School Feeding Programme Coordinator / Activity Manager

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.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has implemented the School Feeding Programme (SFP) in Tajikistan since 1999. As of May 2019, SFP covers 52 districts and reaches over 400,000 beneficiaries, targeting primary school students at approximately 2,000 schools, accounting for more than half of the schools across the country. The SFP has been implemented with financial support from the Russian Federation, implemented through two Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), one with the Ministry of Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM) and the other with the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation (MINFIN). Funds from EMERCOM are used to procure and deliver food commodities, whereas funds from the MINFIN are spent on capacity development and augmentation (CD&A) activities. The CD&A activities are implemented in partnership with the Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute (SIFI).

Responding to the Decade of Action (2020 – 2030), WFP will work with the government and partners to jointly ensure all primary schoolchildren have access to good quality meals in school, accompanied by a broader integrated package of health and nutrition services. Together with the government, WFP will develop time-bound national targets and handover strategies, leading to a gradual decrease of WFP operational beneficiaries in the coming years. Through this process and beyond, WFP will continue to support development and testing of innovative and new approaches.

The above described initiatives would require enhanced capacity at the country office level and strong coordination with internal and external stakeholders. As the SF Activity Manger, the SFP Coordinator will lead all aspects of SFP initiatives, ensuring the gradual handover of SFP activities to the government is well organized and systematically achieved.

Education and Experience:

• Advanced university degree in International Affairs, Education, Social Sciences, or other field relevant to international development assistance; OR
• First university degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Languages:

• Fluency (level C) in English is required;
• Working proficiency in Russian is desirable;
• Familiarity with Tajik is desirable.

1. External Coordination:

• Engage at strategic (and technical, as required) level with key government officials directly or indirectly involved in decision making over the national SFP, including at the intersectoral coordination council, with line ministries (e.g., Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Agriculture, etc.), and other government entities at the central level;
• Explore partnership opportunities for school-based multisectoral interventions, in coordination with the government, UN agencies, international financial institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society;
• Lead the conceptualization and implementation of a new phase of the MINFIN project, in coordination with relevant units in the country office, government stakeholders, and SIFI;
• Lead the coordination of the Systems Approach for Better Education Results - School Health and School Feeding (SABER-SF) through collaboration with World Bank, MOES and other stakeholders;
• Represent WFP at various technical coordination forums including Development Coordination Council working groups for Education and Social Protection; support the liaisons with relevant interagency multisectoral coordination forums like Scaling up Nutrition.

2. Internal Coordination:

• Develop a strategy/implementation plan supporting the WFP School Feeding Strategy 2020-2030 and inclusive of all current and potential WFP Tajikistan SFP initiatives to reflect a consolidated approach resulting in the gradual transition to and ownership of the SFP by the government;

• Provide oversight, management, and support in developing and implementing all SFP initiatives, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with WFP corporate and Government of Tajikistan policies and guidance; key initiatives include, but are not limited to:
  • Provision of daily hot-meals in schools;
  • Establishment of an SFP unit within the Ministry of Science and Education;
  • Launch and scale-up of cash-based transfers to schools, linking local smallholder farmers;
  • Public-private partnerships that support SFP;
  • Innovative and complementary programming to support optimal SFP (e.g., microgrants, district development plans, school kitchen renovations, etc.);
  • Potential new programming that targets beyond the current demographic to include early child development, adolescents, and youth;
  • Potential new programming in urban and peri-urban settings;

• Support the implementation of the WFP Tajikistan Country Strategic Plan through ensuring cross- cutting efforts such as nutrition-sensitivity, gender and diversity inclusion, protection and accountability, and linkages with other activities, including resilience and capacity development, are integrated into SFP;
• Research and analyse policy and operational issues to support colleagues in the development of policies, programmes, and activities;
• Ensure robust, systematic, and standardized monitoring and reporting of all SFP activities;
• Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information;
• Identify, develop, and manage potential partnerships (public, private, or civic) that lead to improved SFP packages;

• Support the capacity building of WFP country office and field staff, partners, and government counterparts to prepare for and respond to SFP;

• Provide technical guidance, training, support and advice to all staff responsible for the implementation of SFP;

• Research, develop, and diversify the portfolio through sourcing and obtaining alternative funding streams;

1. Any other tasks as needed.

1. Comprehensive SFP strategy/plan detailing existing and potential activities and pathway to handover of SFP to the government;
2. Key SFP initiatives achieved through oversight of and support to the SFP team;
3. Regular SFP reports inclusive of evidence gathered from field monitoring;
4. Strong, sustainable collaborations with relevant government and public-private counterparts;
5. Diversified funding portfolio.

• Programme management experience in social protection and/or education;
• Experience in managing capacity strengthening activities for the government;
• Experience in managing or co-managing a SABER-SF;
• Has engaged in high-level strategic discussions regarding policy and has provided input into policy decisions;

October 4, 2020

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.