Vulnerability Analysis & Mapping (VAM) Officer FT-NOB

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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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. On average, WFP reaches more than 90 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year.

WFP’s Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Panama (RBP), has the overall objective to ensure strategic coherence and support programmes and management excellence for WFP operations in the region. The RBP Programme Unit in particular is responsible for:

- Providing regional strategic guidance, policy support and direction with respect to WFP operations and activities in the region.

- Providing oversight of WFP Country Office operations and activities in the region.

- Ensuring adequate technical support is provided to Country Offices (CO) so that they possess the necessary technical and operational capacities required.

The Bureau has a triple function as coordinator, technical advisor and provider of technical assistance in the Country Offices.

Programmatic activities in RBP are, broadly speaking, positioned along three major strategic axes, namely 1) emergency preparedness and response  2) disaster risk reduction, resilience and climate change adaptation programmes; 3) human capital development, including through social protection (nutrition, school feeding etc).

JOB PURPOSE

To adequately fulfil its mandate, the Research, Assessment and Monitoring team is currently looking for a resource to fill the position of National Food Security Research Assessment and Monitoring Officer. Being an active member to the team that promotes the generation of programmatic evidence and support capacity strengthening effort in the region (e.g. monitoring exercises, needs assessment and situation analyses, programme design, targeting, cost effectiveness, and operational efficiency).

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Contribute to the development of RAM projects and activities, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider WFP policies and guidance.
2. Support development and application of quantitative and qualitative data collection systems and tools for the monitoring and assessment of food assistance needs in line with innovative methodologies and best practice.
3. Support the development of food security and vulnerability analysis and the preparation of timely reports on food assessment needs in line with wider VAM policies, processes and guidance to enable effective decision-making on the development of country strategy, policies and programmes.
4. Provide assistance on the conducting and/or managing food security data gathering, monitoring exercises and needs assessments that are impartial, independent, credible and meet professional standards.
5. Liaise with implementing partners (internal and external) to monitor ongoing projects, ensuring effective collaboration, timeliness and efficiency and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
6. Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and national government to conduct vulnerability analysis to effectively inform preparedness and response activities.
7. Provide support to relevant partners that are focusing on food security and nutrition issues to enable sharing of experience, lessons learned and best practice.
8. Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with analysis and queries.
9. Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs.
10. Other as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Economics, Food Security, Statistics, Data Science, Public Health/Nutrition, Geography or other related field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses.

Experience:

• At least three years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in monitoring, food security, vulnerability analysis or a closely related area.

• Work experience in monitoring humanitarian and/or development interventions, database management and household data analysis.

 • Experience in monitoring, food security, vulnerability and livelihood analysis, needs assessments an asset.

 • Experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in Spanish and English.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Good knowledge of statistical packages (SPSS, Stata, SAS, Excel, Knowledge of Tableau).

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in GIS solutions applied to humanitarian context an asset.

• Working Knowledge of tableau or similar visualization tools Demonstrated ability to present information and ideas and to communicate effectively.

• Track record of producing reports and other communication materials.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to compile, maintain and analyze data, prepare reports and draw initial conclusions and recommendations.

• Ability to work in a team and maintain effective work relationships with counterparts.

• Effective and timely interaction with colleagues and concerned parties internally and externally, flexibility in accepting work assignments outside normal desk description.

• Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

• Demonstrated ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those under supervision.

• Good analytical skills.

• Resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgement, tact, negotiating skills.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of several statistical tools and methods for food security analysis.
• Developed practical expertise in food security analysis and mapping by participating in multiple assessments in countries, including the design, data collection and analysis.
• Demonstrated technical knowledge and understanding of WFP vulnerability mapping systems and emergency assessment standards.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position: VAM Officer NOB

Number of openings: 1

Based in: Panama City, Panama

Unit: Programme

Type of Contract: Fixed Term

Level: National Officer/ NOB

Duration: 12 months.

Only short-listed qualified candidates will receive an acknowledgement.

This position is open only to Panamanian citizens.

You can consult the UN Salary Scale for Panama page for your reference.

Fixed-Term appointments are for a continuous period of one year or more and shall have a specified expiration date. The initial appointment is subject to a probationary period of one year.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please create a personal account and fill out the profile form with your personal information at http://www1.wfp.org/careers/job-openings. If you are internal applicant, apply through your E-Recruitment profile.

In the application form, ensure filling the mandatory sections, attaching your CV, answering the pre-screening questions and agreeing on the legal statement before submitting your application. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis on account of potential and performance. All applicants will undergo a rigorous process which includes screening against job requirements, a technical test, and a panel interview.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline to apply to this position  is December 07, 2021.

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“Qualified applicants, especially female applicants, are 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.