Programme Policy Officer (Nutrition and Basic Social Services)

AVIS DE VACANCE DE POSTE INTERNE ET EXTERNE

TITLE OF POST :Programme Policy Officer (Nutrition and Basic Social Services) TYPE DE CONTRAT&GRADE: Consultant/Level 2 UNITE/DIVISION :Programme DUTY STATION :Nouakchott-Mauritanie DURATION :11 months

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

ABOUT WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

Do you have experience in nutrition programmatic activities? Are you passionate about supporting communities in addressing identified nutrition gaps? Would you like to make a significant contribution to achieve Zero hunger? Would you like to be part of a multicultural team? If yes, then you may apply to join World Food Programme (WFP) Mauritania Country Office. We are seeking a dynamic, dedicated and engaged Programme policy Officer(nutrition). We are a close community of focused, passionate people who care deeply for each other and for those we serve. Whether we are out in the field or in our headquarters, we respect our differences and celebrate our like-minded passion for saving lives.

ABOUT WFP The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. We are currently seeking for a Professional Nutrition Officer to fill the position of Programme Policy Officer (Basic Social Services) with our Mauritania Country Office based in Nouakchott, Mauritania, West Africa.

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

As part of the 2019-2022 Country Strategic Plan, WFP leverages its dual mandate to support the Government of Mauritania in reaching its SDG2 Zero Hunger targets by 2030. This includes saving lives and protecting livelihoods at times of shocks, whilst supporting resilience capacities at community level and supporting the setup of a national Adaptative Social Protection system. Such action remains of critical importance in a context where a large share of the population falls into food insecurity every lean season, and where more than 11 percent continue to suffer from acute malnutrition (SMART, 2021). Within this framework, WFP delivers an integrated package of interventions at scale, including shock-responsive cash transfers, malnutrition prevention and treatment, school feeding, and food assistance for assets, overall reaching more than 324,000 food insecure individuals. This package is complemented by technical assistance at all levels and delivered in collaboration with UNICEF. As part of these ongoing operations, WFP is seeking a Programme Policy Officer (Basic Social Services) on a consultant position to reinforce its team working in the areas of nutrition and school feeding. The position will be key to enhance the quality of its Blanket and Targeted Supplementary Feeding interventions and of the School Feeding programme. The Programme Policy Officer will provide technical support to the team on a range of key priorities identified by the Country Office, including the mainstreaming of nutrition-sensitive approaches, the enhancement of behavioural change communication methodologies, the integration of nutrition and school feeding with other components of the resilience package, the rollout of gender-transformative approaches. and the promotion of local procurement solutions (including through the home-grown school feeding model).

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of Deputy Head of Programme and the overall guidance of the Head of Programme, the Nutrition officer will have the following responsibilities: • Coordinate and provide technical advice on school feeding and on nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive programming issues including assessment and analysis, the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities and commodity choice – in line with WFP standards and processes and facilitate coordination with UNICEF and other partners. • Support the strengthening of national school feeding and nutrition initiatives, including better integration of nutrition in the policies, strategies, and sectoral action plans of key ministries and other joint advocacy/technical support (UNS/partners) to strengthen governance (funding, coordination...) in the field of nutrition and school feeding. • Promote, identify and facilitate community ownership and strengthened integration of nutrition into the resilience package of interventions and seek opportunities for more nutrition sensitive activities and programmes in collaboration with internal and external programme managers (UNICEF and other partners). • Follow-up on pilot experiences in the field of school feeding and nutrition and the scaling up of successful pilot approaches such as GASPA. • Support the Nutrition and School Feeding Activity teams on all phases of the programme cycle, including through regular field missions and direct interactions with the Government and implementing partners – including at times of emergencies. • Strengthen the team’s ability to generate reliable data, analysis and evidence to inform programming, in close collaboration with the RAM (Research, Analysis and Monitoring) unit and propose necessary changes. • Support documentation of results and reporting in the area of nutrition and school feeding. • Lead efforts to mainstream nutrition-sensitive approaches across all components of the Country Strategic Plan, as well as into key national safety-net programmes. • Review existing behavioral change communication tools and practices used in Mauritania and in the region to enhance care, hygiene and feeding practices, and support the adoption of improved methodologies as part of WFP operations. • Contribute and actively participate and contribute to national or United Nations system cross-sectoral groups and platforms on nutrition and school feeding. • Contribute to the implementation of the recommendations of the FNG (Fill the Nutrient Gap) results in the key areas of social protection, school feeding and asset creation in collaboration with his supervisors and the activity managers. • Review the training modules for school nutrition and feeding stakeholders in the light of the CSP orientations. • Promote operational synergies between Nutrition, School Feeding and other components of the integrated resilience package implemented by WFP and UNICEF. • Support the identification and implementation of solutions for increased reliance on local production and/or local procurement for WFP’s nutrition and school feeding operations. • Guide and supervise nutrition and school feeding assistants, acting as a point of referral and supporting them on more complex analysis and queries. • In close collaboration with the Gender Officer, lead the rollout of gender-transformative actions into WFP nutrition and school feeding operations in Mauritania, and ensure their continuous follow-up and documentation. • Any other task as required.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

• Quality of WFP nutrition and school feeding programme is improved, in compliance with corporate policies, strategies and operational guidance. • Data, evidence and analysis are available to support and inform WFP nutrition and school feeding operations; best practices and results are adequately documented and reported. • Basic features of WFP and Government social protection programmes are improved so that they can effectively contribute to nutrition outcomes. • Enhanced behavioural change communication tools, methodologies and practices are rolled out across WFP operations in Mauritania. • Key operational synergies are established between nutrition, school feeding and the rest of the resilience package, thereby increasing its ability to address vulnerabilities and achieve impact. • A broader portion of the food required for the nutrition and school feeding programme is procured nationally or locally. • WFP nutrition and school feeding leveraged to their best potential to overcome prevailing gender inequities.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE • Advanced university degree or first level university degree with additional relevant work experience in nutrition, food technology, public health, humanitarian affairs, development studies, project management. • Five years of relevant working experience in managing or delivering food security and nutrition projects in humanitarian and/or development settings. • Fluency in English and French. • Proficiency in Windows MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook). • Behavioral competencies such as Action Management, Client Orientation, Cognitive Capacity, Innovation, Partnering and Teamwork.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

To perform the wide range of tasks and excel in this position, the ideal candidate would also possess: • Exposure to the international arena either by direct work for an international institution/organization; or, if working for a national entity, by way of interacting with international stakeholders. • Intermediate level of the following official language is considered as an asset: Arabic.

SUPERVISION

The Programme Policy Officer (Basic Social Services) will receive continuous guidance, support and coaching from both the Deputy Head of Programme and the Head of Programme – under the broader oversight of the Country Office’s Management and HR unit. WFP is committed to an inclusive working environment which values diversity and has zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, and abuse of any kind. WFP does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing Candidates who demonstrate their technical ability to fill the position may be recommended if equivalent positions are available in other WFP Mauritania duty stations.