Programme Associate SC7 (H2Grow Platform Manager)

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WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

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.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger by delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

In the Eastern African region, the Kenya Country Office and its operational context offers optimal potential for using innovative solutions to improve food assistance programmes and support capacity strengthening. Designing, piloting, implementing, and scaling new ideas lies at the heart of WFP Kenya.

In Kenya, about 2% of food consumed in urban or peri-urban areas is from own production. This makes especially the low-income urban population highly dependent on purchased food and vulnerable to hikes in food prices and disruptions to food distribution chains. H2Grow is a WFP initiative that offers a solution by bringing locally adaptable and affordable hydroponic solutions to communities around the world to enable them grown their own food; this initiative was successfully piloted in Kenya in 2019.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT (cont)

The goal now is to sustainably scale hydroponics for urban food production in Kenya and within other geographies of WFP through strong partners and easily scalable training approaches as integrated within the H2Grow platform, a digital space bringing together the global community of practitioners and technical experts to promote scale and advocate for the technique, and to build a global alliance of partners. Also embedded within the platform is the H2Grow Hydro App which enables remote training and follow-up support for hydroponic farmers, champions, and government extension workers in the project at large scale.

In response to these needs and opportunities, WFP Kenya is opening a position for a Programme Associate (H2Grow Platform Manager), with the key objective to manage the digital H2Grow Platform, including the local and global community of practice, visual design and field testing of trainings, leading the roll-out of the Hydro App in Kenya as well as replicating the roll-out in other countries.

JOB PURPOSE

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Innovation, the Programme Associate (H2Grow Platform Manager) will manage the H2Grow Community, Hydro App roll-out and support the scaling of hydroponics in Kenya as required. The role will furthermore be part of the Global H2Grow team and regularly collaborate and coordinate with the Global H2Grow Project Lead and the WFP Innovation Accelerator.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Manage roll-out of Hydro App and operations support on hydroponics in Kenya

• Design, Plan and implement the roll-out of the HydroApp in Kenya targeting hydroponics farmers, trainers, and extension workers.
• Collaborate with other business units in Kenya Country Office to identify potential cross-cutting training content.
• Support Hydroponics operations in Kenya, through creating training content to enable beneficiaries to replicate their own hydroponics systems using upcycled materials, support on user testing in Kenya and beneficiary selection as well as follow-up with implementing partners to ensure strong delivery of the project.
• Create and design new visual training content for each context and adapt existing content including field testing and iterative design approaches to effectively build capacity and skills of beneficiaries.
• Roll-out Hydro App in other WFP country offices leveraging learnings from Kenya.
• Ensure that all aspects of the Hydro App as well as the H2Grow Platform are in alignment with key stakeholders within the organizations as well as WFP guidelines and internal processes.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (cont.)

Manage H2Grow Community of Practice

• Identify and onboard key hydroponics private sector and non-profit partners in Kenya and East Africa and support consultations to better understand their challenges, needs and recommend potential solutions.
• Responsible for visual design, adaptations, overall management, and administration of the H2Grow Platform.
• Drive strong and impactful community that currently includes representatives from more than 45 different organizations. This will include actively seeking out and onboarding new engaged members, leading monthly virtual community events, and driving and delivering on user generated contributions in each topic.
• Finalize content packages and collect case studies from the field, that make H2Grow’s approach easily replicable, allowing external entities successfully start hydroponics projects.
• Develop recommendations and strategy for long-term vision and long-term ownership of the H2Grow Platform.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (cont.)

• Build strong partnerships and create organizational alignment by ensuring linkages between CO and the Central Innovation and Knowledge Management function at WFP, INKA.
• Support analysis & content preparation on H2Grow (data on projects, PowerPoint presentations, briefs, etc.) for corporate priority topics and management meetings.
• Support visibility of the project through coordinating with relevant Communications Teams to produce blogs, media outputs or other events.
• Support project advocacy efforts with key donors, private partners and interested investors and identify opportunities for future collaboration.
• Support Hydroponics operations in Kenya and execute any other task as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT

• Successful roll out of Hydro App in Kenya, creation, and field testing of training content as well as operational support to scale hydroponics as required.
• A successful onboarding of key partners within the East African hydroponics ecosystem to the H2Grow Community of Practice. Support to other WFP Country Offices rolling out Hydro App replicating learnings from Kenya.
• A successful management of the H2Grow Platform and Community of Practice and delivery of monthly community events to collect and create good practices and case studies.
• Well maintained relationships with current and identified potential partners.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Completion of secondary school education. A Bachelor’s degree in visual communication or graphic design or relevant field or a master’s degree is a plus.

Experience: At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the humanitarian or international development sector.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Kiswahili

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Coaches team in the most effective ways to communicate WFP’s Strategic Objectives to WFP team and partners in the field.
• Be a force for positive change: Implements new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team: Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in beneficiary communities to showcase positive impact.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Explains to teammates how each unit contributes to the overall WFP mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Identifies skill development opportunities such as training modules or on-the-job experiences for self, colleagues and direct reports.
• Create an inclusive culture: Facilitates team building activities to build rapport in own unit.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Facilitates the pairing of junior colleagues with coaches within own team.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Proactively anticipates potential challenges and develops mitigation plans to ensure that team meets goals and targets.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Identifies opportunities to be creative in own work and to help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work.
• Focus on getting results: Monitors team’s deliverables and provides feedback to ensure outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments: Provides accurate guidance to team on expected responsibilities and tasks, whilst also upholding own commitment to the team.
• Be Decisive: Sets an example and provides guidance to junior team members on when to escalate issues when faced with challenging issues in the workplace or in the field.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Facilitates partnerships with other WFP units to accomplish missions in the field.
• Build strong external partnerships: Sets an example and provides guidance to team on how to build relationships with external partners.
• Be politically agile & adaptable: Articulates to colleagues or direct reports the value of contributing to other WFP teams and agency partnerships in fulfilling WFP’s goals and objectives.
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Organizes, monitors, and prioritizes own and team’s efforts to ensure that they will fulfil the needs of internal and external partners.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Capability Name Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance Demonstrates ability to identify key variables and contextual factors that affect food assistance problems and programmes throughout the lifecycle to inform quality programme design or re-design. Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Vouchers) 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 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 capacity to provide inputs into the development, implementation and realignment of high quality emergency programmes. Strategic Policy Engagement w/Government Understands and applies basic principles of engagement with government counterparts at the national or local level.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Strong graphic design skills and experience or passion for e-learning and community development.
• Passion and understanding of technology innovations (e.g. mobile apps, blockchain, artificial intelligence) and business model innovations (e.g. innovative finance, sharing economy);
• Experience in innovation project life cycle - from ideation, minimum viable product, testing, prototyping and implementation.
• Worked or led cross-functionally and uses hands on approaches to achieve goals and within set timeframes;
• Experience working in a large scale-organization or with a client/in partnership with a large-scale organization;
• Proven track record of driving projects - effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in a fast-moving environment, ideally for new businesses, new business models, start-ups etc.;
• Able to generate new and original solutions to complex problems and to design new products ideas;
• Strong conceptual thinking to develop new strategies & innovative projects;
• Able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders and external audience with maturity and tact;

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS (cont)

• Excellent communication/presentation skills, with the ability to write strategy documents, to develop business plans and to write and deliver presentations;
• Collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy;
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy;
• Sets high-level of ambition for the project and own work to achieve impact for the hungry people we serve;
• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• 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.
• Applicant's profile MUST match the C.V attached. Any discrepancies may lead to automatic disqualification.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline to receive applications for this position is 4 October 2021

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Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

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.