Programme Assistant (Resilient Livelihoods), Service Contract, L5, Ganjam, Odisha

WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity and disability.

VACANCY DETAILS

Job Title: Programme Assistant (Resilient Livelihoods)

Grade: Level 5

Type of Contract: Service Contract

Duration: 1 Year (with possible renewable)

Duty Station: Ganjam, Odisha

Date of Publication: 04 March 2024

Deadline of Application: 18 March 2024

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This vacancy is open to Indian National only This vacancy is open to internal and external candidates. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted A Written test will be used for Screening Candidates Only recommended candidates will be retained on roaster for a period of two years and may be considered for similar positions from roaster The Base Salary for this position is INR 63,521/- per month + 8.33% of Base Salary towards Social Security also employee will be covered with medical benefits as per WFP 's Plan. All Tax liability for payments from this contract are to be borne by the subscriber.

JOB PURPOSE:

The position is responsible for the co-ordination and ground level implementation of the project Enabling socio-economic empowerment and resilience of smallholder women farmers and their collectives for sustainable household food and nutrition security in Odisha at the district level.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (Not all inclusive)

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Sub-Office, Odisha, and overall supervision of Head of Unit (Resilient Food Systems, Climate Change and DRR), the position will be responsible for the following key functions-

Project Management and Implementation

• Assist in preparing a quarterly work plan in consultation with all stakeholders, project implementing partners, WFP Field Office and Country Office.
• Assist in planning, developing and be responsible for implementing various activities and processes for the project interventions aligned with guidance from WFP and the State Government.
• Assist in organizing events related to the project in the district.
• Act as a point of contact for resolution of a range of operational queries and problems and escalate issues to the WFP team in the Sub-office and the Country Office as required.
• Support in overseeing and/or reviewing the work of the project partners, financial institutions, farmer collectives and SHGs by facilitating coordination and providing practical advice to ensure delivering project outcomes and deadlines.
• Support in organizing and conducting capacity building of the different stakeholders on various project related activities.

Monitoring of the project

• Regular visits to the selected blocks, villages and farmers to monitor the implementation of the project, identify gaps in implementation and suggest/take corrective actions.
• Regular visits to the KVK, block and district officials to update on the project, seek support and monitor the procurement of raw material, processing and marketing.
• Organize monthly review meetings of key implementing entities the key government departments, involved FPOs, SHG’s, district and block officials keeping the district collector informed on regular basis.
• Ensure update of information in the project web-portals and dashboards.
• Report to WFP Field Office and Country Office and prepare draft periodic/final reports.

Documentation and knowledge management

• Prepare monthly reports on the progress of the project at the district/ block levels for sharing with all project stakeholders.
• Support in compilation and identification of good practices, case stories in the implementation of the project in the different villages for wider dissemination.
• Support to the development of communication and IEC materials.

Coordination

• Coordinate with government counterparts at the district/ block levels to facilitate implementation, address challenges and seek solutions to ensure project is on track.
• Liaise with project stakeholders, State and Country Office technical units for timely implementation, seeking technical inputs and speedy resolution of issues identified in the projects.
• Liaise with other relevant projects of the govt and supported by WFP for stronger linkages and sustainability.
• Perform other related duties as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Completion of secondary school education. A university degree in Agriculture, Rural Development, Sustainable development, or social sciences or any relevant field is preferable.

EXPERIENCE

Minimum Five years of relevant work experience preferably in the development sector in partnership with the government/UN agency/INGO. Experience on supporting the implementation of projects or working on projects targeted towards climate smart rural solutions, resilient livelihoods, climate adaptation, rural development, women empowerment, and community mobilization.

LANGUAGE

Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Odia is essential

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

• Experience in implementation of plans and activities with NGOs, UN agencies or with governmental institutions.
• Good understanding climate issues and its impacts on agri-food systems, working with SHG’s and their capacity building, knowledge of related Government programmes and policies, potential use of renewable energy and other livelihood strategies.
• Good computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Knowledge of UN and the Government system would be an asset.
• Knowledge and relevant implementation experience in Odisha are an added advantage.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse team of supply chain and food security, environment and climate resilience, livelihoods, gender and nutrition experts across India.
• Tact and diplomacy.

Critical success factors

• Ability to engage effectively with a wide range of actors from government, private sector and civil society.
• Very strong communications skills, both in writing and speaking.
• Solid planning and problem-solving skills and action orientation.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines and simultaneously manage multiple tasks in an independent but consultative manner.
• Maturity, initiative, courtesy, tact and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to handle any other additional tasks as requested by the supervisor.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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.

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

The WFP is the largest humanitarian organization delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. WFP's policy on Climate Change commits it to preventing acute hunger and investing in climate action- at both government and community levels- aligned to the international frameworks including Paris Agreement and disaster risk reduction adopted in Sendai, Japan, in 2015.

WFP India's Country Strategic Plan (CSP, 2023-2027) outlines its commitments to contribute to the efforts of Indian government in achieving their targets under SDG 2 and connected SDGs 5, 13 and 17. WFP works with a variety of State and Central Ministries to take this agenda forward. Realizing India's growing willingness and potential to provide technical support in the area of building resilience for sustainable food and nutrition security, CSP’ Strategic Outcome 4 (SO4) focuses on strengthening adaptive capacities, climate resilient food systems and livelihoods with following two main outputs:

• Stakeholders at national and state levels have strengthened capacities to address food security and nutrition issues in disaster and climate-response mechanisms.
• National climate response mechanisms are strengthened to improve community-level resilience and adaptation to natural shocks and other climate events.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Enabling socio-economic empowerment and resilience of small-holder women farmers and their collectives for sustainable household food and nutrition security in Odisha is a new project supported by WFP in partnership with Odisha state government. The project aims to build capacity of and empower smallholder farmers, women farmers/their collectives, enhance their incomes across sectors and build resilience to climate change in agriculture, livelihoods, leading to improved household food and nutrition security.

The specific objective of this project is to

• Establish models to improve access to climate information and support informed decision making for women smallholder farmers’, SHGs and farmer producer organizations in Odisha and to build their capacities for resilient alternative cropping and livelihoods, leading to greater resilience and increase incomes.

The project will target smallholder farmers particularly women in the Ganjam district of Odisha. One of the focus areas of the project will be building capacities of women small holders to use solar technology for drying horticulture produce and its marketing. The project will be implemented in one district of the state with the aim to establish a scalable model that can be replicated to other districts.

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.