Regional Environmental Management Advisor, Regional Bureau for Western Africa

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

JOB TITLE: Regional Environmental Management Advisor, Regional Bureau for Western Africa              

Contract Type: Regular Consultancy / CST

Contract duration:  ASAP to December 2021 (possibility of renewal)

Duty Station (City, Country): WFP Regional Bureau for Western Africa, Dakar, Senegal

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

BACKGROUND OF THE ASSIGNMENT

WFP strives to be a leader in environmental sustainability within the UN system. In pursuit of this goal, WFP adopted a new Environmental policy in February 2017, which commits the organization to avoiding unintended harm to the environment, its beneficiaries, or any other affected populations as a result of our operations and programmes, and to maximise environmental benefits. The policy contains three tools: a set of environmental and social standards, risk screening of activity design, and an environmental management system (EMS) consistent with the international standard ISO 14001. Collectively, these three elements are known as WFP's Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework (ESSF).

WFP is recruiting up to six Regional Environmental Management Advisors to facilitate the implementation of the EMS in country operations within their region. They will also support country offices in researching and delivering local actions to reduce environmental impacts on a continuous improvement basis, develop and deliver training to colleagues, and support global environmental mainstreaming efforts across WFP, within the UN system and in collaboration with the wider humanitarian community.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

These roles will be based in the regional bureaux and report to the regional head of admin, with a secondary functional reporting line to senior staff within the Environmental Unit, part of WFP’s Management Services Division in the Rome Headquarters.

At the Regional Bureau for Western Africa (RBD) level, the regional environmental advisor is expected to coordinate with the Environmental and Social Safeguards Advisors (who support country office teams on the risk screening process described above) as well as counterparts in Administration, Supply Chain, TEC and other units as necessary.

It is also expected that the Regional Environmental Management Advisor will ordinarily be travelling in the region up to 50% of their time with occasional travel outside the region as required. 

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

At this position, you will be in charge of:

1. Capacity building and training of country offices: Promote awareness of WFP's ESS Framework among senior management and staff; promote understanding of the organization's environmental impacts and of EMS as a tool for systematically managing those impacts. Contribute to the development and lead delivery in the selected region of specific training for key functional areas (within the administration, supply chain etc.). Contribute to the continuing development and review of guidance materials, SOPs, data collection tools and other EMS documentation.
2. Technical support to country offices: in line with WFP's EMS Manual, undertake and document environmental assessment missions and support country operations to secure senior management approval for priority actions. Within the framework of WFP's EMS, support WFP staff from diverse functions to research, plan and implement environmental improvement solutions to address significant environmental aspects and impacts and deliver continuous improvement in environmental performance. Advise country operations during an emergency response to promote adherence to WFP's environmental and social standards. Collect and share best practices and seek opportunities to promote regional and global solutions to common environmental challenges, where applicable.
3. Contribute to the strategic direction and guidance to country offices: Support country offices to identify and comply with national environmental regulations, specific requirements from donors and other stakeholder obligations. Support the application of sustainable procurement principles in procurement processes (develop guidance, conduct market research, draft specifications, suggest minimum requirements etc.). Seek opportunities to collaborate with other UN agencies in the same locations, and as part of UN Reform processes; contribute proactively to UN and humanitarian networks to promote mainstreaming of environmental sustainability practices and collaborative solutions. Work to identify regional and country-specific funding sources to support the implementation of improvement projects.
4. Management oversight: Support country operations to monitor and report periodic progress of implementation of the EMS action plans, and to compile indicator data for WFP's annual environmental footprint and meet UN and WFP corporate reporting commitments. Support country operations staff in preparation for EMS spot checks and reviews as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT

1. Completed environmental assessments and action plans for agreed countries within their region.
2. Completed environmental footprint data for 2020 (compiled early 2021) for all countries within the appointed region
3. Project implementation documented in corporate software (ARCHIBUS) and selected projects written up as published case studies.
4. A standalone final report summarising training delivered, missions completed and key achievements during the period of appointment.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED 

EDUCATION:

• An advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in one of the following areas: Environmental Studies, Environmental Management, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Engineering, or a related field
• Formal training and/or accreditation in ISO14001 will be highly regarded

EXPERIENCE:

• At least six (6) years of postgraduate experience in environmental management, including site assessment, EMS implementation and corporate sustainability reporting.
• Experience in delivering training is required.
• Professional experience must include implementing, or supporting implementation, in developing country contexts, in environments similar to WFP field operations.
• Prior experience working within, or in connection with, a UN system organization or in the humanitarian sector will be highly regarded.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

• Detailed knowledge of the ISO 14001 standard and its application, including auditing and development of supporting documentation.
• In-depth knowledge of at least two of the following disciplines: waste management, energy/GHG management, water management, environmental compliance, and sustainable procurement, preferably in a developing country/humanitarian context.
• Proficiency in MS Office software, particularly Excel and communication tools.
• Ability to expertly write and translate complex concepts for a variety of audiences, with the ability to facilitate training workshops/meetings and write reports for internal and external audiences.
• Persuasive public speaking skills and proven ability to coordinate and effectively communicate across multiple units and departments (including headquarters, regional, and country office levels) and with external private and public parties/stakeholders.
• Ability to work and coordinate with multiple teams and with offices in remote locations.
• Proven ability to successfully operate within the different geographic and cultural contexts in which WFP operates. In-depth understanding of environmental and social sustainability and links with food security.

LANGUAGE:

• Excellent written and spoken French (level C) and English intermediate (level B); or excellent written and spoken English (level C) and French intermediate (level B)

WHY WORK WITH US? 

This position is based in the Regional Bureau for Western Africa, Dakar, Senegal. It supports 19 country offices (CO) in their programme delivery and advocate for the integration of WFP corporate priorities (People at the centre, Organizational effectiveness, Triple Nexus and Digital transformation) into national policies and programmes.

The Regional Bureau core functions are to provide strategic guidance, technical support, and operational oversight. By providing guidance and policy support to COs, the Regional Bureau ensures clear communication at management level between HQ, RB and COs, in line with the realignment of HQ-RB responsibilities, including advisory support to improve the quality of programme implementation, positioning and fundraising efforts. Significant work of the Regional Bureau is around technical support provided to COs, notably to ensure the quality of project design, to facilitate the sharing of technical resources and enhance CO’s staff capacity. WFP Regional Bureau also advocates for assessing and recommending appropriate actions to strengthen the capacities of Governments and National actors involved in achieving SDG2, foster the linkages between national academics, research entities and WFP operations. The Regional Bureau works to strengthen emergency preparedness and response capacities across the region to strategically position WFP as the leading organization responding to emergencies.

This is an opportunity for an exciting and challenging position in a multi-cultural and interdisciplinary team, based in a unique location, on a topic with high relevance. In addition, we offer:

➡️Meaningful and impactful careers:

Our day to day work makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve

➡️Continuous learning and training:

We provide learning tools for our staff to continually develop their careers

➡️Multicultural and stimulating work environment:

We encourage gender and cultural diversity to make our teams stronger

Join us to make a difference, watch this video to know more about us!!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnaxfnNKdsM&t=7s

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 24 September 2021

Qualified female applicants are especially encouraged to apply.

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate based on race, sex, colour, ethnic group, age, sexual orientation, other affiliation, or 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.