Internal to UN - Programme Policy Officer (Naconek Climate), NOB, Nairobi

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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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Job holders operate with a high degree of independence, manage more junior staff to ensure that programme and policy objectives are achieved in full. They are usually involved in a wide variety of programme and policy activities and analytical work, some of which may be of a considerable complexity. At this level job holders are expected to contribute to performance improvement.

JOB PURPOSE

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

The candidate will be seconded on behalf of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK) to advise Government on climate action in the context of school feeding and government’s roadmap to scale up the national school feeding programme from 2.3 million children to 10 million children by 2030 and introduce a new climate-friendly approach to home-grown school feeding.

This new climate-friendly approach aims to enhance the number of learners in schools through access to school meals, while cushioning Kenya’s communities in arid and semi-arid lands from the adverse effects of climate change to build their resilience. It will promote local procurement of food for school meals from smallholder farmers, the uptake of drought-resistant crops and climate-smart agricultural practices, the adoption of green energy solutions for school infrastructure and school kitchens, among others.

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

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority)

• Provide advisory support to the Ministry of Education and NACONEK on climate-specific issues to inform Kenya’ climate-smart approach to school feeding, as part of the scale-up of Kenya’s national school meals programme, in coordination with WFP Kenya’s Coordinator on School Meals Programmes and guidance from WFP Kenya’s Head of Country Capacity Strengthening.
• Identify climate risks, as well as opportunities for integrating climate action into the design of Kenya’s programmes on school feeding. This will include consultations and advisory support in the areas of home-grown school feeding, local procurement, promotion of drought-resilient crops through menu selection, green energy solutions for school infrastructure and kitchens. Specific Climate-specific expertise will be needed in terms of climate mitigation, adaptation, and climate financing.
• Identify and explore opportunities for resource mobilization to support Kenya’s roll-out of their climate-friendly approach to school feeding through climate financing options.
• Contribute towards the development of Government’s projects, plans, and processes for the roll-out of the national school meals programme and climate-friendly approach to school feeding as a key pillar of that, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidance.
• Provide project management support to specific and defined programmes and projects of considerable size/complexity, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.

• Develop and coordinate data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained. This will include the integration of climate-sensitive indicators in the M&E toolkit to ensure that climate-related matters are tracked and taken into account for future programme steering decisions.

• Research and analyze a range of policy and operational issues to inform the development of policies, programmes, and activities. This includes ensuring that policy analysis as well as operational issues in school feeding are sensitive to climate context in Kenya and appropriate measures are integrated into the reports, plans and programmes within the SF space.

• Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on Kenya’s school meals programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders. This includes making sure that agreed climate indicators and processes are tracked and reported on in various SF reports.
• Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing projects, and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
• Support the identification, development, and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to enhanced support for Kenya’s scale-up of their national school feeding programme. This includes conducting a mapping of critical stakeholders in climate sector to enhance partnerships and synergies.
• Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners, and national government to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, e.g., through providing inputs into training materials.
• Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with analysis and queries.
• Engagement in regular consultation meetings and task forces to inform Kenya’s roll-out of climate-friendly school feeding programme.
• Other as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

• Three (3) years post graduate relevant professional experience with Master’s degree in Environmental Management, Climate Change, Environment and Development, or International Development and Politics.

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Five (5) years post graduate relevant professional experience with a first university degree in Environmental Management, Climate Change, Environment and Development, or International Development and Politics.

• Experience in working with governments and international development and humanitarian organizations in a technical advisor function.
• Demonstrated leadership in implementing programmes.
• Demonstrated experience in providing advisory support to governments or development partners on issues of climate action and climate mainstreaming in development policies and programmes, food systems and safety nets.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Has deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams.
• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.
• In-depth understanding on school feeding and safety nets and their impact on addressing vulnerabilities and issues of food security and nutrition.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written English.

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.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Type of Contract: Fixed Term

Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya

Contract Duration: 1 year with possibility of extension

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• The World Food Programme DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS.
• WFP embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that celebrates diversity and inclusivity in all ways. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications and merit.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications for this position will close at 11:59 p.m. (East African Time) on 4th December 2023.

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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.