Senior Programme Associate (Home Grown School Feeding Expert)

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ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

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WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

BACKGROUND

WFP’s vision is that people in the Kyrgyz Republic will have substantially increased access to national social protection systems that safeguard and foster their ability to meet their food security, nutrition and associated essential needs, and to manage the risks and shocks they face, with ample opportunity to graduate from poverty and contribute to sustainable food systems, national disaster risk management efforts and social cohesion.

WFP, one of the largest UN agencies in the Kyrgyz Republic, will support and promote the inclusion of people with diverse and often intersecting vulnerabilities and inequalities, by supporting nationally led social and civil protection systems and programmes (strengthening the government’s ability for anticipatory action and ensuring that no one is left behind) and by modelling new approaches within complementary WFP interventions (which can be adopted or transitioned), leveraging WFP’s global expertise in promoting healthy diets and sustainable food systems, climate risk management, warehousing, food safety, smallholder market access and innovations such as private sector-oriented solutions, micro-insurance and digital public goods.

Derived from the UN Cooperation Framework and national priorities, promoting participatory community engagement and nutrition-sensitive approaches, the 2nd generation Country Strategic Plan (2023-27 EN|RU) continues WFP’s human capital development, capacity building and productive asset creation activities to enhance the resilience and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable, with a focus on food systems strengthening across three core pillars: (i) Social Protection; (ii) Climate Change Adaption, Disaster Risk Management & Emergency Preparedness; and (iii) Schools as platforms for healthy diets. In addition, a contingent emergency response outcome can be activated in case of need.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Building on successful implementation in previous years, the WFP’s Country Strategic Plan 2023-27 focuses on the institutionalization and sustainability of an optimized national school meals model through policy support, advocacy, direct technical assistance and horizontal mutual exchanges and learning from other countries in the region, leveraging the WFP-supported school nutrition unit within the Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Health. WFP support in school feeding, therefore, largely focuses on capacity strengthening towards the transition to full national ownership. As the transition process continues, the Government, with the support of WFP and other partners, explores and adopts alternative options and models while seeking to identify the most sustainable and cost-efficient approach.

WFP supports a farm-to-school linkage model, Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF), which facilitates local procurement from local farmers to supply fresh, safe and nutritious food to students. To reinforce this transition process, activities of school feeding at a decentralized level continued to promote the fullest capacity building and system change for HGSF, by supporting smallholder farmers/cooperatives in terms of skills, techniques, tools, and management, as well as monitoring and reporting. It is aligned with WFP’s strategy - smallholder agricultural market support (SAMS) strategy, which outlines WFP support for smallholder farmers with clear capacity building and market linkages.

Within this framework, WFP, in partnership with KOICA, implements the project “Establishment of a Sustainable Environment for Enhancing Health and Nutrition in Schools through the Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) Programme in the Kyrgyz Republic (2025–2028)”. The project aims to enhance the capacity of schools, smallholder farmers, cooperatives and Self-help groups (SHGs), establish productive school gardens, and strengthen farm-to-school linkages to promote food security, nutrition, and rural livelihoods.

The Senior Programme Associate (HGSF expert) focuses on increasing smallholder farmers’ capacities and engagement for improved access to both public and private markets through planet-friendly agricultural practices and tools as well as strategic, policy and operational engagement with the government and partners, and link their products to school meals to improve health and education of students, increase the income of smallholders, stimulate the local economy, and consequently contribute to food security and nutrition of the Kyrgyz Republic. In particular, the HGSF expert will play a key role in the planning, coordination, implementation, and reporting of HGSF-related agricultural activities under the KOICA-funded project and other agriculture related initiatives. The incumbent will ensure smooth execution of project deliverables related to cooperative/SHG capacity building, school garden development, demonstration farm management, and market integration of smallholders into the national school meals system.

Supervision: The Senior Programme Associate will be directly supervised by the Outcome 4 Manager and under the general supervision of the Head of Programme

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

1.       Provide specialized expertise and contribute towards the development of project activities, plans and processes within the specific technical area of work ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidelines.

2.       Provide efficient coordination and specialized project management support to a range of specific and/or defined programmes to ensure that the various activities are performed within the established targets following WFP’s policies and procedures. 

3.       Within the specific area of responsibility, prepare a variety of elaborated reports and substantial data analysis (e.g. food assistance needs, resource utilization, programme status, performance) and make recommendations to supervisors, ensuring deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control.

4.       Lead and ensure accurate, timely recording of data within the specific technical area of work (e.g. assistance programmes, food security and vulnerability assessments) and consistency of information presented to stakeholders. 

5.       Coordinate and liaise with internal counterparts on a range of complex matters to enable effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of ongoing project activities.

6.       Foster relationships and support partnership-building with local partners, agencies, NGOs and government institutions to perform accurate food security analyses and to ensure efficient delivery of food assistance. 

7.       Support the capacity building of WFP staff, cooperating partners and national government within a specific technical area.

8.       Act as an escalation point for complex query resolution on all matters within the area of responsibility.   

9.       Manage a team of support staff, providing advice, guidance and training, to ensure individual and team objectives are delivered to agreed standards and deadlines.

10.    Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.

SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Project planning and coordination - Lead planning, coordination, and daily management of HGSF and agriculture-related components, ensuring consistency with WFP procedures, project objectives, and timelines. Prepare implementation plans, budgets, and monitoring frameworks, and maintain coordination with government, donors, and partners to align with national policies.

• School gardens - Coordinate the establishment and management of school gardens and demonstration farms in collaboration with schools and local authorities, ensuring technical soundness and compliance with WFP standards. Provide continuous guidance on sustainable production, irrigation, composting, and pest management, and organize peer-learning events among school garden managers.

• Capacity building of cooperatives and self-help groups - Facilitate capacity-building of agricultural cooperatives and SHGs on climate-resilient practices, post-harvest handling, food safety, and cooperative business operations. Oversee the design and construction of agricultural facilities (e.g., greenhouses, irrigation systems, compost units, and storage rooms) and coordinate technical trainings with experts and institutions.

• Farm-to-school linkages and market integration - Strengthen farm-to-school linkages by supporting cooperatives and SHGs to participate in local food procurement for school meals. Identify bottlenecks, promote transparent procurement, and ensure adherence to quality, safety, and traceability standards across production, delivery, and storage processes.

• Monitoring, reporting and knowledge sharing - Collect and analyse data to monitor progress and contribute to internal and donor reports (including KOICA). Maintain updated databases on trainings, cooperative performance, and school gardens, and develop communication materials, success stories, and lessons learned for visibility and scale-up.

• Partnership and coordination - Represent WFP in coordination meetings with ministries, KOICA, and partners, fostering collaboration and resource mobilization in support of HGSF and smallholder initiatives. Provide operational and logistical support to the Outcome 4 Manager and Head of Programme as required.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

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

•       Has implemented programmes with increased level of responsibility.

•       Has provided input to policy discussions.

•       Has professional experience in agriculture, rural development, or food system programmes, with specific experience in smallholder farmer or cooperative capacity development.

•       Has proven experience in project coordination, monitoring, and reporting with international organizations, government institutions, or NGOs.

•       Has knowledge of agricultural value chains, climate-resilient practices, and post-harvest management.

•       Has experience in organizing training sessions, stakeholder workshops, and field coordination activities.

•       Familiarity with the education and school feeding sector in the Kyrgyz Republic and its linkages with local food systems are an asset.

•       Good understanding of WFP’s Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SAMS) and Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) approaches is an asset.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience: Seven years of progressively responsible work experience in development, government aid programme, general administrative work or other related fields.

Education: Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in Agriculture, Agronomy, Rural Development, Food Systems, Economics, or other related fields is desirable.

Language: Fluency (level C) in both oral and written communication in English and proficiency in the duty station’s language(s). Russian or Kyrgyz, both considered an advantage.

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REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact:  global.inclusion@wfp.org

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REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

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.