National Project Personnel - Social Protection & Cash Transfer – (Project Coordinator)

Organizational Setting

FAO has developed a growing portfolio in Pakistan over the past few years in the Anticipatory Action and Shock-Responsive Social Protection (SRSP) area. Anticipatory Action and SRSP are innovative approaches designed to protect families, their lives, well-being, livelihoods and assets ahead of a hazard. Cash transfers have further been identified as key modalities to be implemented through or beside existing Social Protection mechanisms. Acting before a disaster is crucial – it can safeguard lives and livelihoods, build resilience to future shocks, and ease pressure on strained humanitarian resources. This initiative is supported by several resource partners including the European Union, Germany, Belgium, and Sweden.

The Social Protection and Cash Transfer Programme Specialist position is located in the FAO Country Office in Islamabad. The main aim of the Social Protection and Cash Transfer Programme Specialist, overseen and supervised by the Assistant FAO Representative Programmes, is to assist government to develop drought-focused Anticipatory Action Plan (AAP) and lead a consultative process to regularly update and refine the plan. The Organisation’s Anticipatory Action strategy strives to secure sustainable development gains while ensuring that all interventions to support agriculture and food systems are risk-informed and sustainably productive. Additional AAPs will be developed for flood and extreme temperatures in the coming year.

The position will play a leading role in the development and implementation of the FAO Pakistan Resilience Strategy, which aims to integrate Shock Responsive Social Protection (SRSP) actions into FAO’s emergency and resilience programming in support of the Government of Pakistan social safety net scheme. Food crisis contexts require a well-organized, highly prioritized, and well-resourced humanitarian and resilience programme to play a meaningful role in the relevant fora at national, regional and global levels. In short, prevention and mitigation of disasters, whether related to natural hazards, plant and animal pests and diseases, together with being prepared and able to respond when disasters hit, require structured and agile system that is able to carry out effective processes of risk assessment and risk management.

The Specialist will further facilitate coordination between Disaster Management (NDMA/PDMA) and social protection stakeholders (including the unit in charge of the National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER)) as well as relevant Technical Working Groups to provide practical recommendations to link AA and existing SP schemes in Pakistan.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative and Direct supervision of Assistant FAO Representative for Programmes in Pakistan (AFAORP), the Social Protection and Cash Transfer Specialist will function as the Project Coordinator for the project with the support of other National staff in the FAO Sindh and Balochistan programme offices, as well as the FAO Representation in Islamabad. He or she will be responsible for performing the following duties:

Technical Focus

Support the implementation and technical quality of integrating SRSP with Anticipatory Action approaches and activities, including through cash transfer modalities, at the country level in Pakistan.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Social Protection & Cash Transfer Specialist will:

• Identify the main entry points to link the national social protection system to Anticipatory Action
• Carry out a feasibility assessment of the national social protection system aimed at identifying the programmes and elements fit to deliver Anticipatory Action ahead of shocks.
• Manage and deliver capacity development events on shock responsive social protection as a modality to channel anticipatory action.
• Oversee current SP and Cash programming implementation and provide support for reporting and evaluation actions as required.
• Represent FAO at SP and AA specific workshops and events at the national level, ensuring coordination with key development partner and government agencies.
• Oversee assessment of previous AA work undertaken to improve impact on beneficiaries and performance of institutionalization measures.
• Develop a technical roadmap to create key linkages between the national social protection system and Anticipatory Action focusing on creating an enabling environment and support government up-take.
• (including through cash transfers).
• Support efforts to institutionalize SRSP and Anticipatory Action with key government, development and humanitarian partners, including by facilitating policy dialogue.
• Strengthen partnerships and inter-agency efforts on SRSP and Anticipatory Action, linking efforts to appropriate government strategies, policies and departments.
• Support efforts to engage donors and new partners on the SRSP and Anticipatory Action agenda.

Coordinate cash transfer and AA activities

• Provide technical support and leadership to technical working groups focused on DRM, AA and SP programming at national and provincial levels.
• Lead the preparedness, planning, coordination and implementation of cash transfer activities (e.g. Unconditional Cash Transfers, Cash for Work, FAO Cash Modality, etc.) ensuring high operational standards and compliance with FAO rules and regulations;
• Develop and implement a cash preparedness roadmap to ensure that FAO will be ready to deliver cash transfers as per the plan as soon as an AA protocol will be triggered, including but not limited to feasibility assessments, capacity development and training, selection and registration of beneficiaries, selection of modalities and delivery mechanisms, value and frequency of cash transfers, identification and contracting of Service Providers (including Financial Service Providers), etc.
• Explore the feasibility of multiple programmatic and operational options for FAO to deliver cash transfers through the existing Social Protection system, in liaison with regional and headquarters based experts.
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for cash transfers based on AA plan and ensure training (possibly including simulation), awareness and ownership of the various internal and external stakeholders.
• Liaise with and coordinate efforts of relevant internal stakeholders (programme, technical experts, procurement, finance-administration, budget holder, data management, MEAL, etc.) for cash transfer preparedness and implementation.
• Identify and implement recommendations to enhance the timeliness, effectiveness and impact of cash transfer interventions at all phases of the project cycle.
• Participate in and support multi-stakeholder coordination and partnership mechanisms on cash transfer, AA and SRSP, and liaise with key stakeholders (government and humanitarian actors) to ensure complementarity with other sectors/clusters/interventions.
• Share regular information and provide timely reporting on the progress, achievements, impact, cost-effectiveness, and/or challenges and bottlenecks of implementation of cash transfer interventions with recommendations to improve quality, impact and timeliness.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced degree in one or more of the following: social protection, social policy, law, economics, rural development, development studies, humanitarian action or equivalent.
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in the field of social protection and rural development, humanitarian response, including experience in project management, monitoring and evaluation, capacity development including cash and voucher assistance (CVA).
• Knowledge of social protection, cash transfers, humanitarian response, rural development and agriculture context in Pakistan.
• Previous experience in the Cash transfer modality is an asset.
• Good knowledge of English and Urdu is essential
• National of Pakistan

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Demonstrated leadership and self-starting skills;
• Good written communication skills, including in emergency settings;
• Demonstrated ability to analyse problems, make\\ appropriate recommendations, effective decisions, including in emergency settings;
• Strong foundation in programme formulation, planning, implementation, management and evaluation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/