Programme Policy Officer (Social Protection) FT-NOA

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Wednesday 2 Feb 2022 at 05:59 UTC

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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, color, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, physical or mental 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

WFP supports governments around the world to understand their policy challenges and support the articulation and implementation of suitable policy solutions that underpin the direction of programmatic and administrative efforts in social protection. This is reflected in the four thematic pillars of the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Bureau Social Protection Strategy: nutrition-sensitive social protection (also including school feeding programmes), shock responsive social protection, the role of social protection for climate change adaptation and overall system strengthening. Likewise, the Corporate WFP Social Protection Strategy for Support to Social Protection 2021 – 2030 frames WFP’s social protection work in the context of second-generation country strategic plans.

This large step forward for WFP - shifting from being a doer to increasingly taking on an enabling role - requires a sophisticated understanding of national processes for developing and implementing public policy, including social and fiscal deliberations.

Moreover, the shift represents a new potential business model for WFP, including increased attention to inter-agency collaboration mechanisms (as exemplified by the projects under the Joint Fund for the 2030 Agenda) and new potential resource channels (strengthening contributions from host governments to cover the cost for technical assistance).

Likewise, the corporate Strategic Plan 2022 – 2026 (forthcoming) is envisaged to further assert WFP’s changing lives agenda, and thus, the organization’s role in development. Within this strategy, WFP’s contribution to social protection systems will be emphasized as a way to deliver development outcomes at scale.

In recognition of the growing demand from national governments to WFP country offices in the region for highly specialized support in social protection, especially following the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the key role recognized to social protection in the medium-long term response to COVID-19 related socio-economic challenges, systematic corporate investment on dedicated expertise through a National Professional Officer, Social Protection, is required

JOB PURPOSE

To ensure WFP is equipped to leverage the opportunities that accompany the shift from being a doer to increasingly taking on an enabling role, the Regional Bureau Panama is seeking a National Professional Officer, Social Protection and School Feeding, to position WFP as a partner of choice with influence on a wide set of social protection-related policy dialogues relevant to food and nutrition security. This also includes the key role played by national school feeding programmes within broader social protection systems in the region.

The incumbent will report to the Regional Social Protection Advisor (who is also the Regional Social Protection and Nutrition Team Lead) and be responsible for carrying out the following tasks and responsibilities.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Contribute towards the development of a limited number 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 small to moderate size that are relatively straight forward in nature, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.

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

4. Research and analyse policy and operational issues to support senior colleagues in 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 counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing projects.

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 project management support of learning initiatives.

9. Provide guidance to support staff, acting as a point of referral and assisting them with analysis and queries.

10. Other as required.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Provide technical and operational support to countries within the LAC region in all relevant areas related to social protection work, shock responsive social protection, social protection and climate change, nutrition-sensitive social protection.

• Provide inputs to country offices for the design and implementation of social protection and school feeding components of the second-generation country strategic plans;

• Provide technical support to country offices in the design, targeting and registration, delivery mechanisms, M&E, and other sub-systems of national social protection programmes;

• Provide technical support on the preparedness and response of the social protection system in contexts of emergency;

• Identify and provide technical guidance to Country Offices on how on-going WFP activities can be adjusted to ensure better alignment with national social policies and priorities.

• Support WFP country offices and governments to increase social protection’s coverage, adequate and sustainable support to address food insecurity and malnutrition in rural and urban areas, leaving no-one behind.

• Contribute to the development and strengthening of relevant strategic partnerships at the regional level to strengthen WFP’s positioning and capacities to deliver in the area of social protection, including school feeding and school-based programmes.

• Provide operational support on analyses and assessments that quantifies and demonstrates WFP’s unique value as a social protection partner.

• Develop funding proposals and prepare timely reports for presentation to the donors.

• 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.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience: At least one year of professional experience in Social Protection, Social Policy , Social Assistance Programming or other related field.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in Spanish and English.

Knowledge & Skills:

. Ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative information to understand current and future policy needs and identify solutions on social protection.

. Ability to write reports in the field of social protection.

. Good knowledge of current global debates on social protection.

. Ability to work in interdisciplinary teams.

. Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

. Ability to work as part of a team.

. Good communication skills.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has gained experience in implementing technical programs (i.e. nutrition, etc.).

• Has implemented programmes and provided input into designing operations.

• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions ( cross-agency collaboration).

• Experience across the social protection delivery chain, including programme design, targeting, registration, delivery systems, case management, social accountability, M&E, etc. will be considered as a strong asset.

• Experience of social protection programming in emergency contexts will be considered as a strong asset.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position: Programme Policy Officer (Social Protection and School Feeding) /Programme Unit

Based in: Panama City, Panama

Type of Contract: Fixed Term

Level: National Officer/ NOA

Duration: 12 months.

Only short-listed qualified candidates will receive an acknowledgement.

This position is open only to Panamanian citizens.

You can consult the UN Salary Scale for Panama page for your reference.

Fixed-Term appointments are for a continuous period of one year or more and shall have a specified expiration date. The initial appointment is subject to a probationary period of one year.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please create a personal account and fill out the profile form with your personal information at http://www1.wfp.org/careers/job-openings. If you are internal applicant, apply through your E-Recruitment profile.

In the application form, ensure filling the mandatory sections, attaching your CV, answering the pre-screening questions and agreeing on the legal statement before submitting your application. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis on account of potential and performance. All applicants will undergo a rigorous process which includes screening against job requirements, a technical test, and a panel interview.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline to apply to this position is February 1st, 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.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: wfp.org