Programme Policy Officer- Rural & Urban Resilience, NOB, Harare

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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 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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In Zimbabwe, WFP has a strong track record of delivering food assistance and managing supply chains during crises, while building resilience to shocks among vulnerable communities. The July 2022-December 2026 Country Strategic Plan (CSP) provides a road map to promote shock-responsive social protection and sustainable and resilient food systems. The July 2022-December 2026 articulates collaborative efforts to better anticipate future needs, improve data and forecasting and strengthen livelihoods and local capacities to withstand, respond to and adapt more readily to sudden or chronic stresses. WFP will support informed decision making on food security and nutrition in Zimbabwe, and will integrate nutrition, gender, protection and inclusion, youth engagement, technological innovation and decentralized zero hunger action throughout the plan. WFP will establish new partnerships and leverage existing ones to their full potential, including those with the other Rome-based and other United Nations agencies. WFP Zimbabwe’s July 2022-December 2026 CSP focuses on the below areas;

• Social and humanitarian assistance for food-and nutrition-insecure populations in targeted rural and urban areas.
• Support to urban food insecure households for resilient livelihoods.
• Support to rural communities for climate resilient livelihoods, sustainable management of natural resources and enhanced participation in local markets and value chains.
• Collaboration with national actors to enhance capacities to develop, coordinate and implement well-informed, effective and equitable actions for achieving food and nutrition security.
• Services to humanitarian and development actors in Zimbabwe so they can implement their programmes and provide support to their beneficiaries in an efficient, effective and reliable way at all times, including during crises

JOB PURPOSE

Maintaining its humanitarian assistance capacity, WFP in its new Country Strategic Plan (CSP) will focus on supporting long-term social protection and resilience-building activities to achieve Zero Hunger. The Programme Policy Officer (Rural and Urban Resilience) is the lead for focus area 2 and 3 mentioned above which are:

• Support to urban food insecure households for resilient livelihoods.
• Support to rural communities for climate resilient livelihoods, sustainable management of natural resources and enhanced participation in local markets and value chains.

WFP Zimbabwe Country Office’s vision for urban and rural interventions is that food insecure people in targeted urban and rural areas can meet their basic food and nutrition requirements while maintaining improved coping strategies in the face of shocks and stresses in ways that reduce their need for urgent assistance, and they enjoy improved equitable access to basic services, livelihoods, and community-government collaboration. This is achieved through the implementation of interconnected food security and resilience-building interventions.

WFP is looking for a highly qualified and versatile candidate to design and manage Urban and Rural Resilience programmes that effectively meet the livelihood needs of the urban and rural populations, contribute to policy formulation and provide technical advice and oversight on the Resilience programme.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Resilience, the Programme Policy Officer (Urban and Rural Resilience) shall perform the following duties:

1. Contribute towards the development of a wide variety of projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidance.

2. Provide project management support to specific and defined programmes and projects of considerable size/complexity, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.

3. Develop and coordinate data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.

4. Research and analyse a range of policy and operational issues to inform the development of policies, programmes and activities.

5. 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.

6. Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing projects and highlight potential risks to project delivery.

7. Support the identification, development and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to improved food assistance packages.

8. Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and national government to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, e.g. through providing inputs into training materials.

9. Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with analysis and queries.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES CONT..

10. Promote linkages between household and community resilience activities and those aimed at enhancing local markets and food value chains.

11. Seek synergies between urban and rural resilience activities.

12. Liaise with government to contribute to the development of a national approach to urban and rural livelihood development, public works and conditional resource transfers and identify sustainability mechanisms and exit strategies.

13. Contribute to gender transformation, youth engagement and the inclusion of disadvantaged groups in all Programme efforts.

14. Other as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Education:

Advanced university degree with experience in one or more of the following disciplines: urban and rural planning, social sciences, agriculture, environmental sciences, and disaster risk management or related field or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience:

• At least five years of professional experience in public sector management, development projects, and/or diverse aspects of national, bilateral or multilateral food assistance.
• Extensive experience in managing projects/programmes & working across the Programme portfolio.
• Extensive experience in conducting needs assessments, analysis of data, crafting implementation/operations plans and recommendations for policy and programme development.
• Experience in the establishment of partnerships with public and private sector actors; understanding of policy issues.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Previous experience in areas associated with Food Systems and Nutrition.
• Previous experience in assessing, designing and/or implementing Resilience programmes
• Proven leadership skills within an organization & with Governments, donors and other partners.
• Strong organizational, analytical and project management skills with an ability to work independently or as part of a diverse team, work and to take an idea from theory to practice.
• Ability to work systematically, use initiative, good judgement, and to timely communicate complex matters both orally and in writing; proven ability to work in a team environment and achieve common goals.
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to facilitate workshops, negotiate agreements, and write publishable reports.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Qualified candidates are requested to submit their application via E- Recruitment attaching a signed application letter, a Curriculum Vitae and a signed Personal History Form (P11) available at http://www.unon.org/docs/P11

This advert is open to nationals of Zimbabwe Only.

Female candidates with relevant quaifications and experience are encouraged to apply.

WFP DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING).

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline for receipt of applications is 8 June 2022.

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All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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.