Nutrition Programme Policy Officer (Activity Manager) | NOB | Manila, PHL

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VA DETAILS

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. 

The World Food Programme’s engagement in the Philippines is constantly evolving. Initially commencing operations in the 1960s, WFP officially re-established its presence in 2006 to support the peace process in Mindanao, provide life-saving food assistance in emergencies and develop programmes that seek to improve nutrition and the overall quality of life of vulnerable people.  

Since 1 July 2018, WFP has been implementing a five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP 2018-2023) to support the Government of the Philippines to address food insecurity, reduce malnutrition and building the resilience of vulnerable populations.  In its strategic plan, WFP identified four outcomes and five main activities:

•    Strategic outcome 1: Crisis-affected people in the Philippines can meet their food and nutrition needs during and immediately after an emergency.
•    Strategic outcome 2: Women, boys and girls in provinces prioritized by the Government have adequate and healthy diets to reduce malnutrition by 2022 in line with government targets.
•    Strategic outcome 3: Vulnerable communities in Mindanao have improved food security and nutrition by 2022 in line with government targets.
•    Strategic outcome 4: National and local government agencies have enhanced capabilities to reduce vulnerability to shocks by 2022.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In the framework of the Strategic Outcome 2 (end malnutrition) of its Country Strategic Plan, WFP provides technical support to the national and regional governments in the formulation and development of policies to integrate food security and nutrition dimensions in its plans. Particularly, WFP provides technical assistance to the Zero Hunger Task Force and the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty. One of WFP’s flagship publications in the Philippines is the “Fill the Nutrient Gap (FNG)” which identified the cost of a nutritious diet and the barriers faced by the most vulnerable to accessing healthy and nutritious foods.

During the second half of its CSP —prioritizing its limited resources and working closely with the Government—WFP under the activity 2 plans to focus its efforts to reduce malnutrition through:

• The implementation and scaling up of the Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) strategy for pregnant and lactating women, children and caregivers; to positively influence their health and nutrition-related behaviors. Continued to support the development and implementation of nutrition-sensitive social safety net programs, and support the design of new pilot projects for pregnant and lactating women and children, such as fresh food vouchers.
• Support for the local production of ready-to-eat supplementary food designed to meet the daily energy and nutrient needs of pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children.
• Scaling up the use of iron-fortified rice in national social safety net programs (school feeding, supplementary feeding, and family food pack).
• Support for food transformation and nutrition value chains to increase access to nutritious food, enhance livelihoods, and broaden smallholders' business prospects, with a particular focus on women empowerment.
• Continued investment in evidence generation with (i) assessments to better understand the impact of COVID-19 and other calamities on food security and nutrition, and (ii) the update of the Fill the Nutrient Gap study.
   

JOB PURPOSE

The Nutrition Programme Policy Officer (Activity Manager) will lead the implementation of Activity 2 under Strategic Objective 2 of the current CSP. The incumbent will work under the supervision of the senior Programme Policy Officer, Strategic Outcome (SO) Manager and Head of Programme, with overall guidance from the Representative and Country Director.

The Nutrition Programme Policy Officer (Activity Manager) will operate with a high degree of independence to manage Activity 2 staff to ensure that objectives are achieved in full. The incumbent will be also involved in programme related budget and resource analysis as well as analytical work and a wide variety of programme and policy activities including South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) and Government capacity strengthening. To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive nor exhaustive)

Within the assigned unit and delegated authority, the Nutrition Programme Policy Officer (Activity Manager) will be responsible for the following duties:   

• Manage and lead the nutrition portfolio of the CSP to ensure the effective implementation of Activity 2 linked to SO2 and advise on implementation of other nutrition activities in BARMM and in case of emergency response.
• Contribute to the development of projects, activities and processes, ensuring alignment with wider nutrition objectives and national policies.
• When applicable, coordinate with and provide support to the Cotabato Sub Officer and other colleagues in the implementation of nutrition sensitive programming.
• Represent WFP in different committees, technical working groups and forums (internal and external) and serve as the focal point for People Pillar of the UN Socioeconomic and Peacebuilding Framework (SEPF).
• In line with the recommendations of the recently conducted social protection scoping exercise, support for development and advocacy of a nutrition sensitive social protection system as a national safety net, as well as food fortification and south to south and triangular cooperation.
• Contribute to developing linkages and identify joint nutrition programming opportunities to facilitate learning, capacity strengthening and fund-raising.
• Manage the activity’s budget, monitoring expenditures against outputs as the progresses.
• Support the identification of potential partners and partnership negotiations to ensure a collaborative and holistic approach to meeting nutrition needs. Consequently, develop and manage technical partnerships with external stakeholders including UN, government, academia and private sector.
• Lead the recruitment and capacity development of individuals to the activity teams, developing and maintaining a network of relevant technical experts. Manage the performance of the activity teams.
• Guide junior staff and build their capacity acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries.
• Support resource mobilization efforts for the activity (e.g. preparing proposals, donor briefs, etc.)
• Collaborate with and report progress on the activity delivery at regular intervals to the strategic outcome manager and with functional managers and other staff with activity management responsibilities.
• Perform other related responsibilities as required.
• During emergencies and calamities:

     a) Along with the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) team, the government and other relevant partners, participate in the conduct of Food Security and Nutrition Assessment, monitoring and surveillance
     b) represent WFP in the Nutrition cluster and other coordination meetings at the national/regional and local government units
     c) provide technical assistance to WFP’s team partners (development and government) in the development of emergency to response recovery plans, capacity building and implementation of FSN-related programs, and     ensuring complementation and synergy

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY TO THE ROLE

• Minimum 3 years of professional experience (with Master’s degree) or 5 years of relevant experience (with Bachelor’s degree) in nutrition, public health, food security and nutrition planning and management.
• Proven project and operational experience in development as well as humanitarian settings, preferably in nutrition, food security and/or public health
• Experience identifying, analyzing and defining nutrition problems in a country
• Demonstrated experience in donor, government, UN and private sector liaison, coordination and networking
• Experience leading and engaging multi-disciplinary technical teams and working groups Experience in leading and supervising mid-size team, reporting and M&E systems.
• Experience with policy engagement in nutrition at national level
• Previous UN work experience will be an added advantage.
• Has performed basic financial analysis or either office or operational budgets.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

Strong nutrition situation analysis skills

• Good foundational knowledge in public health
• Good foundational knowledge in food systems
• Good knowledge of nutrients
• Strong knowledge of international and national nutrition program standards

OTHER COMPETENCIES

• Strategic planning, results-based management, and reporting.
• Strong analytical skills,
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to navigate complexities.
• Ability to lead effectively, foster collaboration, mentor and solve conflict
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.
• Able to work under pressure.
• Proven networking, team building, organizational, and communication skills.
• General knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations, and procedures governing administration.

REMUNERATION PACKAGE

• Approximate monthly based salary: PHP 131,000++ Min to PHP 175,000++ 
• Medical insurance coverage that can be extended to eligible dependents

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline for applications is on Sunday, 5 June 2022, Sunday at 11:59 pm (Manila time). Qualified candidates are required to complete an online candidate profile on UN WFP Careers Website (https://www.wfp.org/careers). Only applications received on this website are considered valid and will be processed and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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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.