Programme Policy Officer (Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion) SC8 - Baghdad or Erbil, Iraq

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WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

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 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. WFP’s dual mandate includes both Saving Lives and Changing Lives: Providing life-saving assistance in emergencies to meet immediate food and nutrition needs and supporting communities to build resilience in the long-term by addressing the root causes of hunger. For more information, see wfp.org/countries/iraq and ar.wfp.org/countries/iraq.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

WFP Iraq currently implements its 2020-2024 Country Strategic Plan (CSP). In pursuit of Strategic Outcome 2, Targeted communities, including farmers, have enhanced livelihoods and increased resilience to shocks by 2024, innovative programmes that have been designed in a participatory and inclusive manner to support beneficiaries. Within this strategic outcome, financial inclusion and supporting entrepreneurship have been identified as key programmatic areas within the livelihoods and economic empowerment agenda.

JOB PURPOSE

In December 2022, World Food Programme (WFP) Iraq nationalized its award-winning EMPACT programme and re-launched it as ‘Jousour’ in close partnership with the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR). Jousour, which translates to ‘bridges,’ aims to harness the potential of the digital marketplace to enhance the economic empowerment of vulnerable youth in Iraq, with a focus on internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees. This is achieved through the provision a market demand-driven curricula focused on essential digital and English skills and supplemented by support on employability and entrepreneurship. To strategically shift implementation to focus on longer term academic and professional outcomes, Jousour will add complementary modules on life skills and financial inclusion while availing internship opportunities. The guarantee of internship opportunities replaces the financial aid component previously offered by the programme and improves success rates, prioritizes high-quality training and places greater emphasis on internship and employment prospects. The successful candidate will coordinate Jousour training and capacity-building activities under the designated area(s) of responsibility.

As an enabler to entrepreneurship, the country office (CO) has been actively engaging with public and private institutions to develop a comprehensive financial inclusion strategy that will enable access to formal financial resources for first-mile rural and urban beneficiaries, including MSMEs. The strategy aims to harmonize financial inclusion activities through an established, growth-oriented route, fostering an interconnected approach in which innovation and finance are catalyzed to enhance financial inclusion and business growth for WFP beneficiaries (on and off farm). The successful candidate is expected to support this strategy, strongly creating linkages between WFP’s entrepreneurship and financial inclusion activities.

The successful candidate will be based in Baghdad or Erbil and report to the Head of Livelihoods at country office level.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Develop training and capacity-building strategic plans for the Jousour alumni, including establishing linkages with private sector partners for internship and post-graduate opportunities;
2. Work closely with CO focal points on innovative finance and microcredit activities, providing supporting as necessary;
3. Develop mentorship, coaching, and training activities to support entrepreneurs;
4. Map and identify supported entrepreneurs who require trainings on financial literacy and have absorption capacity for microcredit;
5. Serve as a liaison between early-stage entrepreneurs and WFP Iraq, developing capacity-strengthening activities on entrepreneurship and financial inclusion to foster business growth;
6. Provide technical guidance to all relevant staff and cooperating partners on training and capacity development;
7. Provide technical support to design reference documents (training guidance and toolkits) for maximum accessibility, and user-friendliness of information support the formulation and implementation of Jousour activities, focusing on capacity building, employment, policy, innovation, and government engagement in line with the resilience, climate change, and Livelihood unit projects under implementation;
8. Oversee the formulation and management of partnership agreements with external partners including the development of agreements with relevant government ministries, UN partners, NGOs, the Private sector, and Academia;
9. Support CO lead with operational partnerships with other international organizations and national institutions for microloans, innovative financing, agricultural insurance and financial skills training;
10. Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely narratives on programs and activities and consistently presenting information to WFP management and the stakeholders;
11. Coordinate data collection and monitoring systems in line with WFP’s corporate systems, adhering to the commitments made in the Jousour and ensuring that the quality and relevant standards;
12. Support the coordination with the other UN agencies, international and national NGOs, governmental entities, private sector partners, and community representatives to ensure successful implementation. This may require representing WFP’s interests at various national and international forums;
13. Contribute to preparedness actions, providing technical recommendations and guidance and monitoring the management of risks; and
14. Other duties as assigned.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: COMMON STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOUR

Leads by Example with Integrity

• Demonstrates and encourages others to uphold the WFP values, principles and standards.
• Values diversity using respectful and inclusive language and encourages others to do the same.
• Stays focused and calm when under pressure, encourages others to do the same, and offers guidance and support to manage difficult situations.
• Demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn and share knowledge, frequently seeking and acting on feedback, and pursuing opportunities to develop.

Drives Results and Delivers on Commitments

• Identifies and aligns objectives to the required outcomes, holding self and/or others accountable for the delivery of results for maximum impact.
• Delegates responsibly and provides appropriate support empowering others to deliver results.
• Responds readily to change in different contexts and adapts accordingly.

Fosters Inclusive and Collaborative

• Promotes inclusive teamwork and psychological safety by encouraging colleagues to collaborate by sharing ideas and openly raising issues.
• Supports development for others by giving timely and constructive feedback.
• Seeks out, trusts and listens attentively to diverse views to capture, learn, build and share new perspectives.

Applies Strategic Thinking

• Communicates and fulfils WFP’s vision and operational outcomes to deliver meaningful solutions.
• Demonstrates curiosity, designs and implements new ways of doing things when relevant.
• Gathers data and different perspectives, shares knowledge and uses evidence to inform decision making.
• Implements decisions, considering the risks and implications of actions for teams, projects and other initiatives.

Builds and Maintains Sustainable Partnerships

• Initiates and builds partnerships by identifying and promoting opportunities for mutual areas of interest and benefit.
• Collaborates with partners to deliver common objectives by sharing information and cocreating innovative solutions with beneficiaries when appropriate.

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, Voucher) 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 (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.) 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 Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced University Degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or similar fields, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience

• A minimum of three (3) years of post-graduation relevant work experience in development work, with supervisory roles focused on implementation and coordination, preferably with specialized experience in capacity development projects.

Languages

• Fluency (level C) in English language and Arabic. Knowledge of Kurdish or a second official UN language is desirable.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has deepened technical knowledge and practical experience in planning and implementing entrepreneurial support programmes;
• Experience working with entrepreneurs, start-ups, MSMEs or social enterprises, understanding their challenges and opportunities;
• Has worked extensively in tasks that involved relationship building and community engagement, including with government partners.
• Knowledge of current thinking and developments in financial inclusion.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position Title: Programme Policy Officer (Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion) Grade: SC8 Contract: Service Contract Duty Station: Baghdad, Iraq Duration of contract: 6 months, with possibility of extension subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance Salary: Minimum Annual Net Salary is USD 38,253.00 Medical Plan: International valid medical plan for the staff member, spouse, and dependent children Annual leave: 30 working days per annum

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications close on 26 December 2023

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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

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.