Programme Policy Officer Resilience, Assets, Livelihoods P4 - FIT Pool - All Locations

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, color, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, physical or mental disability.

Are you mobile and ready to take you career to the international level?

If yes, this is your opportunity to join the Future International Talent Pool (FIT Pool)!

We are looking for candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. We select our FIT Pool members on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme 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.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org/ and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

ABOUT THE FIT POOL

The Future International Talent Pool (FIT Pool) is an excellent opportunity for a professional international career within WFP. WFP is looking to build a pool of highly qualified and dynamic talents interested in serving in any of the 80 countries where WFP operates. Qualifying for the Resilience, Food Assistance for Assets, Livelihoods FIT Pool gives you priority to be considered for vacant Fixed Term positions anywhere in the world and consequently to pursue your global journey in the humanitarian world, often at the forefront of world affairs. (https://www.wfp.org/countries).  

For more information: https://www.wfp.org/fit-pool

ABOUT PROGRAMME POLICY OFFICERS P4 RESILIENCE, FOOD ASSISTANCE FOR ASSETS AND LIVELIHOODS

These roles are found in Headquarters (HQ), Regional Bureaux (RBs) and Country Offices (COs). Job holders report to the Regional/Country/Division Deputy Director/Head of Programme or the designated Senior Programme Policy Officer and operate in large and complex programme environments. Such environments can be characterised by challenging political, operational or security situations, access restrictions, large and varied programme portfolios requiring a range of approaches, or cutting edge, globally reaching, high profile and strategically important policies and programmes requiring advanced technical, leadership, coordination, and management skills.

Job holders are likely to manage a large and complex portfolio of integrated resilience programmes that may include contribution to and/or direct management of complex programmes in COs, or contribution to policy formulation and provision of technical advice at RB or HQ level for a defined area of expertise relevant for Resilience and Livelihoods Programming. Job holders operate with high independence in their specialities and will manage a team of international, national officers and support staff.

JOB PURPOSE

To lead the development and implementation of resilience, food assistance and livelihoods programmes that effectively meet food assistance needs in complex contexts. To provide technical advice and oversight on the development and implementation of complex strategies related to resilience, food for assets and livelihoods as well as develop and provide programmatic and technical guidance on these three areas of work and integration aspects. To forge strategic and operational partnerships with Government, UN and non-UN actors, and guide a number of scaling up operations and support to COs, including reporting on major achievements and advocacy.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

As a Programme Policy Officer Resilience, Food Assistance for Assets, Livelihoods P4, you will be responsible for the following key duties:

• Oversee and coordinate the design and implementation of large and complex integrated resilience programmes in country office and foster synergies between activities supporting people, communities, systems, to become more resilient to shocks. Those multisectoral integrated programmes combine, as relevant, activities aiming to create climate smart community assets, support livelihoods through individual skills development, strengthen local food systems, promote access to markets and value chain development, improve nutrition, promote adaptation to climate shocks, address structural causes of vulnerability, and mitigate and reduce the negative impacts of shocks and stressors. 
• Provide technical support, as relevant, to programmes focusing on individual, household, and community livelihood assets creation through watershed/landscape-based approaches by adopting and promoting nature-based solutions, soil and water conservation, water infrastructure; individual skills development related to on-farm and off-farm livelihoods both in rural and urban contexts; livelihoods in refugee and displacement contexts; climate adaptation, food systems interventions, and foster programme synergies in line with both organizational strategy and the practical realities of operating in the field. Ensure the translation of WFP-wide programme policy into Regional/Country level contexts and implementation modalities and operations.
• Provide solid technical and, as required, managerial leadership on a broad range of strategically important strategic and programme issues to support government efforts and engage with partners and stakeholders to scale up resilience programmes that consist of integrated, layered, and sequenced initiatives, and contribute to reducing hunger and malnutrition.
• Engage with government stakeholders and partners to provide support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation, and implementation of integrated resilience programmes, and to strengthen government and community ownership and effectiveness of food security and nutrition programmes at global, national, and sub-national levels.
• Identify and develop robust operational partnerships with other multi-sectorial partners (governments, UN, NGO’s, academia, and research institutions) to foster collaborative approaches and initiatives that improve resilience and livelihoods related assistance packages and support advocacy work (e.g., via best practices and other technical/training guidance).
• Enhance WFP’s leadership status in different forums on subjects related to resilience, engagement in the triple-nexus contexts and seek entry points for context driven assets creation design and implementation, through direct participation and/or through briefings, information products and other training/guidance notes materials.
• Monitor and oversee operational research and evidence building on issues relevant to the use of resilience programmes to support advocacy for WFP, and to strengthen programme/proposals formulation and mobilization of resources; monitor and oversee preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports, publications, and a variety of information products or proposals for internal and/or external use, that demonstrate how resilience building efforts are advancing to enable informed decision-making related to the programmes.

• Advocate for resources for a broad portfolio of WFP resilience programmes, that clearly articulate where the need and opportunities for food assistance related resilience programmes are relevant and required and follow up on the resource situation of projects including commodity and cash availability.
• Advise and support the development and implementation of functional training that enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partners to design and deliver effective integrated resilience programmes in line with corporate guidance such as the Resilience Toolkit. 
• Ensure that the assigned financial resources are put to best use for achievement of set objectives.
• Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of this work to ensure meaningful participation of women and men and the empowerment of women and youth and other marginalized groups. This may include actions at multiple levels from individual, household, community, institutions and systems, such as access to information and training, land tenure rights and other mechanisms to ensure access to land and community assets for women and vulnerable/marginalized groups and enhancing women’s social capital. Also ensure that other cross-cutting issues, e.g., environment and social safeguards, accountability to affected populations and other relevant protection considerations are mainstreamed.
• Contribute to CO operations that build resilience at different levels through Country Strategic Plans, liaise with Social Protection and Emergency Preparedness focal persons in terms of early warning, trends and risk analysis, and contingency planning to ensure complementary response to humanitarian crises and nexus needs.  
• Assist the Head of Programme, Deputy Country Director, and other senior staff with resilience coordination internally with other units to break down siloed approaches, foster synergies and exchange on challenges, lessons learned and good practices for wider dissemination. 
• Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in areas of work, to ensure equal participation of women and men. 

STANDARD MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education

You have:
Advanced University degree (recognized by https://www.whed.net/home.php), preferably in International Affairs, Development, Economics, Agriculture, Forestry, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, or other fields, or First University Degree (recognized by https://www.whed.net/home.php) with additional years of relevant professional work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Should you not find your university degree in this link kindly note that it will be your responsibility to obtain a formal letter from your Ministry of Education stating that their recognition of the university and degree. 

Experience

You have:

• At least eight (8) years of postgraduate relevant professional level work experience in humanitarian food assistance, resilience, development, agriculture, livelihoods, natural resource management, agro ecology, and/or other relevant field, demonstrating high performance and leadership capacity.
• Experience in overseeing, designing, setting up, implementing, monitoring, complex resilience, food assistance for assets, livelihood programming and/or other relevant programmes. 
• Experience in leading and coaching a diverse team/s.
• Experience in building partnerships, in coordinating resilience, food assistance for assets and livelihoods programs with government and various partners (UN, NGOs, local communities, etc.).
• At least one experience and/or field mission to support the setting up and running multi-disciplinary, resilience, assets creation or livelihoods programs.

Language

You have:

• Fluency (level C) in English language.  
• Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) and/or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages). 

Mobility

You are able and motivated to work in any of WFP’s Offices throughout the world, including hardship locations. FIT Pool members are expected to agree on the first proposition of deployment that is offered to them.

DESIRED TECHNICAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

You have some of the following desirable skills:

•    Has experience shaping country-level operational strategies/technical partnerships.
•    Has led/contributed to major resilience program in country/region.
•    Has experience in livelihood assets program in particular in areas such as dry lands, environmentally degraded ecosystems, areas requiring restoring/rebuilding post-crisis/shocks community infrastructure, and/or suitable to specific livelihood settings, climate change adaptation.
•    Demonstrated experience in engaging with national and local governments on resilience and related agenda.
•    Demonstrated record in leading and managing multi-functional technical experts – with focus on thematic areas related to resilience programs that include complex asset creation and livelihoods
•    Experience in developing and organizing training of field staff (e.g., Government, NGOs, etc.), and monitoring of good practices and support to advocacy to government and/or donors.

DESIRED SOFT SKILLS

You have some of the following desirable skills:

•    The ability to identify, establish, and oversee relevant multi-sectorial partnerships for complementary program design and implementation.
•    Proven strategic and policy engagement skills in an international setting.
•    Proven leadership and management capacity to build and foster inclusive and high performing teams in a multi-cultural environment.
•    Strong motivation to make a difference and to contribute to WFP’s mandate.
•    Proven effective cognitive abilities, analytical and problem-solving skills.
•    Proven capacity to initiate and lead innovation that strives for continuous improvements and leverages established partnerships.
•    Learning agility and thirst for constant growth.
•    Openness and passion for new experiences and multicultural environments.
•    The ability to communicate effectively and compellingly, orally and in writing.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Building the pool is a comprehensive process and it will take approximately 8 months. The recruitment steps are an Online Tests > Language Test > Panel Interview > Background Verification (the process is subject to change).      
If you are selected, you will be placed in the FIT Pool for a period of up to 2 years. You may be contacted as the needs arise for  fixed-term international positions with a probationary period of one year in any of the countries in which WFP operates, including hardship duty stations.      
 
Mobility is the essence of WFP and continues to be a core contractual requirement. These positions are rotational which means that you shall be subject to the regular reassignment process to any other location on a period of 2 to 4 years unless the position is reclassified as non-rotational.      
 
WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, pension plan and medical insurance. For more information, visit https://icsc.un.org/.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Application deadline: 14 February 2022 (midnight Rome time)

Your CV must be submitted in English. For UN workers please include your current contract type and level.

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All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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.