Programme Policy Officer- Rural Engineering(SC8)-Vientiane
Provide support to policy and programme activities to meet food assistance needs.
Overview
Provide support to policy and programme activities to meet food assistance needs.
You have:
- University degree in Rural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering or related engineering discipline.
- Fluency (level C) in English language.
- Fluency (level C) in Lao language.
- At least five (5) years of experience in civil/rural engineering in the design and construction of small-scale rural infrastructure.
- Proven track record as a good community mobilizer.
- Ability to communicate in local ethnic language and strong inter and intrapersonal communication skills.
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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, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.
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 worldwide 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.
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
University degree in Rural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering or related engineering discipline which is recognised by appropriate national or international regulatory authority.
Language: Fluency (level C) in English language and Lao
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
These jobs are found in Headquarters (HQ), Regional Bureaux (RBs) or Country Offices (COs) and job holders report to a more senior Programme Policy Officer. Job holders operate with a high degree of independence, manage more junior staff to ensure that programme and policy objectives are achieved in full. They are usually involved in a wide variety of programme and policy activities and analytical work, some of which may be of a considerable complexity. At this level job holders are expected to contribute to performance improvement.
JOB PURPOSE
To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs. SO#1, Activity#2
•Food (attendance, FRNs)
•Packages A, B and C
•Follow up on field implementation
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)
- Provide technical advice, project management support and engineering oversight of all rural infrastructure activities implemented by WFP. This includes developing technical designs and oversight of ongoing small-scale infrastructure activities.
- Provide guidance on suitable rural development infrastructure in the context of food security and resilience, keeping in mind best practices, standards and innovative technologies that comply with WFP standards and processes.
- Provide efficient coordination and specialized project management support to a range of specific and/or defined programmes to ensure that the various activities are performed within the established targets following WFP’s policies and procedures.
- Lead the screening of environmental and social risks for rural infrastructure activities and identification of risk mitigation actions.
- Within the specific area of responsibility, prepare a variety of elaborated reports and substantial data analysis (e.g. food assistance needs, resource utilization, programme status, performance) and make recommendations to supervisors, ensuring deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control.
- Lead and ensure accurate, timely recording of data within the specific technical area of work (e.g. assistance programmes, food security and vulnerability assessments) and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
- Foster relationships and support partnership-building with local partners, agencies, NGOs and government institutions to perform accurate food security analyses and to ensure efficient delivery of food assistance.
- Support the capacity building of WFP staff, cooperating partners and national government within a specific technical area.
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
This section is optional to describe additional responsibilities & knowledge required for the specific job.
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE
- At least five (5) years of experience working in the field of civil/rural engineering in the design and construction of small-scale rural infrastructure.
- Proven track record as a good community mobilizer;
- Ability to communicate in English both orally and in writing; ability to communicate in local ethnic language and strong inter and intrapersonal communication skills;
- Good analytical, facilitation and negotiation skills;
- Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with persons of different cultural backgrounds;
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Contract Type: Service Contract ( Lao National Only)
Duration: One year with renewal
Grade:SC8
Duty station: Vientiane
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
Opening date: 1 October 2020
Closing date: 13 October 2020
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Female applicants 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.
Potential interview questions
| Can you describe a time when you provided technical advice on a project? | This question assesses your experience and expertise in providing guidance on technical matters. | Share specific examples of projects where your technical advice made a difference. |
| How do you approach project management in complex scenarios? | This question evaluates your project management skills and ability to handle challenges effectively. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Tell us about your experience with community mobilization. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What methods do you use for data analysis in your work? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you establish effective working relationships in a diverse team? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |