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Junior Professional Officer (JPO) - Programme Policy Officer - Cash Based Transfers

Niger

  • Organization: WFP - World Food Programme
  • Location: Niger
  • Grade: Junior level - P-2, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Legal - Broad
    • Political Affairs
    • Cash-Based Interventions
    • Project and Programme Management
  • Closing Date: Closed

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme

 

Programme Policy Officer – Cash Based Transfers

Programme Unit

Niger Country Office, Niamey Niger

 

TERMS OF REFERENCE

 

 

 

ABOUT WFP

 

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.

 

WFP Niger is currently seeking for a Junior Professional Officer to fill the position of Programme Policy Officer – Cash Based Transfers with our Programme Unit based in Niamey.

 

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

 

Niger is a landlocked, low-income, food-deficit country in the Sahel. With a poverty rate of 44 percent and an income of USD 420 per capita, Niger is one of the world's poorest nations, ranked 189 out of 189 countries in the 2018 Human Development Index. The most vulnerable populations are affected by poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, especially women and children. This is aggravated by land degradation and recurrent crises, such as climate-related shocks (droughts, floods), conflict and insecurity, economic shocks and impacts of poor governance of common resources and basic services. Under its Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2020-2024, WFP is supporting the Government in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 on food security and nutrition. Key activities include assistance to groups affected by emergency or prolonged crisis, school feeding, nutrition, rural development, and government capacity strengthening and coordination.

 

Both globally and in Niger, WFP uses a variety of assistance modalities (food, cash, vouchers, capacity strengthening) to reach its beneficiaries; the choice of modality depends on a number of factors including markets’ functionality and beneficiaries’ access to them; preferences of local communities and beneficiaries; protection and security; capacity and coverage of financial service providers and implementing partners; etc. In Niger, WFP has been using cash transfers since 2012 to assist beneficiaries across the country in both rural and urban areas. The amount of cash distributed and its relative proportion to food assistance across the different WFP activities varies from year to year; in recent years WFP has distributed between $10 and $15 million per year, representing between 20 and 30% of its overall assistance and making it the largest provider of humanitarian cash assistance in Niger.

 

While the current cash interventions represent a not-insignificant achievement in terms of scale-up since 2012, WFP Niger seeks to further expand its cash assistance throughout the duration of the new Country Strategic Plan (2020-2024) in terms of coverage but equally in terms of quality, scope, strategic partnership and coordination. While the technological and financial infrastructure in Niger is not as advanced as that of some other countries in the region, there are nonetheless numerous opportunities for digitalisation of processes around beneficiary registration and distribution management, piloting delivery mechanisms such as mobile money, introducing financial education and inclusion particularly for beneficiaries enrolled in longer term activities, etc. Together with Protection and emergency actors such as the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) consortium, WFP aims to increase the use of cash for emergency responses, with adequate safeguards in areas that are challenging for access and security with appropriate risk mitigation measures. In the COVID context, WFP is working increasingly with social protection actors to adapt existing national systems to shocks, and exchange and collaborate around cash delivery practices. Linked to these efforts is the work of the Multi-Sectoral Cash Working Group, co-led by WFP and OCHA, which has the potential to greatly facilitate and enhance the efforts of the different cash actors in Niger, particularly in collaboration with UNHCR, OCHA, and UNICEF within the framework of the global Cash Collaboration Statement of these agencies.

 

Given the numerous and ambitious areas of work outlined above and given also the amount of coordination that each area of work requires both internally and externally (Multisectoral Cash Working Group; coordination with the Government under the CFS: “Cellule Filets Sociaux”; technical working groups focusing on e.g. MEB (Minimum Expenditure Basket)), reinforcement of WFP Niger’s cash based transfer team is required throughout the remaining period of the CSP. Under the guidance of the Head of the Cash Based Transfers section, and working closely with the different WFP Units and Sub-Offices, Government and partners, the JPO will contribute to the timely advancement of these initiatives while gaining exposure and experience in cash transfer strategy, design and implementation.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

 

  • Title of Post: Programme Policy Officer – Cash Based Transfers
  • Grade: P2
  • Supervisor: Head of Cash Based Transfers section
  • Unit: Programme
  • Division/Country Office: Niger
  • Duty Station: Niamey, Niger
  • Duration of assignment: One year, with possibility to extend up to three years

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Cash Based Transfers section within the Programme Unit, the JPO will have the following responsibilities:

 

  • Support the Cash Based Transfer section in providing technical support and strategic advice to WFP Country Office Activity Managers within the Programme Unit, as well as other key units such as Finance, TEC, procurement etc. including facilitating meetings and communication; following-up on advancement against agreed areas of collaboration; developing and documenting new processes.
  • Support the activities associated with the co-leadership of the Multisectoral Cash Working Group, including identification of thematic areas to be discussed by the group; collecting inputs from group members; drafting briefs, reports, presentations; coordination with other Clusters and Working Groups and the RRM consortium, etc.
  • Assist in all matters related to effective WFP implementation of cash-based interventions, including the programming of resources, project monitoring, field visits, analysis and reporting.
  • Ensure that WFP cash-based interventions are efficiently documented, lessons are collected, analyzed, and disseminated, and good practices are embedded within the design and implementation of WFP programmes, in line with evolving corporate guidance around cash-based transfers.
  • Support the capacity building of WFP staff, cooperating partners, and other partners in different areas of cash-based transfers including internal corporate guidance and best practices, and standard operating procedures for WFP Niger cash interventions. Work closely with UNICEF, World Bank and others stakeholders to strengthen the coordination/service delivery of the adaptive social protection (ASP) agenda.
  • Support strategic partnerships and positioning of WFP on innovative CBT solutions including MEB, financial inclusion, ASP, mobile money, multisectoral cash transfers, and their operational scale up.

 

 

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

 

  • Contribution to the timely and coordinated implementation of WFP cash assistance in Niger, in alignment with WFP policies and processes.
  • Contribution to the strategic collaboration between WFP and other governmental and non-governmental actors for the common advancement and coordination of cash assistance in Niger.
  • The timely production of reports, presentations, standard operating procedures, and other material that assist with documenting cash-based initiatives in Niger among internal and external stakeholders
  • Improved capacity within the country office, partners, and stakeholders to understand and execute cash-based assistance programmes.

 

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

 

 

 

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

 

To perform the wide range of tasks and excel in this position, the ideal candidate would also possess:

 

  • Exposure to the international arena either by direct work for an international institution/organization; or, if working for a national entity, by way of interacting with international stakeholders;
  • WFP’s international professionals are required to serve in different locations around the world during the course of their career (including in hardship duty stations); willingness to be mobile would maximise opportunities for long-term retention into the Organization;
  • Strong organizational and writing skills, proactive approach to collaboration and coordination, and ability to absorb and synthesize large and diverse types of information.

 

SUPERVISION

 

The Programme Policy Officer will work under the direct supervision of the Head of the Cash Based Transfers section, and the Head of Programme will act as a second-level supervisor. S/he is expected to work closely with other units in the Country Office and the Sub Offices, as well as with external partners in the various cash coordination efforts. Guidance will be provided on a daily basis as required.

 

TRAINING COMPONENTS

 

The JPO will be fully be integrated into the Programme team and involved in the day to day operations of the team under the supervision of the Head of the Cash Based Transfers section. S/he will be offered possibilities to participate in professional trainings and field visits to WFP project sites and WFP sub-offices relevant to the incumbent’s professional profile as agreed with the supervisor.

 

Training will be provided mainly through on-the-job experience, including attending internal and external meetings, data management, liaising with farmers and partner organizations, and drafting documents. The JPO will also be able to self-train through WFP’s corporate e-learning tools in the area of supply chain and other programmes available for internal users.   

 

Upon arrival, the JPO will receive a comprehensive briefing and background documents, and will be introduced to the relevant working counterparts within and outside WFP.   

 

LEARNING ELEMENTS

 

At the end of the two-year assignment, the JPO should have obtained:

 

  • Very good knowledge of cash-based transfer strategy, design and implementation, including adaptation of best practices and innovative approaches to challenging operational contexts
  • Good skills in strategic planning, day-to-day operational management and problem solving, risk assessment and mitigation, resource management, and collaboration with internal and external partners including government and non-government actors.
  • Familiarity with the core processes and tools of cash based transfer interventions as well as how these can be adapted to local contexts (emergency settings including refugee populations, rural development and resilience, etc) and priorities.
  • Understanding of humanitarian programme cycle particularly in the food security context, with specific knowledge of the Niger context.
  • Good general understanding of WFP’s overall operations and activities in the region of assignment.

 

 

DEADLINE FOR APPLYING: 31 December 2020 at 23:59 Rome time (GMT +1)

 

 

Saving Lives

Changing Lives

 

This vacancy is now closed.
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