Programme Policy Officer

Volunteering Programme & Policy Admin Crisis & Emergency Response

Overview

Ensure timely allocation of resources to address food insecurity in Ethiopia

You have:

• Demonstrated interest or experience in humanitarian response and programs with knowledge and skills pertaining to evidence-based approach to targeting or prioritizing assistance.
• Skills in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Possess robust analytical and report writing capabilities.

Contract

This is a UNV International Youth contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Youth contracts.

Ethiopia is facing an overlapping humanitarian crisis; due to various hazards, including the conflict induced needs; negative impact of the drought in eastern, south-eastern parts of the country, increase in commodity prices; and floods in the low-lying areas. The humanitarian situation is complex and dynamic, necessitating a coordinated approach to address the diverse needs. WFP utilizes analysis from the seasonal assessments for planning of food distributions in Ethiopia and also conducted regular food security assessments to monitor the food security situation. Some of the food insecure people assisted by WFP includes the drought affected communities in the Somali region, where negative impact of previous drought years contributed to deterioration of the food and nutrition situation, particularly among the pastoralist communities. In Afar and Tigray, WFP is assisting the internally displaced people and returnees, who are facing acute food needs due to the conflict that disrupted livelihoods, including food and income sources.

Through the relief food assistance, WFP is leading on various interventions in the severely food insecure districts in Afar, Somali and Tigray region, where acute food insecure people are being reached through cash and in-kind food assistance. This requires timely planning and allocation of resources to avoid worsening of food and nutrition situation among the vulnerable people, particularly women, children and the internally displaced people. In 2025, WFP is planning to assist 1.34 million people Ethiopia, through emergency food assistance in collaboration with six non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The assisted people are identified through vulnerability-based targeting (VBT) approach, which is led by WFP, and implemented by cooperating partners (CPs).

The Programme Policy Officer, under the overall supervision of Head, Crisis Response and direct supervisor of Head Relief and Refugees, will work with the relief team, to ensure timely allocation of resources to the acute food insecure people in the three regions; and also contribute to monitoring of various parameters that are considered for activation of emergency food response.

Under the direct supervision of Head of Relief, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

● Monitoring of humanitarian needs: • Contribute to WFP’s analysis of humanitarian needs in Ethiopia, focusing on changes in food security situation in vulnerable regions. • Actively participate in preparation of implementation plans for responding to identi-fied food needs; and engage relevant units to ensure readiness to respond to the needs. • Participate in field missions to regions that are affected by various shocks, to con-duct assessments of humanitarian needs.

● Coordinate with cooperating partners, WFP Areas/ Sub Offices: • Participate in coordination engagements with cooperating partners, including ar-ranging monthly meetings, that are held to discuss monitoring findings and plans for cash and in-kind food distributions plans.
• Help in mapping of capacity gaps; and contribute to development of training plans for cooperating partners’ staff. • Assist in arranging meetings with sub offices and areas offices, prepare readouts of the meetings and follow-up on action points.

● Support in developing monthly distribution plans: • Participate in preparation of monthly distributions plans, based on available re-sources (cash and in-kind) and the assistance framework which is based on evi-dence from food security assessments. • Assist in the coordination of area and sub offices activities on their readiness to im-plement food or cash distributions; and follow-up on the with technical units at the Country Office for any support that will be required by the field teams.

● Monthly reconciliation: • Support the team in the reconciliation process of cash and in-kind food resources that are allocated by WFP to partners; and prepare a monthly analysis for discus-sion with management. • Assist in organizing and facilitating regular meetings with area/sub/field offices to discuss findings from reconciliation analysis; and implement corrective measures in collaboration with Area and Sub office focal points. • Help in coordinating reconciliation process, in collaboration with Cooperating Part-ner Management Unit (CPMU) on validation of reports that are submitted in part-ner connect and COMET. • Support in liaising with Supply Chain to validate dataset from dispatches and what is handed over to cooperating partners for distributions. • Contribute to standardization of naming of locations in WFP corporate systems, through implementation of SOPs in collaboration with RAM, Supply Chain and CPMU.

● Pipeline monitoring and reporting: • Assist in monitoring of allocation of resources for distribution which should follow the prioritization approach; and ensure management is alerted in case there con- cerns on any projected shortfalls. • Contribute to regular donor reports that are shared with management for approv-als, including the weekly updates on food distributions.

• Accountability • Adaptability and Flexibility • Building Trust • Commitment and Motivation • Commitment to Continuous Learning • Communication • Creativity • Ethics and Values • Integrity • Knowledge Sharing • Planning and Organizing • Professionalism • Respect for Diversity • Self-Management • Technological Awareness • Working in Teams

Demonstrated interest or experience in

  •    Humanitarian response and programs with knowledge and skills pertaining to people-centred, and evidence-based approach to targeting or prioritizing assistance.
  •    Stakeholders’ engagement and workshop facilitation skills.
  •    Research.

Skills in:

  •    Skills in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
  •    Possess robust analytical and report writing capabilities.     

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia and the African Union and is often called the “African Capital” due to its historical, diplomatic, and political significance for the continent. Located in the foothills of the Entoto Mountains and standing 7,726 feet (2,355 meters) above sea level, it is the third highest capital in the world. It is located in the geographic centre of the country.

Climate: Addis Ababa enjoys a tropical climate. On average, the warmest month is May, and the coolest month is November. August is the wettest month. December is the driest month.

Ethiopia is a multilingual country. More than 80 languages are spoken here, including official languages, foreign languages, and other native languages. Amharic is the principal language spoken in Ethiopia, it is also the official working language.

Ethiopia is a country with great cultural and ethnic diversity. Religion has a significant impact on the daily lives of Ethiopians. Some follow a traditional form of Judaism, while others are predominantly influenced by the Orthodox Church, which has a dominant presence in the country's political, cultural, and social spheres. Muslims are a significant part of the business community and tend to reside in the eastern, southern, and western lowlands, with sizable populations in Addis Ababa as well.

When driving in Ethiopia, remember that vehicles should be left-hand drives, as driving is done on the right-hand side of the road. It's important to drive slowly and defensively and to be vigilant at all times due to the various hazards present on the roads, whether in the city or the countryside.

Currency : The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr. Currency can be exchanged at major banks and most hotels. Street moneychangers are to be avoided. International credit cards are accepted at major hotels and some restaurants and can be used through ATM facilities. Cash payment in Ethiopian Birr is preferred in most shops. You will find an ATM in the WFP Addis Ababa Office.

Foreign Currency Restrictions: The Government of Ethiopia restricts the amount of foreign currency that travellers may bring into and out of Ethiopia. The following regulations are strictly enforced at port of entry, Bole International Airport.

 1.    Non-residents of Ethiopia must declare all foreign currency exceeding the equivalent of $4,000 when entering the country.
2.    Residents of Ethiopia may not hold foreign currency for more than 30 days after declaring it. non-residents may hold foreign currency for the duration of their visa.
3..When departing Ethiopia, non-residents carrying more than the equivalent of $3,000 in foreign currency and residents carrying any amount of foreign currency must 
   produce a valid bank document or foreign currency customs declaration that is less than 30 days old.

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org