Programme Policy Officer (Basic Needs Coordination and Liaison) SC9 Ankara

.

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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Turkey has become the largest refugee-hosting nation in the world. Over 2.7 million Syrian refugees are officially registered by the Government to date. The Government of Turkey taking the leading role in the provision of protection and assistances demonstrates strong national ownership. The objective of WFP’s planned operation is saving lives and protecting livelihoods in a complex operational context. WFP plans to continue the provision of food assistance to the most vulnerable Syrians in Turkey, to support the development of access for Syrians to national safety nets, and support developing livelihood opportunities through a coordinated, large-scale and harmonized response.

This post falls within the broad framework of the operations within the Turkey country office, linked to the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN). The post will be located in the WFP Ankara office in Turkey with travel to field locations. The incumbent will report directly to the Deputy Country Director. He/she will operate with a high degree of independence whilst also working and supervising a Coordination team based in Ankara, Gaziantep and Istanbul (covering  Izmir).  

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the WFP Deputy County Director in Turkey and in close consultation with relevant technical divisions in the country office and HQ, including but not limited to VAM, OMEP, Information Management and Policy and Programmes (cash based transfers (CBTs), AAP, social protection, gender, resilience and disaster risk reduction).

JOB PURPOSE

The objective of the Basic Needs Working Group, Cash-based Interventions Technical Working Group, Food Security and Agriculture Working Group, and the ESSN Task Force in Turkey is to ensure a timely, coherent and effective response by mobilizing stakeholders to respond in a strategic manner to the humanitarian crisis and Turkish operation for refugees. The role of the Programme Policy Officer (Basic Needs Coordination and Liaison) is to lead, support and facilitate this process on behalf of WFP through:

• Establish and maintain appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanisms;
• Coordinate relevant Sector Working Groups/ Task Forces with all partners and stakeholders;
• Coordination with national/local authorities, state institutions, local civil society and other relevant actors in regards to a more robust coordination of basic needs and food security interventions;
• Ensuring appropriate participatory and community-based approaches within relevant fora;
• Ensuring appropriate attention to priority cross-cutting and cross-sectoral issues (i.e. gender, age, HIV and AIDS, human rights, environment and early recovery);
• Support the development of relevant needs assessments and vulnerability analysis;
• Coordinating sector-wide emergency preparedness and resilience;
• Undertaking inter-agency planning and strategy development;
• Ensuring the application of appropriate standards (i.e. SPHERE) and assessment tools;
• Ensuring monitoring and reporting is standardized across the sector and meets the minimum requirements of ESSN and regional reporting (eg. 3RP);
• Undertaking training and capacity building;

The WFP Programme Policy Officer (Basic Needs Coordination and Liaison) will work impartially with all members of relevant sector working groups and task forces and will serve and represent the groups as a whole when appropriate.

He or she will work closely with the WFP Head of Programme to ensure that all activities are in line with agreed and established priorities.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the general supervision of the WFP Deputy Country Director, the Programme Policy Officer (Basic Needs Security Coordination and Liaison) will be expected to undertake the following tasks specifically:

a.     Mapping of Working Group Partners’ Capacities and Activities

1. Undertake regular 4Ws mapping (“who, what, where and when”) to ensure that information on the programmes and projects of working group partners is comprehensive and up-to-date, as a basis of monitoring humanitarian response, and identifying eventual gaps;
2. Ensure that 4Ws, as well as meeting minutes, reports and regular sector documents are regularly produced and shared;
3. Support the roll-out and training of BN actors in the use of ActivityInfo.

b.     Coordination with other Sectors, National/Local Authorities, State Institutions, Local Civil Society and Other Relevant Actors

1. Ensure that working group partners’ humanitarian responses build on local capacities whenever and wherever possible;
2. Develop effective linkages with other relevant sectors (e.g. Livelihoods, Health, and Protection) to improve humanitarian integrated response through joint planning;
3. Ensure appropriate links to promote coordination and information exchange with national and local authorities, government institutions at all geographic levels, local civil society and other relevant actors;
4. Improve information exchange and coordination with relevant actors outside of the sector, including donors, humanitarian organisations, Civil Society and the private sector.

c.     Coordination of Basic Needs and Food Security Assessment and Vulnerability Analysis

1. Proactively organize, lead and participate in needs assessments and, where possible, common analysis rolling-out a balanced strategy linking assistance with basic needs security objectives/activities;
2. Work as a group to define a strategic plan and priorities through consensus, including at working level to prioritize, avoid duplication on the ground, identify and respond to gaps and include contingency planning;
3. Ensure partners agree on tools and approaches through consensus-building (core indicators, compatible assessments, processes and analysis, etc.);
4. Ensure that data and analysis are shared.

d.     Coordination of Basic Needs and Food Security Programmes and Activities

1. Participate in other sector meetings to ensure synergy with Basic Needs and Food Security sector priorities and activities;
2. Proactively liaise with different functional areas including but not limited to cash based transfers, social protection, gender, nutrition and resilience to ensure a more harmonized food security response, in line with broader regional strategic priorities;
3. Organize meetings with partners to ensure common vulnerability targeting methodologies and people in need figures, so as to avoid gaps and duplication of efforts;
4. Coordinate with technical areas at ALO, RB and HQ (eg. VAM, M&E, C&V) to ensure most appropriate programmatic tools and best practices are used and/or shared with FS actors.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES CONTINUED (not all-inclusive)

e. Evaluation, Monitoring and Reporting

1. Ensure adequate reporting on first use actors’ achievements and effective information-sharing, accountability and transparency;
2. Ensure adequate monitoring mechanisms are in place to review the impact of working group activities, and work-plan, contributing to the 3RP;
3. Update agreed response strategies and action plans for the working groups and ensure that these are adequately reflected in overall country strategies and relevant Government Plans, if applicable.

   f. Advocacy and Resource Mobilization

1. Identify common advocacy concerns, including resource requirements, and contribute key messages to broader advocacy initiatives of the Country Office and other major Basic Needs Security players in country, who do not regularly participate in coordination mechanisms;
2. Develop and implement a communication and advocacy strategy on behalf of working group partners to ensure that key decision-makers, including government and donors, are aware of the needs, priorities, geographic and programmatic gaps and importance of necessary support to the sector activities.
3. Advocate for donors to fund humanitarian actors to carry out priority activities in the Basic Needs and Food Security Sector, while at the same time encouraging partners to mobilize resources for their activities through their existing bilateral channels.

g.  Coordination with Programme Team

1. Develop effective linkages with relevant programme team members, specifically AAP, Protection, and VAM/M&E;
2. Ensure appropriate links with the programme team to promote coordination and, through partners, assist with barriers to accessing the ESSN;
3. Improve information exchange, coordination and joint planning with programme team to increase effective programming around the ESSN.

h. Mentor and Lead

1. Complete hiring process of 5-person coordination team.
2. Guide and supervise Gaziantep and Istanbul –based working groups and task forces, as well as Izmir coordination.
3. Mentor and provide direction to the coordination team, seeking opportunities for growth and guidance.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Understands WFP’s Strategic Objectives and the link to own work objectives.
• Be a force for positive change: Flexibly adapts individual contributions to accommodate changes in direction from supervisors and internal/external changes (such as evolving needs of beneficiaries, new requirements of partners).
•  Make the mission inspiring to our team: Recognizes and shares with team members the ways in which individual contributions relate to WFP’s mission.
•  Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Sets own goals in alignment with WFP’s overall operations, and is able to communicate this link to others.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses to increase self-awareness, and includes these in conversations on own developmental needs.
•  Create an inclusive culture: Participates in open dialogue, and values the diverse opinion of others, regardless of background, culture, experience, or country assignment.
•  Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Proactively seeks feedback and coaching to build confidence, and develop and improve individual skills.
•  Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Participates in accomplishing team activities and goals in the face of challenging circumstances.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Shows willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.
•  Focus on getting results: Consistently delivers results within individual scope of work on time, on budget and without errors.
•  Make commitments and make good on commitments: Commits to upholding individual accountabilities and responsibilities in the face of ever-changing country or functional priorities.
•  Be Decisive: Makes rational decisions about individual activities when faced with uncertain circumstances, including in times of ambiguity regarding information or manager direction.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Seeks to understand and adapt to internal or cross-unit teams’ priorities and preferred working styles.
•  Build strong external partnerships: Demonstrates ability to understand and appropriately respond to and/or escalate needs of external partners.
•  Be politically agile & adaptable: Portrays an informed and professional demeanor toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
•  Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Provides operational support on analyses and assessments that quantifies and demonstrates WFP’s unique value as a partner.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• At least four years of professional experience in humanitarian sector at a mid- or senior level with emphasis on coordination with external partners.
• Experience in managing teams.
• Facilitation: experience of high level coordination and chairing of meetings.
• Formal training in cluster co-ordination or previous cluster experience is desirable
• Experience in advocacy is an asset
• Advanced university degree in food security, agriculture, economics, political economy, communications, international relations, business administration or related field.
• Ability to work and plan at both strategic and operational levels.
• Understanding of the international humanitarian response architecture, including coordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform and action and funding mechanisms.
• Facilitation and communication: experience in coordination and meeting management; ability to work with a wide range of different stakeholders and develop consensus and joint working; excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and written.
• Ability of transforming analytical work into user-friendly products;
• Excellent communications and management skills including;
• Ability to work and plan at strategic as well as operational levels;
• Ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders and develop consensus and joint working;
• Understanding of the international humanitarian and development response architecture, including co-ordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform and action, and funding mechanisms (e.g. HPC and UNDAF);

Coping with pressure: ability to work productively in a pressurized environment and to maintain visibly high levels of morale in difficult circumstances;

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Prior basic needs and/or food security and coordination experience in the region.
• Formal training in Basic Needs and/or Food Security Analysis and Coordination.
• Turkish and/or Arabic is an asset.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Contract duration is 12 months (renewable)

REMUNERATION

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. Local gross salary is offered on an annual basis starting from TRY 139,680.00 / year.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

No later than 8 October 2018

Female candidates are encouraged to apply. 

.

Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

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.