Programme Policy Officer - Humanitarian Principles and Access CST-II

 

 

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Job Title: Programme Policy Officer – Humanitarian Principles and Access

Type of Contract: CST II

Unit/Division: Emergencies & Transitions Unit (PRO-P)

Duty Station (City, Country): HQ – Rome, Italy

Duration: 11 months

 

 

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT

Assisting more than 100 million people in over 80 countries each year, the World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian food security organisation - saving and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies, and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

To achieve its mandate, WFP must ensure that it reaches the right people and that it manages its relationship with those individuals and their communities in a responsible, accountable, and effective manner.

Guided by WFP’s Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the Emergencies and Transitions Unit (PRO-P) is responsible for key thematic areas critical to achieving people-centred programming:[1] protection, conflict sensitivity, accountability to affected populations, humanitarian access and principles, beneficiary data privacy, protection, and management.

Recognizing that Humanitarian Access is a cross cutting and integrated activity, WFP has a Humanitarian Principles and Access unit based in PRO-P and has a CAA corporate approach to access, which involves supporting Country Offices, Regional Bureaus and Headquarter Units in building forward looking, effective, innovative approaches that advance the understanding and application of access issues in WFP, through coordination activity and through outreach to a wide spectrum of external humanitarian actors.

 

JOB PURPOSE

Under direct supervision of the Head of the Humanitarian Principles and Access Unit, the incumbent will be part of a small team supporting access efforts to assist WFP staff at HQ, Regional, Country and field level, as well as engage and participate on access issues with external partners, experts and affected community members.

They will additionally contribute with technical input to the implementation and evolution of normative structures such as the CAA (Corporate approach to Access) and the translation of access areas of work and programme policy shifts into corporate HQ/regional/country-level practices.

The incumbent will also be expected to perform outreach and capacity development functions with WFP divisions and offices to share guidance and knowledge, build capacity, and advocate for the integration of Humanitarian Principles and Access strategies into WFP operational decision making.

While performing this role, the incumbent will liaise with PRO-P’s Programme Field Support team to coordinate the delivery of technical support to regional and country offices, as well as with the PRO-P’s Programme Evidence Building, Knowledge Management and Learning teams to develop and deliver learning products and services.

 

The incumbent’s responsibilities will closely follow the Unit workplan and in broad, are organised around the following functional areas: 

 

Field Support and Technical Advice to Country Offices and Regional Bureaux 

Supporting, guiding, and advancing the work of the WFP’s HQ access coordination structures, including the Technical Access Cell (TAC) and Directors Advisory Group (DAG_. 

 

Establishing and managing a professional network and community of practice on humanitarian access within WFP and with WFP external partners.

 

Providing field support and technical advice to WFP country offices and regional bureaux on principled humanitarian access issues (e.g. providing timely access related input to the preparation of WFP CSPs, advising and working on access strategies, humanitarian negotiations, context analysis, responding to requests for events and workshops and coordinating the input from other Divisions in the analysis, mapping and decision making around access challenged operations)

 

This will include traveling on mission to the field to provide, for example, direct support to country offices facing humanitarian access challenges, working in close coordination with Divisional members of the TAC (technical access cell).

 

Policy

Contribute to policy development on issues related to humanitarian access based on country office experiences and operational requirements as well as through consideration of wider humanitarian principles and access issues such as IHL.

 

Upon tasking and as necessary and in conjunction with colleagues, provide on a time driven basis, support, talking points, guidance or other input on principled humanitarian access, conflict analysis or emergency and transition programming.

 

Training and guidance

Design and delivery of training packages on principled humanitarian action and access to support country offices, regional bureaux, headquarters divisions/units and WFP led or co-led clusters, in conjunction with PRO/P colleagues, with technical access cell members and other divisions as relevant.

 

Work on and deliver the content of and incorporation of training modules on humanitarian access into existing WFP training packages and into custom made training packages for specific country operations as requested.

 

Work on the content of online guidance and support resources to enable updated, easy to use and relevant content is available to all WFP staff members

 

Other duties

• Monitor global developments in humanitarian principles and access
• Represent WFP in related forums and able to articulate the WFP corporate positions on humanitarian principles and access  
• Prepare donor funding proposals on thematic issues including humanitarian access.
• Prepare and delivery specific themed Access related presentations
• Perform other duties as may be required.

 

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

1. Updated and relevant corporate online access resources are available to all WFP staff members
2. Contributions to the effective working of the corporate access strategy (CAA)
3. Contributions to the implementation of access strategies in Regional Bureaus and Country Offices
4. Training resources and sessions delivered upon request
5. Access related inputs into country strategic plans are delivered.

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCED REQUIRED

 

Experience:

7 to 10 years professional experience working in humanitarian, development, analytical, public affairs, diplomatic or other fields related to conflict-affected countries

 

Field experience in conflict-affected environments.

 

Experience working with field-based teams operating in humanitarian emergencies to support humanitarian access, including experience creating internal tools and systems to better monitor and improve access. In particular, experiences of working closely with the Emergencies, HMI and Security aspects of operations is desirable.

 

Experience undertaking conflict analysis, including using conflict analysis as a tool to support humanitarian access negotiations, and awareness of data and mapping tools and techniques

 

Direct experience in humanitarian access negotiations with governments and non-state armed groups

 

Languages: English. Working knowledge of French. Knowledge of Spanish and or Arabic also desirable.

 

Working arrangements: Willingness to travel regularly to the field, including to hardship locations.

 

 

Deadline for applications: 24 May 2022

 

Ref.: VA No. 162581

 

 

 

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, and abuse of authority. Therefore all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background check.

 

 

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.