Programme Policy Officer (Social Protection)_International Consultant

Reporting to the Head of Programme, the Programme Policy Officer (Social Protection) will provide strategic advice and operational guidance to position WFP Lao PDR’s engagement in social protection in alignment with national plans and systems. The role will focus on strengthening the integration of food security and nutrition within social protection, and supporting national efforts to help people better anticipate, respond to, and recover from shocks and stressors through the social protection system. Specifically, the consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Provide strategic guidance and technical assistance to WFP Lao PDR to conceptualize social protection system strengthening - including institutional arrangements, programme design, financing and evidence-generation - based on the Lao PDR country context.

• Identify WFP’s role, priorities, areas of engagement and approach on social protection; and provide advice on how on-going WFP activities can be adjusted to ensure better alignment with national policies and priorities and contribute effectively to broader sectoral efforts.

• Lead and contribute to WFP’s engagement and coordination with government and development partners around the social protection agenda, ensuring WFP’s positioning is strategic and complementary to the work of other stakeholders — particularly international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, who are key actors in the social protection sector in Lao PDR

• Strengthen the capacities of external partners, including government counterparts, in social protection, food security and nutrition and adaptive and shock-responsive social protection through the provision of technical support, training and other capacity-building initiatives.

• Support WFP Lao PDR’s efforts to improve understanding and application of social protection concepts and approaches by strengthening the use of evidence-based analysis to inform strategic positioning and the design of the new WFP Country Strategic Plan. This includes strategic and technical cross-functional support around key components of the social protection delivery chain such as targeting, delivery mechanisms, and financing. Support the implementation of WFP’s Regional Office Social Protection Implementation Plan for Asia Pacific at regional and country office level (supporting management response plans, action plans and roadmaps, team structuring, partnership development, piloting, etc.) and translate corporate and regional policies and strategies pertinent to social protection into country-level practices.

• Contribute to advocacy and resource mobilization efforts for WFP Lao PDR social protection activities, including by articulating a business case for WFP’s contributions to social protection and exploring new potential resource channels. 

• Represent and enhance WFP’s leadership status in different forums pertinent to social protection

• Manage or oversee the generation, documentation, and dissemination of knowledge and learning management products and initiatives, such as reports, publications, and operational research for internal or external use. Advise on and support initiatives that enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partners to engage in social protection policy design and delivery.

• Other tasks as required and assigned by the supervisor or the senior management

QUALIFICATIONS & DESIRED EXPERIENCE:

EDUCATION:

• Advanced University degree in Social Sciences, International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Public Administration, Public Policy or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with two additional years of relevant work experience from the minimum experience requirement stated below.

LANGUAGE:

• Fluency (level C) in oral and written English, knowledge of Lao language is an asset. 

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the international humanitarian and development fields.

• At least 3 years of in-depth experience with national social protection systems policy design, analysis, guidance and implementation with a focus on shock responsiveness.

• Relevant strategic and operational experience in social protection implementation in low- and middle-income countries, preferably in Asia Pacific, including experience in adaptive and shock responsive social protection, food security, nutrition- and gender-sensitive sensitive social protection, linking humanitarian assistance to national social protection, cash-based transfers and digital innovations and solutions (G2P, management information systems).

• Demonstrated experience engaging with International Financial Institutions (IFIs), as well as other donors and development partners, in the context of social protection.

• Proven capacity to establish and manage complex research agendas in the areas of social protection and its interface with thematic areas including nutrition, gender, inclusion, climate and shock-response.

• Experience in the development of interagency networks, partnerships, strategies, resource mobilization and communications initiatives.

• Knowledge of the functioning of social registries and beneficiary management information systems, and their linkages to targeting and delivery mechanisms, is considered an asset

• Knowledge of public financial management systems and disaster risk financing practical approaches in the context of social protection in lower/middle-income countries is considered an asset.

• Experience in Asia-Pacific and/or Lao PDR is considered an asset.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to effectively convey complex technical concepts to a variety of audiences, including policymakers, donors, and operational teams

• Advanced understanding of the latest policy debates, theory, design and implementation issues of social protection and safety nets

• Knowledge of major humanitarian and development challenges and issues, specifically strategies for poverty and hunger reduction

• Knowledge of policy making processes and the ability to distil operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for governments and other partners

• Understanding of donor policies, strategies and programme priorities in relation to humanitarian and development assistance, social protection and safety nets

• Strong capacity for analysis, programme budgeting and forecasting, learning, research and innovation

• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)