Sr. Programme Associate (Agronomist), Bhubaneswar, Odisha

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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.

VACANCY DETAILS

Type of Contract: Service Contract (SB3/Peg3 - L7) Location: Bhubaneswar, Odisha Duration of Contract: One year (Renewable, depending upon availability of funds) Reporting to and under direct supervision of : Head, Policy Design, SSTC and Climate Change

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. In India, World Food Programme (WFP) has been working since 1963, contributing to food and nutrition security of the people in general and vulnerable population and communities such as women and children, in particular. WFP’s work in India is fully focused on country capacity strengthening to support access to food and reducing malnutrition towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG) 2 on zero hunger, while also focusing on SDG 17 to support partnerships for the goals. WFP conducts innovative pilots to augment the food safety net programmes of India and generate credible evidences through monitoring and evaluation to help government take evidence-based scale-up decisions.. CC&DRR, Policy Design & SSTC unit in India is responsible fo the Strategic Outcome 3 Activity 4 and collaborating with the Government of Odisha in implementation of a pilot project aimed at Improving Food Security for Smallholder Farmers in Odisha using Climate Resilient Practices. The project is based on Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) and Improved Adaptive Planning by the beneficiaries. The project aims to contribute to making small and marginal farmers in Ganjam more resilient to climate change by effectively using the last mile climate advisories. A Project Management Unit (PMU) shall be located within the office of the Director, Institute on Management of Agricultural Extension (IMAGE), Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Govt. of Odisha with deployment of one project staff supported by WFP and other staff by the Department of Agriculture to oversee the successful and effective implementation of the project. The PMU shall inter alia consist of an Agronomist. WFP India Country Office is looking for a dynamic Senior Programme Associate with a strong expertise and experience in the field of climate information services as well as engagement and capacity building of farmers to support its country strategic programme. Job holders are likely to be working under the close support and guidance of a more experienced professional staff member receiving guidance and regular feedback on work performed.

JOB PURPOSE

Under the direct supervision of the overall Head, Policy Design, CC/DRR and SSTC Unit (SDG Manager), the position being an integral part of the M&E/ CC&DRR, Policy Design & SSTC Team will be responsible for the technical work and support the team in taking forward the CC&DRR agenda through undertaking various climate information related activities at the intersection of irrigation & farming that are appropriate to the beneficiaries. She/he will work in close collaboration with and under guidance of WFP State Office and India Country Office to implement the project components for its timely and efficient completion. She/he will work closely with government stakeholders, local NGOs, farmer cooperatives and SHGs, and other relevant actors in the agriculture and climate change domain.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Provide specialized expertise and contribute to the planning, implementation and closely monitor project implementation activities. • Provide efficient coordination with multiple stakeholders to prepare annual works plans, monitor/report progress against targets. • Support interactions with the project target communities and undertake/support the capacity building, training and awareness generation efforts. • Support tracking of performance indicators, physical achievements and expenditures and preparation, and provide feedback to the Department and seek support where required. • Provide timely submission of monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports on overall project implementation, and any other reporting required, to all stakeholders including WFP and escalation of query resolution on matters related to area of responsibility. Maintenance of the project database. • Provide efficient support to PMU in organization of Technical Advisory Group meetings at the state and district level. • Provide efficient guidance and support the concerned officials in the identification of project beneficiaries in the target geography and support capacity strengthening of the stakeholders . • Work closely with the relevant government agencies (Department of Agriculture, Department of Planning, Disaster Management Agency & Meteorological Department) to ensure alignment with their priorities, as well as to reach out to small farmers communities. • Foster relationships and support partnership building with significant extension network and farmer producer organizations to help with farmer mobilisation and buy-in during implementation phase. • Coordinate and liase with internal counterparts on a range of complex matters to enable effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of project activities. • Contribute to the baseline assessment/farmer needs assessment to inform project design and contextualization of the PICSA tools and methodology and in an end line assessment at the conclusion of the pilot along with cost-benefit analysis to prepare a scale-up/ replication strategy . • Ensure timely implementation of action plan and procurement process during the implementation phase based on the findings and recommendations provided in the design phase. • Analyse ongoing interventions under the pilot and what lessons can be drawn in terms of sustainability/scale up of the project. • Other as required.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

• Demonstrated excellent learning ability and good knowledge about climate advisories & agriculture issues, and is familiar with government policies and data sets on climate & weather advisories; • Demonstrates excellent knowledge of agronomic principles and practices, including crops, soils and nutrients; • Demonstrates ability to analyse, visualize and interpret data to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring; • Demonstrated competencies in the areas of research, analysis, documentation, and communication to the team of officials who are competent to manage the project technically and administratively; • Capacity to communicate effectively orally and in written formats to a variety of audiences- good understanding of farmer’s issues and ability to connect and facilitate FPOs/SHGs for anticipatory actions; • A natural discussion partner for both younger and more established academics; • Works effectively and collaboratively in support of building a team-based culture of work.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Coaches team in the most effective ways to communicate WFP’s Strategic Objectives to WFP team and partners in the field.
• Be a force for positive change: Implements new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team: Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in beneficiary communities to showcase positive impact.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Explains to teammates how each unit contributes to the overall WFP mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Identifies skill development opportunities such as training modules or on-the-job experiences for self, colleagues and direct reports.
• Create an inclusive culture: Facilitates team building activities to build rapport in own unit.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Facilitates the pairing of junior colleagues with coaches within own team.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Proactively anticipates potential challenges and develops mitigation plans to ensure that team meets goals and targets.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Identifies opportunities to be creative in own work and to help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work.
• Focus on getting results: Monitors team’s deliverables and provides feedback to ensure outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments: Provides accurate guidance to team on expected responsibilities and tasks, whilst also upholding own commitment to the team.
• Be Decisive: Sets an example and provides guidance to junior team members on when to escalate issues when faced with challenging issues in the workplace or in the field.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Facilitates partnerships with other WFP units to accomplish missions in the field.
• Build strong external partnerships: Sets an example and provides guidance to team on how to build relationships with external partners.
• Be politically agile & adaptable: Articulates to colleagues or direct reports the value of contributing to other WFP teams and agency partnerships in fulfilling WFP’s goals and objectives.
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Organizes, monitors, and prioritizes own and team’s efforts to ensure that they will fulfil the needs of internal and external partners.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION: Completion of secondary school education. Graduation in Agriculture, Agribusiness Management, Agronomy, Agroforestry or other relevant field is desirable. Higher educational qualification/certification/diploma in the related field will be an added advantage.

EXPERIENCE: Minimum seven years of progressively responsible work experience in the related stream in management of agriculture focused projects. Experience in working with government entities, NGOs, Farmer Producer Organizations and SHGs on climate advisories . Has work experience in implementing technical programme/projects in the related field and provided inputs on the policy discussions.

KNOWLEDGE & TOOLS Knowledge of the agriculture sector in India/Odisha & high level of proficiency with MS office package.

LANGUAGES Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and preferably Odiya. Working knowledge of Hindi is preferred.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted. A written test will be used as a form of screening. In the event your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide in advance a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/ certificate(s). This is a national position therefore applicants who are non-Indian nationals will not be considered. Mode of Engagement: The salary for this position is INR 1,181,902/- per annum (depending upon the last drawn remuneration of the candidate), plus medical benefits as per WFP's plan. All tax liability for payments from this contract are to be borne by the subscriber. Qualified candidates will be retained on roster for at least two years and may be considered for future similar vacant posts. Female applicants and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all suitable applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organisation. We will ensure that applicants with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection & recruitment process, and for work-related needs upon joining the Programme.

Applications for the positions are required to be submitted online on the E-recruitment link as mentioned below: https://www1.wfp.org/careers/job-openingsNote: Applicants are requested to Create an account in the system before applying. Curriculum and applications will be registered and system allows them to update their profile and apply for a job through wfp careers website.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Vacancy Closing date : 11 January 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.