Programme Policy Social Protection Officer 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 Social Protection FIT Pool gives you priority to be considered for vacant Fixed Term positions anywhere in the world and consequently to commence 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 SOCIAL PROTECTION OFFICER ROLE

Social protection is an increasingly prominent strategy for governments to reduce extreme poverty, hunger, and inequalities and promote access to essential needs. Virtually every country in the world has at least one social protection scheme in place, and 3.5 billion people are already covered by some type of social protection benefits.  

As a global leader in fighting hunger and malnutrition worldwide, often in very difficult contexts, the World Food Programme (WFP) is increasingly called upon by governments to support national social protection systems. In 2020, WFP partnered with governments in 78 countries to strengthen their national social protection systems, making support in social protection an integral part of its activities in most of the countries where it operates. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, lives, and livelihoods of the most vulnerable were put at risk across the globe, undermining decades of progress towards the SDGs. In response to this, many governments are currently adapting and/or putting in place new social protection policies, systems & schemes. 

Through its triple role as a technical advisor, service provider and complementary actor, WFP is supporting these efforts, as it works with governments to extend the coverage, comprehensiveness, adequacy and quality of national social protection systems, with the aim to ensure that all people have access, throughout their lives, to strong national social protection systems that safeguard and foster their ability to meet their food security, nutrition and associated essential needs, and to reduce and address the risks and shocks they face.

To respond to growing demand for WFP to work with governments and other partners to support national social protection, WFP is expanding its social protection workforce. 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

As a Social Protection P4 Officer, you will be responsible for the following key duties:

•    Translate corporate and regional policies and strategies pertinent to social protection into country-level practices.
•    Formulate relevant components of Country Strategic Plans and other engagements related to social protection.
•    Identify strategic and technical entry points for WFP to support the formulation and implementation of suitable policy & program solutions.
•    Analyze new assistance requests from governments and design & implement the necessary support.
•    Manage a complex portfolio of social protection support that improves people’s access to food security, nutrition and associated essential needs and helps manage the risks and shocks they face.
•    Assist senior stakeholders of government to identify and analyze policy problems and provide - or mobilize - support and technical expertise for the design and delivery of suitable social protection solutions.
•    Establish and maintain strategic and operational partnerships for complementary and collaborative approaches and initiatives that improve social protection and support related advocacy work within all relevant audiences.
•    Represent WFP in partnership forums pertinent to social protection and take leadership where relevant to do so.
•    Conduct and/or manage operational research and evidence-building on issues relevant to social protection.
•    Manage the preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports, publications, and a variety of knowledge products or proposals for internal or external use.
•    Advocate for resources for a broad portfolio of WFP social protection activities, including by articulating business cases for WFP’s contributions to social protection. 
•    Ensure the best use of assigned financial resources for achievement of set social protection objectives within a significant budget.
•    Advise and support the design of learning initiatives that enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partners to engage in social protection-relevant policy dialogues, program design and delivery.
•    Contribute to Country Office emergency preparedness by systematically assessing whether and how national social protection can contribute to improved emergency response.
•    Lead, motivate and develop a substantive team of high performers.
•    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) in Public Policy, Public Administration, International Development, Social Sciences, International Relations, or other fields relevant to Social Protection, or First University degree (recognized by https://www.whed.net/home.php) with additional years of relevant professional level work experience. 

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: 

• A minimum of eight years (or more) of postgraduate professional level work experience relevant to social protection, preferably related to national development programmes, policies, strategies or plans and institutional structures, preferably in relation to social protection and/or revolving around food security and/or nutrition objectives and/or emergency responses. 
• Out of the minimum 8 years of the above-mentioned experience, at least 5 years of professional experience specifically in the area of Social Protection, in humanitarian or development contexts, working across the policy and programme cycle (e.g., Research, Assessment & Monitoring (RAM), Cash-based Transfer (CBT), Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), Information Technology, etc.) and/or revolving around Nutrition & Food security, Supply Chain, Climate Change Adaptation, Emergency Preparedness & Responses, School Feeding, Resilience, Digital Transformation, public works/Food assistance for Assets, Insurance programmes, Country Capacity Strengthening, Knowledge Management, etc.). 
• Experience in developing, establishing, strengthening and maintaining relationships with a variety of stakeholders: governments and/or humanitarian & development stakeholders, preferably related to social protection, food security & nutrition, risks, shocks and related emergency responses or other types of programme. 
• Experience in supervising, leading and coaching staff, regardless of gender, culture, background, experience, or country assignment. 

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.

ADDITIONAL DESIRABLE KNOWLEDGE

You have some of the following desirable skills:

• Understanding of Agenda SDG 2030 and respective targets – particularly SDG1, SDG2 and SDG17 - and how the work of WFP can contribute to achieving them.
• Knowledge of WFP’s mandate, Country Strategic Planning process, intervention modalities, program and project lifecycle tools, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation are a desirable.
• Knowledge of the World Food Programme Strategy for Support to Social Protection – 2021.
• Knowledge of key national and regional contexts and related issues.
• Knowledge and/or experience of one or more of the following thematic areas: resilience, livelihoods, food systems, human capital development, nutrition & food security, social protection, climate change adaptation, emergency responses, school feeding, digital transformation.
• Knowledge and/or experience of one or more cross cutting areas, such as protection, accountability to affected populations, gender and conflict-sensitive approaches, triple nexus is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of current thinking and developments in country capacity strengthening and effective knowledge transfer models, concepts, and principles are considered an asset.
• Knowledge of current thinking and developments in the field of social protection and public policy.
• Knowledge of in-kind food, cash-based assistance transfers is considered an asset. 
• Experience in developing and implementing a change management strategy within or for a government and/or international organization.
• Field experience on developing and/or implementing humanitarian or development programs or in emergency response scenarios and simulations is an asset.

ADDITIONAL DESIRABLE SKILLS

You have some of the following desirable skills:

• Problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative information to understand current and future social protection needs and identify solutions.
• Learning and teaching agility, and appetite for exploring and experimenting with new ideas and approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written outputs and ability to communicate effectively and compellingly, orally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently in a timely and organized manner.
   

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.