Regional Targeting Officer, CST level II

.

Are you ready for SAVING LIVES CHANGING LIVES of the world's most vulnerable people? If yes, this opportunity is for you!

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.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Job Title: Regional Targeting Officer Type of contract: Regular Consultant (CST Level II) Vacancy Number: 155688 Duration: 11 months Duty Station: Bangkok, Thailand

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THIS ASSIGNMENT

For the fourth year in a row, there has been a rise in world hunger. Current estimates are that nearly 690 million people are chronically hungry, or 8.9 percent of the world population – up by 10 million people in one year and by nearly 60 million in five years (SOFI 2020). According to the 2020 Global Report on Food Crises, more than 135 million people across 55 countries experienced acute hunger in 2019 with conflict, climate and economic shocks being the main drivers and the global pandemic is expected to further aggravate the situation. Rising needs are already resulting in increasing funding and competition for allocating limited resources to those most in need.

Assisting over 100 million people in around 83 countries each year, the World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. To be effective in its mandate WFP must ensure that it reaches the right people at the right time, with the right assistance. A recent internal audit emphasized the need to “establish targeting as one of the core activities of WFP’s operations” and noted that the organizational capacity in terms of targeting and prioritization requires strengthening. COVID-19 has increased the demand for guidance and support on targeting and prioritization, including in urban spaces where WFP is increasingly operating.

In the Asia and Pacific region, to meet the urgent and increased demand from Country Offices and strengthen the overall capacity on targeting within the organization, WFP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific has embarked on an initiative to strengthen targeting and prioritization capacities at all levels.

The targeting strengthening initiative is lead jointly by Research, Assessment and Monitoring unit (RAM) and Programme unitand recognizes the cross- functional nature of targeting, enhancing targeting capacities while driving the innovation of tools and approaches to enhance needs assessments, targeting, programme design, identification and selection of beneficiaries and monitoring, including in the urban space.

The initiative includes the establishment of a Regional Targeting Officer position (CST) for the period of 11 months . The selected candidate will provide technical and analytical support to Country Offices to inform targeting and prioritization decisions, and facilitate internal and external collaboration with all relevant stakeholders and follow-up and monitor the implementation of key recommendations established by the internal audit on beneficiary targeting.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Provide technical and analytical support to Country Offices (COs) to inform targeting and prioritization decisions, including establishing the number of people in need and targeted, formulating targeting criteria and evaluating the pros and cons of different targeting options in line with corporate guidance, in collaboration with all relevant internal and external stakeholders;
• Provide guidance and support to COs in a way that recognizes and nurtures the collaborative engagement between programme and RAM functions at regional and country-level
• Support COs to design integrated targeting strategies relevant to COs’ Country Strategic Plans , including where applicable general food assistance, livelihood, resilience-building, nutrition, and school-feeding programmes based on the existing best practices;
• In close collaboration with the Regional Monitoring Officers, support COs with setting-up structures and systems to monitor targeting processes and outcomes, including whether selected beneficiaries align with eligibility criteria, vulnerable groups were excluded from selection, proportion of people in need covered by assistance, transfer values provided, and the outcomes on assisted and non-assisted populations;
• Support COs with the development of appropriate beneficiary selection procedures in collaboration with programme activity leads and teams responsible for NGO partnerships
• Engage with relevant gender and protection focal points to ensure that targeting processes are inclusive, fair and communicated in a transparent way to affected populations;
• Participate in cross-functional country support missions to review and validate targeting strategies and approaches, and support COs to improve documentation;
• Support the development of learning materials and roll-out of trainings related to targeting in COs throughout the region;
• Document lessons learned/best practices and actively contribute to new and refined existing guidance, tools and learning materials based on country-level and regional experiences;
• Establish and implement a regional work plan for enhanced targeting and prioritization capacity and the timely addressing of agreed actions in line with the Beneficiary Targeting audit recommendations; and
• Support the design, roll-out and implementation of the global corporate directive (to be developed in 2021).

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education: Advanced University degree in social science, statistics, geography, economics or related field.

Experience: At least 6 years mixed experience in conducting assessments, analysis, targeting, monitoring as well as programme implementation in humanitarian and development contexts.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Hands on experience in programme design and/or management including application of targeting criteria
• Hands-on experience in data analysis to inform humanitarian/development programme design, including targeting;
• Strong skills in conducting quantitative analysis. Advanced software skills in SPSS or other statistical software is required.
• Strong skills in conducting and overseeing participatory qualitative data collection, including through Focus Group Discussions, Key Informant Interviews etc. Protection and conflict analysis experience is an advantage;
• Experience working in diverse, dynamic and innovative teams
• Ability to work independently, interacting with technical and non-technical internal and external stakeholders including decision-makers;

• Competencies: Cognitive Capacity, Teamwork, Action Management, Innovation, Partnerships, Client Orientation

  *** This position is required travelling to hardship duty stations.

Languages: Strong written and oral English skills (proficiency/level C), working knowledge in a second UN language required/desirable depending on the duty station.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Thursday 13th January 2022 23:59 hrs Bangkok time

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings).

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is a leading organization delivering food assistance and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. We also support governments of developing countries in their efforts to eliminate hunger and malnutrition by addressing the underlying causes and disparities in access to food and good nutrition to ensure that no one is left behind in line with the Agenda 2030, Sustaining Peace and Agenda for Humanity. WFP is particularly focused on Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and Goal 17 (Partnerships).

The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to WFP is recognition that ending hunger is a critical first step towards global peace. WFP recognizes that one of the greatest contributions it can make to humanity is to provide a voice to the 690 million hungry people in the world. The Nobel Peace Prize gives us a platform to make their needs heard and to mobilize support for the assistance they need.

.

Female applicants, individuals with disabilities and those from developing countries, are encouraged to apply.

WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection & recruitment process, and for work-related needs upon joining the Programme. 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.

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.