CST Programme Policy Officer (SMP PLUS), Johannesburg, South Africa

Programme & Policy

Overview

Design and manage food assistance programmes effectively.

You have:

• Advanced degree in Agriculture, Food Security, Development Economics, Nutrition, Engineering, Mathematics or relevant field or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training courses.
• At least 6 years relevant experience with menu design for school feeding programmes, data management, communication or innovation.
• Fluency (level C) English. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second UN language is a plus.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook).
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment, excellent writing skills, project management.

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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 to 11 Southern Africa countries including, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Malawi, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville.

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

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

HGSF is a continental priority for the African Union. In 2016, the AU Heads of State and Government passed a landmark decision on Home-Grown School Feeding recognizing the value of HGSF programmes to enhance retention and performance of children in schools, and boost income generation and entrepreneurship in local communities. The Assembly’s Decision reinforced commitment to the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 2016-2025, a regional operationalisation framework for SDG4 which explicitly mentions school feeding as a tool to improve access to education and educational outcomes. The AU has established a HGSF cluster to promote the scale up of this model of school feeding across Africa, and designated March 1 as the Africa Day of School Feeding, with annual high-level celebrations across the continent.

The introduction of these modalities provides new opportunities to optimize the nutrition value while procuring at lower costs from local farmers. In partnership with AUDA and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), WFP aims to roll out a digital optimization tool, the School Meal Planner PLUS (SMP PLUS) which allows to design nutritious, locally sourced, and cost-efficient school menus. The tool has already been rolled in a few countries in Africa, but a full-fledged rollout will allow programmes across the continent to become more affordable, more nutritious, and more locally sourced.

The incumbent will roll out the tool on the continent and collect evidence on the effectiveness and efficiency of the tool in close collaboration with AUDA, PCD and FAO as well as the other WFP colleagues in other regional bureaus.

The School Meal Menu Optimization (SMP PLUS) Officer will report to the Regional School Feeding Officer in the Regional Bureau Johannesburg with technical inputs and guidance from the Global SMP PLUS Project Lead at HQ.

JOB PURPOSE

To design and manage programmes of moderate size or complexity that effectively meet food assistance needs, or contribute to policy formulation and/or provide technical advice or oversight on programme strategy and implementation.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. In liaison with AUDA, transfer knowledge and train Government and WFP Country Office staff on the use of SMP PLUS on the continent as required 2. Act as first line of user support in the early adoption stages the rollout and implementation of SMP PLUS, maintaining regular contact with country users. 3. Document country adoption, identify and document best practices and expansion of the tool across the continent. 4. Facilitate knowledge sharing among countries in Africa and coordinate partnership efforts and work between WFP, PCD, AUDA, FAO and other relevant stakeholders. 5. Oversee coordination of the PCD/AUDA/WFP research study in the design and testing of implementation protocols of the tool. 6. Support RBJ roll-out of activities related to the Regional Implementation Plan and the priority of scaling up Home-grown School Feeding in the region. 7. Identify entry points for the use of SMP PLUS in contributing to WFP’s local and regional food procurement policy and WFP’s Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SAMS) guidance framework. 8. Support COs to identify potential supply-side and market access partnerships for effective pro-smallholder farmers’ food procurement for school feeding interventions. 9. Situate SMP Plus within the range of existing digital solutions related to HGSF and SAMS programme interventions including e-commerce, price monitoring etc. 10. Any other duties as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

SMP PLUS usage mainstreamed on the continent with the adoption of at least 10 countries using SMP PLUS. Government and WFP CO “Focal Points / Specialists” identified and trained to support the sustainability and roll-out of the tool in the region. Roll-out of adoption and expansion of the tool documented and shared with relevant stakeholders and countries. Development of communication materials to increase the uptake and use of the tool. Research study to evaluate the impact of the tool in terms of uptake, efficacy, sustainability, and relevance of the tool conducted and report finalized.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Advanced degree in Agriculture, Food Security, Development Economics, Nutrition, Engineering, Mathematics or relevant field or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training courses.

Experience:

At least 6 years relevant experience with menu design for school feeding programmes, data management, communication or innovation.

Knowledge & Skills:

Proven capacity to produce high quality guidance, training material and written reports. Capacity to present SMP PLUS tool in meetings internally and with partners. Ability to think creatively and strategically, ability to work autonomously Capacity to work in a multi-cultural environment, excellent writing skills, project management Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook) Strong communication skills, both orally and written

Languages:

Fluency (level C) English. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second UN language is a plus.

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 individual tasks and the contributions of 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 recognise 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 priorities to optimize outcomes in light of evolving directives, while also responding quickly in high-pressure environments, such as in emergency settings.

Partnership

• 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 to 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 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..

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The Vacancy Announcement will close on Tuesday, 8th March 2022, 11.59pm SA 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