Senior Programme Associate (VAM)G7

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WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

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.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Secondary school education; courses in Statistical and GIS Package in a relevant subject (e.g. development studies, agriculture and rural development, economics, geography, food security, nutrition, disaster management / disaster risk reduction, econometrics/statistics);

Language: Advanced writing and speaking skills in English, with fluency in at least two local languages;

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

WFP is the primary United Nations Agency on the front line in addressing hunger in the world. In The Gambia WFP has been present since 1970, assisting in the country’s efforts to reduce hunger and help build up people’s food security in the long term. WFP is active in the Gambia mainly through a Capacity Development Project by establishing a transition towards a nationally owned school feeding programme, supporting nearly 100,000 schoolchildren in almost 300 schools across the country. In addition, strong emphasis is being placed on national capacity building in adjacent areas such as Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping, Disaster Risk Management and Nutrition.

To meet the Government’s increasing demand for technical assistance in the area of food security and vulnerability analysis and ensure sustainability of capacity development activities, WFP will recruit a Sr. Programme (VAM) Associate. The work will focus on the overall objective of further strengthening vulnerability analysis systems and supporting regular and timely monitoring of vulnerability and food insecurity in The Gambia.

JOB PURPOSE

To provide effective coordination and specialized support to a full range of policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs through Food Security, Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM), Under the supervision of the Head of Programme and technical support from WFP Regional Bureau - Dakar

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

The Sr. Programme Associate (VAM) will assist in the implementation of WFP’s activities and in meeting the increasing demand for the strengthening of national capacities and for ensuring sustainable knowledge transfer in the area of VAM. He/she will:

• Contribute towards the development and maintenance of an Integrated Food Security Monitoring System (FSMS) for better preparedness, response and reporting capacity at national and regional level to monitor and protect communities that are at risk to food insecurity, in particular:
• Facilitate the timely preparation and issuance of a Food Security and Market Information Bulletin for The Gambia, jointly with other partners to enable the use of such knowledge in policy and programme development at national and regional level;
• Facilitate the collection and analysis of secondary data regarding food security and vulnerability, in particular on market prices, agricultural production, livelihoods and coping;
• ndertake in-country field missions for primary data collection and monitoring (e.g. market price data, food consumption and utilization, coping) as necessary;
• Provide data collection and basic training to the WFP field and Cooperating Partner staff;
• Liaise with relevant government authorities, research institutes and other cooperating partners on food security monitoring, assist in the organization of food security, vulnerability and emergency assessments and build effective and results oriented collaboration with partners and beneficiaries towards the strengthening of food security monitoring systems;  
• Strengthen analysis and operational capacities of WFP and national institutions during joint food security, emergency and needs assessments and baseline studies;
• Assist in implementation of programming modalities such as market access programmes (cash transfers);

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.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Advanced computer skills and fluency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher); working knowledge in other statistical / mapping software(e.g. SPSS, STATA, ArcGIS)/ smart technology;
• Advanced English and writing skills, with fluency in at least two local languages;
• Proven ability to provide well-grounded analysis of statistical relationships
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Proven report writing skills and ability to present ideas clearly;
• Creative, solution oriented and proactive mindset;

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• At least six (6) years of working experience / assessment / survey experience in the humanitarian / development sectors, including as consultant, enumerator, trainee or volunteer.
• Experience with early warning, food security analysis and/or monitoring and evaluation;
• Experience in capacity building and effective knowledge transfer;
• Experience in emergency response / disaster risk management;
• Excellent and effective written and oral communication skills;

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Closing date of application: 25th May 2018 at 12:00 pm

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Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply

- WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and considers qualified women & men from all backgrounds as applicants to work for the organization- Women will constitute 30% of candidate longlists and shortlists.
- Share through women's rights organisations and women's professional associations to achieve a wider pool of qualified women candidates.

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

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.