Programme Assistant (Nutrition)

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• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

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

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• 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: Programme Assistant (Nutrition)
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Service contract (SC-5)
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme
DUTY STATION (City, Country): PMU BRECSA, Gelephu, Bhutan
DURATION: 12 months (renewable)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) has been in Bhutan since 1974. After almost 50 years of support to school meals in Bhutan, WFP, through the country strategic plan (2024–2028), will strengthen and support government efforts to deliver equitable and inclusive economic growth and support human capital development. Key contributions will include expanding investments and capacities in resilient food systems, integrating food security and nutrition considerations into social protection, and strengthening systems for emergency preparedness and response. All WFP activities will continue to operate with and through WFP’s partnerships with the Government. A prominent feature of the WFP’s country strategic plan will be to expand WFP’s capacity strengthening of government institutions and engagement of private sector partners while adopting a sharper gender focus.

The WFP is partnering with IFAD and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MOAL) in implementing the Building Resilient Commercial Smallholder Agriculture (BRECSA) Project. The project is supported by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) and IFAD and aims to to catalyze a 30% increase in resilient commercial agricultural production and improve food and nutrition security in 4 target Districts if Bhutan (Trongsa, Tsirang, Sarpang and Zhemgang) by 2030. The objective is to transform smallholder agriculture into inclusive and resilient agri-food systems that are increasingly profitable and food and nutritionsecure. BRECSA targets subsistence, semi-commercial and commercial farmer households. The total direct beneficiaries of BRECSA interventions are 12,074 farmer households (47088 beneficiaries), out of which 60% will be women and 30% youth. 

Under sub-component 1.3, the project promotes an integrated Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) approach that combines diversified food production, nutrition-sensitive value chains, behaviour change communication, community capacity strengthening, and market linkages to improve household diets, nutrition, resilience and livelihoods. The project supports vulnerable households through interventions such as home gardens, nutrition model gardens, small livestock production, promotion of nutrient-rich crops, nutrition education and stronger linkages between agriculture, health, schools and local markets. Although 98 percent of households in Bhutan are food secure, dietary diversity within Bhutanese households is inadequate. Child malnutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies persist, and the country faces an increase in obesity and chronic diseases among its population. Targeting food security alone is insufficient for improving nutritional status. To improve nutritional outcomes, there is a need to improve access to, and availability of, and consumption of nutritious food to enhance dietary diversity through combining the income pathway with (i) diversified food production (nutrition sensitive value chain), (ii) enhanced nutrition awareness and food habits, and (iii) intensified linkages between local farmers and school. The nutrition component therefore adopts an integrated food systems approach that strengthens nutrition-sensitive agricultural production, promotes nutritious value chains, supports local food procurement, enhances household consumption of diverse diets, and improves collaboration among agriculture, health, education and community stakeholders.

WFP seeks a qualified national Programme Assistant (Nutrition) for an initial period of 12 months, renewable subject to organizational requirements and satisfactory performance. The Programme Assistant will support the Nutrition Officer in in planning, coordinating and monitoring Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA), Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), nutrition-sensitive value chain and capacity strengthening interventions under BRECSA, working closely with government agencies, implementing partners and community stakeholders.

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

• Support the Nutrition Officer in the implementation of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, nutritionsensitive value chain, and Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), and food systems interventions under the BRECSA Project, ensuring alignment with annual work plans, project objectives and nutrition outcomes. 
• Assist in organizing and coordinating baseline, mid-term, and endline surveys, including dietary diversity assessments formative research, beneficiary assessments and consultations to inform evidence-based programme design.
• Supports monitoring of project indicators, nutrition outcomes, value chain activities, beneficiary progress and preparation of technical reports, dashboards and lessons learned.
• Support the development, pilot testing, validation, production, dissemination, and monitoring of nutrition education materials, facilitator guides, digital behaviour change resources, communication campaigns and community learning materials. 
• Provide logistical and programme support for trainings, refresher training for agriculture and livestock extension officers, community mobilizers (SJs), district nutritionists, farmers groups, field demonstration and nutrition campaigns.
• Liaise with implementing partners, government agencies, district nutritionists, extension workers, and community stakeholders to support integrated implementation of Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture interventions.
• Support tracking of annual work plans, implementation milestones, nutrition indicators, value chain interventions, budget and reporting requirements, identifying implementation bottlenecks and recommending corrective actions. 
• Support field monitoring of nutrition model gardens, home gardens, nutrition education sessions, demonstration and nutrition-sensitive value chain activities, documenting good practices and lessons learn.
• Support integration of nutrition considerations into agricultural value chains by promoting diversified production, consumption of nutrient-rich foods, local food systems, market linkages and behaviour change interventions that contribute to improved household nutrition.
• Support capacity strengthening of government frontline workers, community mobilizers, farmer groups and implementing partners through technical guidance, training coordination, coaching and follow-up support.
• Support integration of nutrition into agricultural commercialization by promoting diversified production, post-harvest handling, local procurement, nutrition-sensitive enterprises and market linkages that contribute to improved household diets and incomes.
• Respond to routine operational and programme-related queries and refer complex technical issues to the Nutrition Officer as appropriate.
• Perform any other programme support duties related to nutrition, social inclusion, and emergency response activities as required to support the achievement of project objectives.
• Any other responsibilities specified by the supervisor.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES

• Minimum five years of progressively responsible work experience in a related functional area.
• Has provided programme and administrative support for nutrition, health, food security, social protection, agriculture, or community development projects.
• Has assisted in organizing trainings, workshops, field missions, community outreach activities, and stakeholder consultations.
• Has experience in data collection, data entry, compilation, tracking, and preparation of routine programme reports.
• Has facilitated communication and coordination with government counterparts, implementing partners, NGOs, and community stakeholders.
• Has supported monitoring activities, including field visits, beneficiary tracking, and documentation of programme progress and results.
• Has contributed to the implementation of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, behaviour change communication, or community-based nutrition activities.
• Experience working with UN agencies, government programmes, or development partners is an advantage.
• Exposure to the nutrition and / or health environment in Bhutan would be an asset.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to compile, analyze, and present information clearly and accurately.
• Knowledge of nutrition, food security, and community-based development programmes is desirable. •
• Good understanding of Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture, food systems, nutrition-sensitive value chains and behaviour change approaches.
• Knowledge of community-based nutrition programming and participatory extension approaches.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize work under minimal supervision.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Familiarity with digital data collection systems and data visualization tools is an asset.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with government counterparts, partners, and communities

Education:

• Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate, diploma, or university degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Food Science, Agriculture, Community Development, Social Sciences, or a related field is desirable.

Language:

• Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Dzongkha.

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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

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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.

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