CST Programme Policy Officer (Head of Programme), (11 months contract) Windhoek, Namibia

Programme & Policy

Overview

Design and manage transformative programmes in Namibia.

You have:

• Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance.
• At least six years senior programme leadership experience in planning, designing, delivering, monitoring, evaluating and contributing to resource mobilization of both urban and rural transformation programmes.

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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, physical or mental 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 end global hunger. 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.

In emergencies, WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After an emergency, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives. Present in nearly 80 countries, the organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to nutritious food and contribute to the lasting solutions, especially in many of the world’s most remote and fragile areas. We manage an operating budget of approximately $5.9 billion each year, distributing 12.6 billion rations to those most in need. We reach an average of 80 million people with food assistance in around 80 countries each year. The World Food Programme office in Johannesburg is a Regional Office coordinating and supporting the delivery of humanitarian assistance and providing technical support to 12 Southern Africa countries including, Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For more on WFP and what we do, please go to http://www.wfp.org/videos/zero-hunger

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

This role is based in Windhoek, Namibia with a critical responsibility for national and grassroot level community engagement. The job holder will manage a complex portfolio of activities that includes a catalytic role in the in Namibia’s rural transformation, enabling infrastructure for food systems and human capital development. The World Food Programme’s portfolio in Namibia seeks to enhance private sector engagement to contribute to economy-wide priorities including structural transformation of the agriculture and other ancillary and supporting sectors, increase agriculture and related exports and improve opportunities for increased foreign direct investment and investment into the economy, create an enabling environment for adoption and use of technological and scientific data-driven innovation; ensure the deepening of governance and institutional structures and processes; ensure continued and improved macroeconomic stability; deepen financial and capital system development, promote individual savings and investments, fight inequality, improve education and strengthen infrastructural development.

JOB PURPOSE

To design and manage programmes aligned to the National and Regional priorities of Namibia to effectively enable sustainable transformation, contribute to policy formulation, provide technical advice, and manage oversight on programme strategy and implementation.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Formulate substantial parts of WFP-wide programme policies in line with both organizational strategy and the practical realities of operating in the field; or translate WFP-wide programme policy into Regional/Country level practices, programme guidance and implementation modalities and operations, to ensure a clear and strong connection between HQ and field operations.

2. Provide advice and support to COs delivering a complex portfolio of programmes to clarify ambiguities and ensure that policy and programme operations are consistent with WFP policies, Executive Board decisions, and other relevant guidance.

3. Provide technical advice or mobilise technical expertise areas of rural transformation and on a wide range of programme and policy issues, evidence generation and analysis, the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities and appropriate practices to support rural communities, the deployment and testing of innovative approaches and the development of strategies to support government efforts to enable a sustainable and transformed food system.

4. Assist senior stakeholders of governments and other partners in identifying where food assistance can be usefully employed and provide support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation, and implementation of food assistance programmes to strengthen government and community ownership and effectiveness of food security and nutrition programmes at national and sub-national levels.

5. Develop operational partnerships and maintain established strategic partnerships to identify opportunities for collaborative approaches and initiatives that improve assistance packages and support advocacy work.

6. Enhance WFP’s leadership status in different forums on subjects related to food security, nutrition, livelihoods, resilience, engagement in humanitarian, transition and development contexts and other related issues through direct participation, briefings, information products and other materials.

7. Manage the monitoring of results, progress, change and operational research and evidence building on issues relevant to sustainable food systems.

8. Ensure quality preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports, publications, and a variety of information products or proposals for internal or external use.

9. Provide leadership to the Programme team to inform advocacy of WFP’s and Government’s programmes, including clearly articulating the need to address the stagnation of small holder farmers and related programme opportunities, and follow up on the resource situation of projects including access to markets and cash.

10. Demonstrate leadership capability by enabling mentorship to grow the individual and team capacity to deliver results that illustrate WFP’s culture of Commitment, Humanity, Collaboration, Integrity, and Inclusion while supporting the development of functional training in areas of expertise to enhance the capacity of WFP staff and stakeholders to design and deliver programmes that are driven by efficiency and effectiveness of results.

11. Lead, motivate, measure, and develop a substantive team to enable high performance.

12. Ensure the best use of assigned financial resources for achievement of set objectives within a significant budget.

13. Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of work, to ensure equal participation of women and men.

14. Enable respective team members to feel cared for with a sense of belonging through staff wellness initiatives.

15. Contribute to Country Office preparedness and response mapping with early warning, risk analysis, and contingency planning to respond to humanitarian crises and needs while building resilience.

16. Other tasks as required from time to time.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose:

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Utilizes understanding of WFP’s Strategic Objectives to communicate linkages to team objectives and work.
• Be a force for positive change: Proactively identifies and develops new methods or improvements for self and immediate team to address work challenges within own work area.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team: Identifies opportunities to further align individual contributions with WFP's mission of making an impact on local communities.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Helps colleagues to see the link between their unit’s goals to the broader context of WFP’s mission.

People:

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Is able to identify, support and encourage focused on-the-job learning opportunities to address gaps between current skillsets and needed future skillsets for WFP.
• Create an inclusive culture: Recognizes the contributions of teammates, and encourages contributions from culturally different team mates to recognize the value of diversity above and beyond just including it in programming for beneficiaries.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Provides and solicits ongoing constructive feedback on strengths and development opportunities to help develop individual skills, whilst also helping others identify areas for improvement.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Sets clear targets for self and others to focus team efforts in ambiguous situations (e.g., unprecedented issues and/or scenarios).

Performance:

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Thinks beyond team’s conventional approaches to formulate creative methods for delivering food aid and assistance to beneficiaries.
• Focus on getting results: Maintains focus on achieving individual results in the face of obstacles such as volatile or fragile environments and/or organizational roadblocks.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments: Takes personal accountability for upholding and delivering upon team’s commitments and provides assurance to stakeholders.
• Be Decisive: Demonstrates ability to adjust to team’s plans and properties to optimize outcomes in light of evolving directives, while also responding quickly in high-pressure environments, such as in emergency settings.

Partnerships:

• Connect and share across WFP units: Demonstrates an understanding of when and how to tactfully engage other units in conversations on impact, timing, or planning.
• Build strong external partnerships: Networks regularly with key external partners using formal and informal opportunities to understand each partner’s unique value proposition, and to build and strengthen relationships.
• Be politically agile & adaptable: Demonstrates ability to adapt engagement approach in the context of evolving partner circumstances and expectations.
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Demonstrates ability to articulate internal and external audiences the value that individual contributions and immediate teams bring to partnerships.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Capability Name Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level Programme Lifecyle & 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 tool.

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 incorporate technical information into programme design and implementation and appropriately communicate it internally and externally. Emergency Programming Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict sitautions into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches. Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government Demonstrates the ability to engage key stakeholders (e.g., WFP units, external partners) in policy dialogue to strengthen national government food and nutrition security strategies and programmes.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience:

At least six years senior programme leadership experience in planning, designing, delivering, monitoring, evaluating and contributing to resource mobilization of both urban and rural transformation programmes.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

This Vacancy Announcement will close on Thursday, 31 March 2022 at 11:59pm Johannesburg time

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All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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.

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Potential interview questions

Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: wfp.org