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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. We encourage 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 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.

WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce. WFP has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, abuse of authority, or discrimination. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

JOB DETAILS

POSITION TITLE: PROGRAMME POLICY OFFICER (SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE MARKET SUPPORT) GRADE: NO-A TYPE OF CONTRACT: FIXED TERM APPOINTMENT CONTRACT DURATION: 12 MONTHS WITH POSSIBLE EXTENSION DUTY STATION: COTABATO PHILIPPINES VACANCY REFERENCE NUMBER: 828609 DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24 JULY 2023 DEADLINE OF APPLICATION: 7 AUGUST 2023 This position is open to Filipino nationals only

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Smallholder farmers and fisherfolk in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) lack the resources, information, and training to increase their yield and undertake value-adding activities necessary to improve their livelihoods. The economic insufficiencies deprive them of resources to spend on housing, education, healthcare, and other non-food essentials. Inadequate agricultural infrastructure, poor soil and water management, land tenurial issues, denuded natural resources etc. impede smallholders abilities to become self-sufficient. Another challenge is the limited integration of farmers into the agricultural value chain and the lack of transformation into high-value-added products adapted to the conditions of a changing climate. Improved climate smart agricultural practices while strengthening the inclusion of smallholder farmers and fisherfolk in gender sensitive value chains is a crucial missing link to sustainably solve the prevalent poverty index and quell the low nutritional indicators that have plagued the BARMM region for decades.

WFP, along with its partners, has successfully supported the BARMM Government in the creation of Bangsamoro Food Security Task Force (BFST), through the issuance of EO No.005 s.2020, that aims to facilitate innovations, convergence, and reforms, and increase investments toward a sustainable food system in the region. It is tasked to carefully coordinate, rationalize, monitor, and assess the efforts of concerned Ministries and instrumentalities to ensure a holistic and comprehensive approach to achieving food security and nutrition of the BARMM. Accordingly, in 2020, four BARMM Ministries established inter-ministerial collaboration through convergence model ”IBGP-Kayod Ka Bangsamoro” as an entry point.

The Convergence has two tracks of implementation: (1) Resilient Livelihood Support and (2) Sustainability and institutionalization, wherein the Community-based Participatory Planning (CBPP) will be used to formulate the Convergence Community Area Development Plan (CADP).

To support BARMM, WFP targets 26 municipalities under its integrated and conflict-sensitive resilience portfolio in the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao Del Sur contribute to smallholders’ economic sustainability by promoting their inclusion in the value chain through creation of rural infrastructure (e.g., farm-to-market roads; irrigation canals, reforestation, soil conservation and water harvesting structures, post-harvest facilities etc.). In the framework of integrated resilience portfolio WFP also supports the formation of farmer and fisher associations/cooperatives, inclusion of farmers and fisher associations to value chains by strengthening access to markets through WFP’s Farm2Go mobile application and empowering the community and food producers to make better nutritional decisions through implementation of Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) activities.

JOB PURPOSE

The Programme Policy Officer (PPO) on Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS) will work closely with the Integration Resilience Team and will be in charge of enhancing aggregation systems and managing market support for smallholder farmers and fisherfolk in The Programme Policy Officer (PPO) on Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS) will work closely with the Integration Resilience Team and will be in charge of enhancing aggregation systems and managing market support for smallholder farmers and fisherfolk in BARMM by benefitting from WFP support to home-grown school feeding programme (HGSF), Farm2Go digital product and SBCC/FFA resilience activities

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the overall guidance of the Head of Programme and direct supervision of the Head of Integrated Resilience, the Programme Policy Officer will provide technical support lead the development of the WFP SAMS strategy, and oversee its implementation in Sub-Office. Specific duties will include:

• Support the implementation of Integrated Resilience and livelihood projects while ensuring that the interventions are consistent with corporate guidelines and standard operational procedures in a conflict-sensitive manner.
• Conduct and review relevant nutrition-sensitive value chain studies as reference for conducting value chain analysis, including Post Harvest Loss Reduction of priority agriculture commodities in BARMM to be supported by the WFP.
• Conduct gap analysis on market access, aggregation systems, and participation of female and male smallholder farmers and fisherfolks in nutrition-sensitive value chains in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), Cooperative and Social Enterprise Authority (CSEA), Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT), and Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA).
• Responsible for the design of adequate approaches and strategies to enhance access to markets for FFA participants, smallholder farmers and fisherfolks, including facilitating access to local and regional markets through Farm2Go digital product and access to school procurement in HGSF programme and government supported School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) programme.
• In coordination with WFP Sub-Office to lead required advocacy and coordination work with BARMM’s Government counterparts to support agricultural development of smallholder/fisherfolk communities and promote livelihoods activities with focus on rural vulnerable populations (poor, women, PWDs, decommissioned combatants, malnutrition affected children, etc.)
• Facilitate the organization of female and male smallholder farmers into associations/cooperatives, and provide necessary technical assistance to improve market access and develop the capacity of associations/cooperatives in collaboration with MAFAR, CSEA, and LGUs.
• Develop capacity building strategies and training modules for female and male smallholder farmers and fisherfolks on basic business management and related agri- and marine-based enterprise; facilitate workshops with an objective of improving their access to market.
• Develop and sustain platforms and fora to link smallholder farmers and fisherfolks to traders and other private sector representatives.
• Conduct and coordinate workshops to link the private sector and smallholder farmers and fisherfolk to enhance market access.
• Support the Monitoring and Evaluation team to update the Country Office SAMS Monitoring and Evaluation tool aligned with WFP corporate reporting and accountability requirements.
• Lead the development and provide guidance on the implementation of a comprehensive SAMS strategy that utilizes WFP support for smallholder farmers and fisherfolks with clear market linkages through scaling up the use of corporate digital solution (Farm2Go) to support small holder farmers access to markets as well as Home-grown School Feeding.
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as required.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Education: Post graduate degree (Master’s or doctorate) in Rural Development, Agriculture and/or fisheries, Agronomy, Climate Change Adaptation, Development of SMEs, Environmental Economics, or similar field.

• Experience: At least 5 years of relevant experience in development work, including previous management experience, preferably managing food security and livelihood projects.

• Technical Skills and Knowledge:

  • Training and/or experience in food systems, including value chains development and market systems.
  • Utilizing computers including word processing, spreadsheet, and other software packages.
  • Knowledge of school feeding in BARMM and recent developments in the field.
  • Food security and multi-sector programme knowledge and experience are desirable.
  • Knowledge of research methods and monitoring and evaluation standards.

• Language: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Filipino. Working knowledge of any BARRM language is desirable.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills.
• Strong partnership, negotiation and advocacy skills;
• Excellent communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a multi -cultural and multidisciplinary team;
• Resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgement and tact;
• Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those under supervision;
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with counterparts and staff within the office, host government, donors, other UN agencies and NGOs;
• Female candidates and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

All WFP Employees are expected to demonstrate the competencies and standards of behavior aligned with our core values and defined in the WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK, namely:

• Leading by example with integrity,
• Driving results and delivering on commitments,
• Fostering inclusive and collaborative teamwork,
• Applying strategic thinking,
• Building and maintaining sustainable partnerships.

REMUNERATION PACKAGE

WFP offers a competitive benefits package including an approximate salary of PHP99,000 ++/ per month, pension benefits, and comprehensive medical insurance which can be extended to eligible dependents.

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.

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.

Request for Disability-related Reasonable Accommodations

It is essential for 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 the Diversity and Inclusion team through [email protected].

A member of the reasonable accommodation team will contact you to confidentially discuss your needs.

The above emails are 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 formal applications and will not receive a reply from WFP.

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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