Programme Policy Officer (Forecast-based Response Farming)

.

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.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Since 2015, WFP Nepal is working closely with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in defining relevant triggers and thresholds for early warnings, specifically focusing on flood hazard. Since 2020, WFP piloted an innovative approach for anticipatory action, where cash was delivered to households-at-risk before the flood occurred. With a view to strengthen the existing systems, policies and procedures enabling anticipatory action, WFP has developed a project for advancing the systems at all levels of Government and sustainably systematize the initiative. At this level, job holders are expected to demonstrate responsibility and initiative to respond independently to various queries with only general guidance. There is a requirement to use judgment in dealing with unforeseen operational problems on a daily basis. Job holders are expected to manage resources and coach and coordinate support staff.

JOB PURPOSE

The primary objective is to raise awareness and commitment of local governments and DRR stakeholders on forecast based response farming and agroforestry interventions to ensure the safety and well-being of local people and their livelihoods from disasters.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position Title: Programme Policy Officer (Forecast-based Response Farming) Contract Type: Special Service Agreement (SSA) Level: SSA-9 (Equiv. to NOB) Contract Duration:4 months Duty Station: Kathmandu, Nepal Vacancy Number: 828527 Date of Publication: Re-post 02 Aug 2023 Deadline of Application: 08 Aug 2023

WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary plus a medical insurance (https://www.henner.com/en/accueil-english/)

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Evidence, Policy and Innovation (EPI) unit and in direct coordination with the Programme Policy Officer for Forecast based Anticipatory Action (FbAA); the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

• Understand existing farming practices and explore technological and institutional options, that can be adapted to different site-specific conditions
• Recognize the gaps and needs for agrometeorological advisory services and response farming, and define technical and operational details for pilot intervention
• Identify the working arrangements developed for crop advisory communication jointly with Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), and Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)
• Analyze agro-meteorological variables in establishing linkages among historical impacts of the variables on crop productivity, cropping practices and paradigm shift towards use of forecast information on crop calendar
• Assess, target and adapt relevant and context specific forecast-based climate smart agriculture practices (specific or combinations) for increased synergies and improved adoption
• Conduct analysis of current land use in terms of products grown, livestock raised, stocking rates; assess the level of land degradation and the impacts on ecosystem services and identify possible project interventions that could turn this around in terms of activities, actors, budgets, and replication potential
• Assess on climate-smart technologies and practices that addresses the challenge of how to transition to a climate-smart agriculture at a large scale for enabling agricultural systems to be transformed and reoriented to support food security under the new realities of climate change
• Identify the target areas and define reforestation methods with sequence of activities linking erosion losses, flood vulnerability, rise in productivity, improved socio-economic returns and other benefits
• Develop methods and approaches to validate earth observation-based products on flood and drought monitoring with DHM, NARC, ICIMOD, Local Government and communities
• Understand the role of local institutions in providing supporting services to farmers that increases adoption levels, and promotes gender-equitable outcomes
• Design the appropriate local-level enabling environment conditions required to increase investment and enhance adoption of technologies and practices, and how might policy, finance and institutional innovations be designed to out-scale effectively
• Explore and setup possible platform for multi-stakeholder collaborative work, generate evidence of Climate Smart Agriculture effectiveness at local, provincial, and national scales and explore appropriate incentives and scale-out strategies
• Develop and impart training material by incorporating weather information into agricultural practice
• Other tasks required

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University Degree (Masters Degree) in Agriculture, Forestry, Climate Change or other related field.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Nepali.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

At least three years of post graduate professional experience in disaster risk management with skills on hydro-meteorological data analysis and remote sensing & programming language applications.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

Knowledge and experience with FbAA initiatives, and skills of nature-based solutions, and understanding of weather forecast is preferred.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: COMMON STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOUR

Leads by example with Integrity Drives results and Delivers on commitments Fosters inclusive and collaborative teamwork. Applies strategic thinking Builds and maintains sustainable partnerships

.

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.

Request for Disability related Reasonable Accommodations:

It is important to WFP to create an accessible and inclusive workplace for everyone. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the selection and hiring process, please direct your request and inquiries to [email protected]. A member of the HR team responsible for reasonable accommodation will contact you to confidentially discuss your needs.

This email is only to be used for any disability related accessibility requirements and not for sending the application itself. Due to the volume of applications, any applications or CVs sent through this email address will not be considered a formal application and will not receive a reply from WFP.

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.