Programme Assistant (School Feeding), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh - Service Contract (SB3)

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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 (School Feeding), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Grade: SB3 - L5 Type of contract: Service Contract Duration: One Year (depending upon availbility of funds) Duty Station: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Vacancy Number:167753 Date of Publication:29 June 2022 Deadline of Application: 12 July 2022 This vacancy announcement is for Indian Nationals.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Mode of Engagement: The salary for this position is INR. 685,503/- per annum (depending upon the last drawn remuneration of the candidate), plus medical benefits as per WFP's plan. All tax liability for payments from this contract are to be borne by the subscriber. Qualified candidates will be retained on roster for at least two years and may be considered for future similar vacant posts.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Purpose and Key accountabilities The Programme Assistant under the direct guidance of the Programme Policy Officer (School feeding) and the overall guidance of the Head of the Nutrition and School Feeding will be responsible for the following: Project management:

• Assist in the planning, developing and implementation of various activities and processes of the school feeding portfolio aligned with guidance from WFP and district administration. • Act as a point of contact for resolution of a range of operational queries and problems with the roll out of the school feeding interventions. • Oversee and/or review the work of the WFP contracted field partner, providing practical advice and guidance, to contribute to delivering objectives to agreed standards and deadlines. • Support in organizing and conducting capacity building of the different stakeholders on various project related aspects Monitoring of the project: • Regularly visit the schools to monitor the implementation of the project, identify gaps in implementation and suggest mid-course correction. • Attend the monthly meetings of the WFP field partner and their staff. Documentation and knowledge management: • Support in compilation and identify best practices in the implementation of the project in the different schools for wider dissemination • Prepare monthly reports on the progress of the project at the district level for sharing with all project stakeholders. Coordination: • Coordinate with government counterparts at the district level as need be to facilitate implementation of the project. • Liaise with project stakeholders for timely implementation and speedy resolution of issues identified in the projects. Perform other related duties as required. • WFP is supporting the roll out of the Centrally sponsored scheme on fortified rice in the public distribution system in the adjoining district of Chandauli and the incumbent may be required to travel to Chandauli for monitoring purposes.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: • Completion of secondary school education. A university degree in Nutrition, Public health, Management or Social sciences is preferable.

Experience: • 5 years of progressively responsible 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 at addressing malnutrition at the community level is desirable.

Languages: Fluency in spoken and written English and Hindi; ability to speak in other Indian languages is a plus.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Excellent interpersonal skills required, including strong professionally communication ability; • Advocacy and networking skills with a broad range of stakeholders including government, private sector, civil society, academia, NGO and international cooperation • Knowledge of research methods with familiarity in quantitative and qualitative methods; • Advanced computer skills with proficiency in Windows, Microsoft office; • Knowledge of UN system would be an asset • Knowledge of WFP programmes is an advantage • Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse team of nutrition and food security experts across fourteen countries • 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 oriented • Ability to work under tight deadlines and simultaneously manage multiple tasks in an autonomous 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. • Ability to undertake travel within the country.

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. We want to ensure the recruitment process is fully accessible. Please contact us at [email protected] to advise us of any accessibility needs you may have.

Note: Applicants are requested to Create an account in the system before applying. Curriculum and applications will be registered and system allows them to update their profile and apply for a job through wfp careers website.

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 World Food Programme (WFP), operating in India since 1963, aims to provide technical support to strengthening the government’s food safety-nets programmes in order to improve access to nutritious food for millions of vulnerable households throughout the country. Through its Country Strategic Plan (2019-2023), WFP India aims to support India in achieving their targets under Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17. Strategic Outcome (SO) 2 of WFP’s current CSP (2019-2023) is aimed at reducing all forms of malnutrition in India, To facilitate India’s progress on the SDGs, WFP focusses on enhancing the systemic efficiency and nutritional effectiveness of the various food-based safety nets, in support of the efforts of the Government of India and in partnership with the State governments. In line with same, the mid-day meal scheme is an important area of attention for WFP in India. Further in view of WFP expertise and global experience in the area of School feeding, WFP India is in the process of finalizing collaborations with States with WFP presence for roll out of dedicated school feeding portfolios.

WFP Collaboration with the Mid-day meal Authority and the District administration in Uttar Pradesh Aligned to this overarching vision around school meals, WFP has collaborated with the Mid-day meal Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh and the district administration in Varanasi to roll out a school feeding portfolio consisting of the below mentioned interventions with the objective of bringing in innovation and quality in the implementation of the MDM with scope for scaling up to other districts in the State. The interventions to be implemented include: • Sustaining rice fortification operations including distribution and consumption of fortified rice in the schools • Setting up Nutri-gardens in the schools to bring in diversity to the Mid-day meals consumed. • Capacity building of the cook cum helpers on food safety and kitchen hygiene through innovative approaches. • Social behaviour change communication aimed at improving nutritional practices amongst school children The above activities are/ will be implemented through a combination of technical assistance and on ground pilot projects in Varanasi. To support on ground implementation of the above-mentioned interventions, WFP will position a Programme Assistant in Varanasi.

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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.