WFP’s Strategic Objectives and the link to own work objectives.
  • Be a force for positive change: Flexibly adapts individual contributions to accommodate changes in direction from supervisors and internal/external changes (such as evolving needs of beneficiaries, new requirements of partners).
  • Make the mission inspiring to our team: Recognizes and shares with team members the ways in which individual contributions relate to WFP’s mission.
  • Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Sets own goals in alignment with WFP’s overall operations, and is able to communicate this link to others.

People

  • Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses to increase self-awareness, and includes these in conversations on own developmental needs.
  • Create an inclusive culture: Participates in open dialogue, and values the diverse opinion of others, regardless of background, culture, experience, or country assignment.
  • Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Proactively seeks feedback and coaching to build confidence, and develop and improve individual skills.
  • Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Participates in accomplishing team activities and goals in the face of challenging circumstances.

Performance

  • Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Shows willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.
  • Focus on getting results: Consistently delivers results within individual scope of work on time, on budget and without errors.
  • Make commitments and make good on commitments: Commits to upholding individual accountabilities and responsibilities in the face of ever-changing country or functional priorities.
  • Be Decisive: Makes rational decisions about individual activities when faced with uncertain circumstances, including in times of ambiguity regarding information or manager direction.

Partnership

  • Connect and share across WFP units: Seeks to understand and adapt to internal or cross-unit teams’ priorities and preferred working styles.
  • Build strong external partnerships: Demonstrates ability to understand and appropriately respond to and/or escalate needs of external partners.
  • Be politically agile & adaptable: Portrays an informed and professional demeanor toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
  • Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Provides operational support on analyses and assessments that quantifies and demonstrates WFP’s unique value as a partner.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Capability Name Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance Demonstrates ability to identify key variables and contextual factors that affect food assistance problems and programmes throughout the lifecycle to inform quality programme design or re-design. 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 capacity to provide inputs into the development, implementation and realignment of high quality emergency programmes. 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.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

Experience: At least five to seven years of recognized experience in conducting/managing evaluations, researches and/ reviews of emergency programmes in Nepal.

Knowledge and Skills:

  • Skills and knowledge of qualitative methodologies.
  • Ability to assess complex situations, conceptualization of operational models, implementation and assessment of innovations. Ability and experience to deliver quality reports within strict deadlines. Proven previous experiences and capabilities will be pre-requisite.
  • Demonstrated ability in report writing and excellent communication skills in English and the local language.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Sunday, 17 January 2021

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Added 3 years ago - Updated 3 years ago - Source: wfp.org