International Consultat - Programme Policy Officer

Qualified women and people living with a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.

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, disability.

Job Title & Grade: Programme Policy Officer

Type of Contract: International Consultant level II

Unit/Div: RBJ/DRC

Duty Station: Kalemie

Duration: 11 months

_______________________________________________________________

Background and Purpose of the Assignment

Background:

Based in Tanganyika Province, Kalemie Area Office is one of the 5 Area Offices of the World Food Programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2021, Kalemie Area office reached 1,4 million people through several activities (general food distribution, cash-based transfer, nutrition treatment and prevention, school meals). In 2022, the plan is to reach 1,7 million beneficiaries. Currently, 13 FLAs have been signed with various cooperating partners covering the following programmatic areas: Unconditional resources transfer, Nutrition, School meals, Resilience and beneficiaries’ targeting. The area office has four (4) field offices reporting to it, with almost 100 staff.

The area office is considered as the “hub of programmatic innovation” in the DRC as several initiatives are being implemented. In 2022, in addition to the traditional activities, the area office will focus on the triple nexus joint programming which will require continuous coordination with Government bodies and UN agencies such as FAO, UNICEF, UNHCR and UNFPA.

The Job holder will be a vastly experienced professional serving as the head of programme and in the same capacity act as deputy head of area office, and head of innovations for the area office and will report to the Head of Kalemie Area Office. The role will also be accountable for the quality of programme operations in the field offices: Lubumbashi, Pweto Kabalo and Nuynzu field offices Programme unit.

Job Purpose:

To lead and manage the Programme Unit in Kalemie Area Office and to ensure the effective and efficient planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of WFP DRC’s Country Strategic Plan in the Area Office****. This includes but is not limited to management of resources including commodities, staff and equipment; managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders; leading implementation of existing activities and innovation to address recurrent and emergent challenges.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Area Office, Kalemie based Head of Programme will assume the following responsibilities and tasks, with local governments, UN agencies and other partners in the area to reinforce WFP’s visibility.

Accountabilities

Deliverable 1: Leading the operationalization of the WFP DRC Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2022-2024 in Kalemie Area Office.

1. Collaborate with governments and other partners in identifying where food assistance can be usefully deployed at the local level and provide support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation and implementation of food assistance programmes, including advice on the context-specific transfer modalities (food, cash or vouchers);
2. Participate in Area Office (Lubumbashi, Kalemie, Kabalo, Nyunzu) Annual Work Plan elaboration and it’s mid & end-year review processes; and derive and update a Programme Unit specific Annual Work Plan from the overall Area Office Work plan.
3. Develop and follow up the implementation of projects and activities: General Food Distributions (IDPs / Victims of natural disasters…); Nutrition; School Feeding; FFA; Cash Based Transfer
4. Forge and nurture external partnerships to improve assistance packages and support complementary strategies; identify potential areas for collaborative approaches and initiatives;
5. Maintain regular meetings with partners to encourage fluid communication and address any operational challenges as quickly as possible;
6. Contribute to resources mobilizations efforts for WFP projects, including clearly articulating the need for food assistance and related programme opportunities, and follow up on the resource situation of projects including commodity and cash availability, seeking advice from senior colleagues where necessary;
7. Represent WFP in different clusters and forum on food assistance;
8. Find complementary strategic partnerships with other UN agencies;

9. Mobilize resources in partnership with the country office by preparing and submit WFP projects to different funding mechanisms (Pooled Fund, CERF, etc…)

   Deliverable 2****: Serve as Head of Programme for Kalemie Area Office, providing technical guidance to the Area Office and it’s sub-offices.

10. Support promotion and deployment of WFP’s corporate/CO initiatives, strategies and directions including but not limited to humanitarian, development and peace nexus, scale up of digital registration and management of beneficiaries, and implementation of cash-based transfers where suitable.

11. Participate in and provide technical support to the Area Office (Lubumbashi, Kalemie, Kabalo, Nyunzu) operations’ planning, distributions, monitoring and evaluation undertakings, for on-going and and/or emergency response tasks.
12. Plan the utilization of WFP available resources;
    1. Set up distribution plans and ensure that food commodities are delivered and distributed to the intended targeted beneficiaries, in line with specific Programmes, and within the set timeframe.
    2. b. Assign tasks to the Program Unit staff members, considering the Office’s operational needs and individual capabilities.
    3. C. Prepare NFIs distribution plans, in accordance with CPs’ requisitions and monitor deliveries with Supply Chain Unit.
13. Conduct regular meetings with supply chain to assets the pipeline situation, the calls forwards and coordinate on issues related to timely food deliveries to CP and in accordance with the requirements.
14. Prepare and negotiate FLAs with partners, including budgets and staff cost on the basis of WFP cost and present the projects deemed relevant and achievable to the LPRC.
15. Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners, and national government to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs e.g through project management support of learning initiatives. Lead, motivate and develop a team of staff to enable high performance
16. Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders: a. ACR; b. Monthly Result Reports (MRR); c. Monthly Stocks Movements (MST); d. Briefing Kits
17. Ensure continuous liaison with bilateral food Assistance programmes, with UN agencies and with NGOs providing technical or other forms of assistance to WFP assisted projects:

18. Perform other system-based operational tasks: including WINGS, COMET, release of SES and SOA, etc. and ensure end-to-end quality of operational and financial information.

    Deliverable 3****: Provide operational inputs in country, regional and global level planning and contribute to documentation and dissemination and use of lessons learned.

19. Contribute to the development of Country strategies, policies and programmes to ensure that local needs and contingency plans inform country-wide planning

20. Contribute to Country Office Emergency Preparedness i.e. early warning, risk analysis, and contingency planning in order to respond to humanitarian crises and needs.
21. Evaluate food needs in emergency situation and assist the Area Office in establishing timely response plans and monitor their subsequent implementation.
22. Develop and coordinate data gathering and monitoring systems and conduct timely monitoring and evaluation activities.
23. Hold accountability and/or prepare accurate and comprehensive analysis and reports on WFP operations and performance with regular and timely submission for Kalemie Area Office, review to identify programme support requirements and inform operational planning and decisions.
24. Manage operational research and evidence building on issues relevant to food assistance.
25. Any other tasks as required by the Area Office or Country Office Management.

Other additional deliverables:

26. Lead implementation of audit and evaluations and other operational research in the area office
27. Track and ensure implementation of recommendations that have been accepted by the area office
28. Lead collaboration with the local university to ensure joint initiatives to augment staffing capacity
29. Lead the implementation of special projects linked to gaps created due to the departure of MUNOSCO and ensure that WFP takes a leadership role implementation of the triple nexus in the provinces of Tanganyika and Haut Katanga.
30. Ensure implementation of improvement plan as required by WFP’s biggest donor, the USAID BHA, including design and implementation of a new system for escalating and visualizing issues by risk level.

Qualifications

Qualified candidate would have strong skills in operational leadership, programme and project management. An operational and emergency background in a relevant discipline and hands-on work in WFP L3 emergencies is desired. Moreover, the candidate needs to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and be able to develop and maintain effective work relationships. We require a candidate with a particular interest in humanitarian assistance and sustainable development, and willing to be based in Kalemie, Tanganyinka Province with local and international travel when required. Experience with WFP in DRC is an asset.

Standard minimum academic qualifications:

Education:

Advanced University degree in public health, social sciences, statistics, development economics, performance management, monitoring and evaluation or other related fields, or First University degree with additional years of relevant work experience and/or training/courses. Knowledge of WFP work would be considered an asset.

Experience:

10 years of relevant work experience, including programme and project management, designing and managing emergency and development projects and field operations in a developing country. Deeply passionate about humanitarian assistance and international development; A good understanding of how to mainstream gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as protection and accountability to affected persons into programme activities; Strong critical thinking skills; Familiarity with Sustainable Development goals and indicators and targets a definite advantage, as would be previous work experience with WFP or the UN in operations.

Language:

Proficiency (Level C) in English and French. Ability to draft professional reports and guidance documents without the need for additional editing before publishing.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

12/07/2022

Réf.: VA 168201

Kindly note the only documents you need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time.

For candidates who experience problems accessing WFP E-recruitment platform and need accommodations in applying, please contact [email protected] mentioning the VA number in the subject line.

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.