Programme Policy Officer (NO-A) AFN II - Xiengkhouang

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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 United Nations World Food Programme is the winner of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. In Lao PDR, WFP supports the government in providing school lunches for primary students, counters malnutrition with targeted food support to the most vulnerable, and helps communities build resilient lives with sustainable livelihood options.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

This job is found in Laos Country Office . The job holders typically are under the direct supervision of the Programme Policy Officer(NO-B) in the Country Office in Vientiane in charge of the Agriculture for Nutrition Phase II.

JOB PURPOSE

Since 2022, WFP has been implementing a new Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2022-2026. The CSP is formulated around achieving 4 Strategic Outcomes, including WFP’s commitments on improving the nutrition of the most vulnerable populations in Laos.

The Agriculture for Nutrition project phase 2 (AFN-II), aiming at fighting malnutrition and increasing incomes amongst smallholder farmers families, will be implemented from mid-2023 onwards for a duration of at least 6 years. The nutrition activities under AFN-II will be implemented in a total of 15 districts in 6 provinces, 3 of them in the North and 3 in the South

The “Nutrition Programme” under the Sustainable Rural Infrastructure and Watershed Management Sector Project (SRIWMSP), with similar objectives, will be implemented from March 2023 onwards up to 31 December 2026. The nutrition activities under this project will be implemented in a total of 5 districts in 2 provinces, Xieng Khouang and Houaphan provinces. Whereas the activities in Houaphan province will be covered by SNV, the activities in Xieng Khouang province will be implemented directly by WFP together with the Government.

The position advertised will be based in the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO) in Peak district, Xieng Khouang province and the successful candidate will work and coordinate closely together with the PAFO and other provincial counterparts to successfully implement the WFP-led activities under the AFN-II project and the Nutrition Programme of SRIWMSP.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Provide project management support to specific and defined programmes and projects of small to moderate size that, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures;
• Research and analyse policy and operational issues to support senior colleagues in the development of policies, programmes and activities;
• Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders;
• Support the identification, development and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to improved food assistance packages;
• Liaise with project implementing partners / government authorities to follow up on planned progress, undertake visits to monitor project outputs and inspect relevant activities, in order to ensure that progress is made in the achievement of project objectives;
• Develop detailed implementation modalities and work plans of activities in liaison with provincial stake holders, UN agencies and with non-governmental organizations involved in Food security and Nutrition activities in the province to build consensus on implementation;
• Assist Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO) to implement Annual Work plan and Budget;
• Support PAFO to organize workshops or trainings that concern to the implementation of the AFN-II and SRIWMSP projects;
• Assist PAFO to provide progress and monitoring reports.
• Support implementation of AFN-II and SRIWMSP projects at provincial level in collaboration with PAFO, District Agriculture and Forestry Office (DAFO) and Department of Health (DOH);
• Support implementation of the participatory planning processes on village, district and provincial levels;
• Support development of reporting, recording tools and monitoring checklists for Social Behaviour Change Communication and farmer nutrition schools/village nutrition clubs;
• Perform other duties as required by the WFP supervisor.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Nutrition/ Public Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, or other field relevant to international development assistance Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in Lao and English, ability to speak at least one ethnic group language is an asset, and fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Lao

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Understands WFP’s Strategic Objectives and the link to own work objectives.
• Be a force for positive change: Flexibly adapts individual contributions to accommodate changes in direction from supervisors and internal/external changes (such as evolving needs of beneficiaries, new requirements of partners).
• Make the mission inspiring to our team: Recognizes and shares with team members the ways in which individual contributions relate to WFP’s mission.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Sets own goals in alignment with WFP’s overall operations, and is able to communicate this link to others.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses to increase self-awareness, and includes these in conversations on own developmental needs.
• Create an inclusive culture: Participates in open dialogue, and values the diverse opinion of others, regardless of background, culture, experience, or country assignment.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Proactively seeks feedback and coaching to build confidence, and develop and improve individual skills.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Participates in accomplishing team activities and goals in the face of challenging circumstances.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Shows willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.
• Focus on getting results: Consistently delivers results within individual scope of work on time, on budget and without errors.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments: Commits to upholding individual accountabilities and responsibilities in the face of ever-changing country or functional priorities.
• Be Decisive: Makes rational decisions about individual activities when faced with uncertain circumstances, including in times of ambiguity regarding information or manager direction.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Seeks to understand and adapt to internal or cross-unit teams’ priorities and preferred working styles.
• Build strong external partnerships: Demonstrates ability to understand and appropriately respond to and/or escalate needs of external partners.
• Be politically agile & adaptable: Portrays an informed and professional demeanor toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Provides operational support on analyses and assessments that quantifies and demonstrates WFP’s unique value as a partner.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Capability Name Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance Displays ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools. 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 ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches. 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.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

Qualified women and men are encouraged to apply. WFP is committed to an inclusive working environment which values diversity and has zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment and abuse of any kind.

WFP is committed to gender equality and parity (50% women and 50% men) and to diversity more generally, among employees across all grades, functions and contract modalities. WFP supports the use of flexible working arrangements to assist women and men in balancing work and personal responsibilities, translating into effective, efficient and dedicated participation of women and men in the workforce. WFP offers an attractive salary and other benefits, including annual leave, parental leave and health insurance for staff and eligible dependents.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• At least six years relevant working experience in rural community development or equivalent is preferable;
• Excellent word processing skills and excel skills;
• Experience working in difficult locations with people of different backgrounds;
• Good inter-personal skills and ability to work in a team, including sound communication skills; analytical skills, flexible and programmatic; ability to handle multitask with effectiveness and efficiency;
• Has deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams;
• Has taken leadership of implementing programmes;
• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions;

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Contract type: Fixed-term appointment - This VA is advertised publicly, therefore anyone can apply

Post title: Programme Policy Officer (NO-A level)

Numbers of post: One

Duration: 72 months or 6 years

Duty Station: Pek District, Xiengkhouang Province

Qualified women and men are encouraged to apply. WFP is committed to an inclusive working environment which values diversity and has zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment and abuse of any kind. WFP provides necessary arrangement to ensure staff safety when travel to remote areas.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Opening date: 1 March 2023

Closing date: 14 March 2023

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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.