Programme Policy Officer (Cooperating Partners Management ) NOA - Kabul

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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. 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.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position Title: Programme Policy Officer - Cooperating Partners Management Grade: NOA Contract: Fixed Term Duration: One Year, with possible extension Unit: Programme Policy Duty Stations: Kabul, Afghanistan

Salary: Competitive remuneration package Medical Plan: International valid medical plan valid also for staff, spouse and dependents children under 18 years

WFP Work Environment WFP is committed to ensuring that all its workplaces are free from abuse, offensive behaviour, harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. WFP is also committed to promoting a work culture in which every employee understands, and is able to carry out, his/her personal responsibilities for maintaining the dignity of work colleagues. WFP seeks to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. We believe our mission of fighting global hunger worldwide can only be achieved if women, men, girls and boys are offered equal opportunities in terms of access to resources and services and participation in decision making roles.

Female applicants are especially encouraged to apply.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. More than half the population of Afghanistan – a record 22.8 million people – will face acute food insecurity in 2022. The combined effects of drought, conflict, COVID-19, and the economic crisis, have severely affected lives, livelihoods, and people’s access to food. The team of 600 staff, 550 of which are Afghan nationals are working tireless to bring emergency food and nutrition assistance to the millions of people suffering across the country. The assistance provided by WFP includes emergency food assistance, school meals, nutrition programmes and important self-reliance and resilience programmes. The packet of support can include food, cash, or vouchers. In conflict situations, we bring relief to exhausted populations and use food assistance to build pathways to peace and stability – work for which WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.

ABOUT WFP AFGHANISTAN

With rich natural resources, and a young and diverse population, Afghanistan has the potential to stabilize and make significant progress on the 2030 Agenda. However, a complex and protracted conflict, combined with challenges related to climate change, demographics, gender inequalities, underemployment, and transparency issues, has dramatically impeded its efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 on Zero Hunger. The 2017 Afghanistan Zero Hunger Strategic Review (ZHSR) found that the country suffers from high, and in some cases rapidly rising, levels of food insecurity and undernutrition, and outlines a series of recommendations to address the problem.

The overarching goal of the WFP Afghanistan Country Strategic Plan (CSP) is to support the country to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030 in a manner that also contributes, wherever possible, to the broader, longer-term transition to peace and development. WFP, through the CSP, is continuing to scale up emergency activities nationwide and mainstreaming the crosscutting issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment, protection, and accountability to affected populations, the CSP focuses on six, highly interrelated outcomes that span both SDG 2 and 17 (partnering for the goals).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

WFP works through Cooperating Partners including national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The incumbent of this position will be responsible for the management of the process for selecting appropriate NGOs to collaborate with WFP in the implementation of various modalities of food assistance as well as ensuring continued liaison with the selected and existing WFP partner NGOs to maintain effective delivery of agreed activities.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Within delegated authority, the Program Policy Officer – Cooperating Partners Management, will lead the function of processing NGO Partnerships and providing oversight to the implementation of agreements between WFP and NGOs. Key responsibilities include:

1. Administer the project approval process through the Country Office Project Approval Committee (CO PAC), in close coordination with country office cross-functional units as well as WFP’s Field Offices. 2. Manage key processes to ensure WFP selects and maintains partnerships with most suitable and appropriate NGOs, including due diligence, capacity assessment and the partners performance evaluation. 3. Support the country office in scanning the partnership landscape to facilitate WFP’s engagement with potential NGO partners to ensure better collaboration and synergies in pursing common goals and objectives. 4. Provide oversight, guidance, and support to WFP Field Offices on NGO Partnerships and on implementing CP management policies and procedures to ensure a strategic and forward-looking approach to partnerships in compliance with wider WFP policies, standards, and regulations. 5. Maintain a good and strategic relationship with WFP cooperating partners and conduct frequent consultations with them to ensure successful collaboration by promoting best practices of partnerships. 6. Work in close coordination with country office cross-functional teams as well as WFP Field Offices to ensure a smooth flow of information that maximize the value of a better CP Management across WFP operations. 7. Develop operational guidance notes and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that facilities a successful implementation of the partnership processes. 8. Liaise with WFP’s Regional Bureau, Bangkok (RBB) and WFP Headquarters NGO Partnership teams on the corporate perspective of issues related to the management of the project approval process and WFP’s global commitments with cooperating partners. 9. Represent WFP in external meetings and platforms that discuss the management of NGO partners in Afghanistan. 10. Guide and support Management team to ensure timely review and approval of the projects being submitted by cooperating partners. 11. Engage with the wider NGO community and ensure that organizations led by women and people with disabilities are equally considered for seeking partnership opportunities. 12. Facilitate capacity strengthening activities for the CP Management team and NGO partners to address key areas of concern related to WFP management of NGO Partnerships. 13. Lead the CP spot checks across WFP Field Offices to ensure that every element of the partnership process is on track and that the CPs abide by the terms and conditions agreed upon in the Field Level Agreements (FLAs) between WFP and respective Cooperating Partners. 14. Propose solutions for consideration to address issues related the country office project approval process, CP budgets and Field Level Agreements.

DELIVERABLES

• WFP country office project approval process (CO PAC) is managed in a timely and efficient manner. • Measures, including due diligence, capacity assessment and partners’ performance evaluation, to ensure that WFP Country Office selects and maintains partnerships with appropriate NGOs, are taken. • Guidance on CO NGO Partnerships management and on implementing CP Management policies and procedures, provided. • Frequent consultations with NGO partners to identify potential partnership issues and taking necessary actions to address them accordingly, are undertaken.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional 2 years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience: • Five years or more of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian and development programming and/or project management related fields; and • Proven experience in a coordination focused role with diverse internal stakeholders.

Desirable skills and knowledge: • Ability to coordinate across multiple stakeholders and communicate effectively at all levels; • Has led and/or contributed to the project management and coordination of programmes; • Proficiency in Windows and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Language:

Fluency (Level C) in both oral and written communication in English

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Monday, 9 May 2022

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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.