Regional and Country Support Officer

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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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.

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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).

JOB TITLE: Regional and Country Support Officer

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultancy Level II

UNIT/DIVISION: School Meals, Social Protection and Nutrition Service (PRGS)/ Programme Division

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy

DURATION: 11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

For more than 60 years, WFP has been the leading organization in supporting countries with their school meals programmes, which are widely prevalent throughout the world. In 2020, WFP launched a 10-year strategy for school meals. WFP advocates for the universal adoption of school meals programmes as a safety net that helps increase children’s access to education and learning opportunities and strengthens their health and nutrition.

In 2021, WFP efforts to assist countries to establish and maintain nationally owned programmes as well as implementing school meals programmes were taken to the next level with the launch of the School Meals Coalition at the Food Systems Summit. WFP hosts the Secretariat of the School Meals Coalition, which has continuously grown to reach over 110 country members and more than 150 partners committed to ensuring that every child has access to a healthy meal in school. Today, five regional and sub-regional bodies are also members of the Coalition – the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Commission, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

The Coalition encourages countries to develop national commitments that lay out measurable goals for improving the quality and scale of national school meals programmes, and to connect to the its five Initiatives.  More than 65 countries have submitted national commitments. The Coalition has also gained significant momentum at the regional level. Regional bodies and networks across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean have demonstrated how regional networks enable countries to learn from one another, tackle shared challenges, and advocate collectively for school meals through regional dialogues.

The School Meals Coalition Secretariat, in the School Meals, Social Protection and Nutrition Service, is seeking a Regional and Country Dialogue Officer to support regional efforts and facilitate connections, peer-to-peer exchange and learning between countries of a specific region and across regions. The consultant will also provide support to governments in the development and implementation of their national commitments, on request and in coordination with the school meals programme team.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the supervision of the School Meals Coalition Secretariat Coordinator, and working closely with WFP Global Headquarter teams and Country Offices, the main responsibilities include:

• Develop activities that support regional networks and initiatives, in coordination with WFP Country and Regional offices and with Government stakeholders when required. This includes
  • Leading discussions with selected regional bodies that are members of the Coalition and WFP’s regional and country offices on strategies to increase the opportunities for engagement and peer-to-peer learning between countries in particular regions, providing technical guidance and support to the activities of the regional networks;
  • Acting as the main focal point in the SMC Secretariat for selected regional bodies and networks;
  • Identifying potential regional champions that could be cultivated and motivated to continue supporting the Coalition’s agenda.

• Collaborate with stakeholders, including governments and partners, to ensure successful regional dialogue/event outcomes; steer the content and the design of event dynamics ensuring objectives of increasing the potential for learning, experience-sharing, and agenda-setting are met; acting as main focal point for and coordinating efforts with WFP Regional Bureaus and Country Offices, as relevant. This includes providing inputs to concept note and agenda, facilitating connections and stakeholder engagement, and drafting session briefers and talking points for envisioned speakers as required.

• Support Regional and Country Offices in planning, coordination, and execution of regional events and dialogues, as required. This includes, as relevant
  • Drafting Save-the-Date/invitations and advise on possible invitees, as relevant.
  • Supporting WFP Offices in the management of event logistics, including venue selection, and onsite event operations.
  • Developing and managing event budget allocated by the Secretariat, ensuring cost-effective solutions without compromising quality.
  • Coordinate with relevant Advocacy and Communication colleagues on all advocacy and communication plans and materials. These include key messaging, branding and production of outcome documents.
  • Gathering information and intelligence on each regional dialogue/event for reporting and strategic purposes. This includes the full list of participants (with an analysis of country and partner participation and level), the documents and outcomes coming out of the event and the general report of the event.

• Develop and document tools and good practices to support WFP Offices and other relevant stakeholders in the organisation and facilitation of regional dialogues and peer to peer learning and exchange. This includes a toolkit to guide relevant stakeholders and inform the work of the Coalition Secretariat, including ToRs, templates, timelines, to do lists, communication tools, and good practices/lessons learned from past events.

• Support the integration of regional agendas in the Ministerial Meetings of the School Meals Coalition (Global meetings and Task Force meetings) and other engagement opportunities, providing inputs to the agenda, and ensuring the outcomes/issues raised in regional events/forums are reflected in global meetings.

• Support countries develop and revise commitments to the School Meals Coalition based on policy and SABER consultation processes, linked to transition to national ownership of school meals programmes.

• Performing any other duties in support of the regional networks.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

Deliverables to include:

• Coordinated regional dialogues/events successfully organized every year.
• Good practices in advancing country and regional peer to peer learning and exchange are captured and disseminated.
• Outcomes disseminated in a timely manner.
• Global events/efforts informed by regional events/forums, networks and dynamics.
• Contribute to a tracker to follow up on initiatives with each regional body/initiative.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: Advanced University degree in Social / Political Science, International Relations, Public Relations, Communications or relevant field or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience:

• Minimum of 6 years of related experience in development programmes, partnerships, and advocacy.
• Proven track record of executing successful events in collaboration with multiple stakeholders.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Experience working with and coordinating with Governments.
• Strong advocacy, negotiation and communication skills.
• Good knowledge in school meals, and understanding of the school meals landscape/partners
• Excellent writing skills
• Strong project management and planning skills.
• Well organized and detail oriented,
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Collaborative spirit able to liaise with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.
• Understanding of the dynamics of intra-organizational communications within WFP desirable

Languages: Fluent written English, with French or/and Spanish highly desirable.

Working arrangements: This position is based Rome, HQ.

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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

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

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REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.

• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

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.