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South-South Cooperation Specialist

Italy

  • Organization: WFP - World Food Programme
  • Location: Italy
  • Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Development Cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals
  • Closing Date: Closed

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.

 

 

Job Title: South-South Cooperation Specialist

Type of Contract: International Consultancy (WAE)

Division: PRO-T SSTC

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

Duration: 11 months (max 18 work days/month)

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

 

The World Food Programme (WFP) has stepped up its approach to broker South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) significantly over the past few years. WFP brokers SSTC to support national governments in achieving progress on food security and nutrition in line with country priorities as reflected in Country Strategic Plans. SSTC is increasingly important for WFP, and its host governments, to access and mobilize the growing expertise, technologies and financial resources that already exist in developing countries and the global South.

The WFP Programme (Humanitarian and Development) Division (PRO) coordinates the implementation of WFP’s SSTC Policy, which was evaluated in 2021, and serves as a helpdesk for WFP Country Offices (COs) and Regional Bureaux (RBx) on SSTC. PRO assures normative guidance and provides technical support/coaching on SSTC to WFP RBx and COs while also engaging WFP’s Centres of Excellence in order to help them identify and realize SSTC opportunities as part of WFP’s programme of work. The Division also coordinates WFP’s SSTC engagement with other UN-partners and government partners and positions WFP on key SSTC issues relating to food security and nutrition in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THESE TERMS OF REFERENCE:

 

In 2020 and 2021, WFP rolled out an independent evaluation of WFP's 2015 Policy on SSSTC. One of the recommendations from the evaluation was to update WFP's Policy on SSTC.

PRO-T/SSTC is advertising the position of an international consultant on a WAE basis to manage the policy update in close coordination with PRO-T's Head of the SSTC Team. As lead author, the incumbent will be responsible for writing the corporate SSTC policy update and associated components (e.g. action plan, costed implementation plan), setting up and conducting relevant stakeholder consultations (internal and external) in coordination with relevant Offices and Regional Bureaux in WFP, and coordinating with the authors of other associated components (e.g. M&E plan, knowledge management plan). The incumbent will prepare and deliver regular updates to PRO's Senior Management and contribute to the work of WFP's Global Task Force on South-South Cooperation, which includes a dedicated workstream on "peer reviewing WFP's SSTC Policy Update". 

The incumbent will report to the PRO-T/SSTC Team Leader.  Jointly with the PRO-T/SSTC Team Leader, he/she will also oversee the work of a SSTC Consultant who will contribute to the SSTC Policy Preparation Process.

 

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

  1. Update WFP's South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), based on WFP quality standards for policy formulation, existing evaluations, approaches, evidence and data, and in line with the roadmap and timelines set by PRO (policy owner) and WFP's Executive Board (EB) Secretariat for this process. The policy update will be informed through a dedicated design, consultation and review process.
  2. To inform the process of updating the SSTC Policy, the incumbent will build on the existing and evolving findings from WFP's SSTC Task Force. He/she will also inform preparations by consolidating the following deliverables in consultation with PRO's SSTC Team Leader":  (a) a mapping and prioritzation of key issues do be addressed during the policy update;  (b) a 1-pager overview of specific objectives and targets for what effective mainstreaming of SSTC into WFP’s work will look like in the short, mid and long term; (c) an overarching theory of change (building on the draft developed for the SSTC Policy Evaluation) that outlines the results that WFP support for SSTC is expected to contribute to at the global, regional and country levels and across the humanitarian–development–peace nexus; (d) a 1-page proposal for an envisaged internal division of SSTC-related labour; assigning clear roles and responsibilities to different units and teams at different levels within WFP.
  3. Lead preparation, roll-out and coordination of consultations with internal and external partners, in coordination with PRO-T/SSTC Team Leader and relevant functions in-house (e.g. EB Secretariat, donor focal points, RBx, etc.)
  4. Support to formal and informal consultations with the Executive Board, as required by PRO senior management.
  5. Production of progressive versions of WFP's SSTC Policy Update, based on stakeholder consultations and in line with the roadmap for the policy update process.
  6. Consolidate regular updates for WFP's senior management and WFP's Global SSTC Task Force on this process. Continuous coordination with WFP's SSTC Task Force Process to ensure a strong Task Force's role and ownership throughout the policy design process, including through peer review.
  7. Develop a costed implementation plan, considering WFP's quality standards for policy formulation.
  8. Develop guidance for WFP RBx to produce regional SSTC Strategies that can support the roll-out of WFP's updated SSTC Policy.
  9. Supervision of a SSTC consultant (who has a dual reporting line to the incumbent and PRO's Head of the SSTC Team) and quality assurance of deliverables leading to the policy update.

 

DELIVERABLES QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

 

  • Initial roadmap to update the policy (in line with SSTC Task Force process and EB schedule)
  • Preparatory deliverables for the SSTC Policy Update (see responsibility 2, steps a-d).
  • Analytical briefing of key issues (desk review, conversations with core PRO staff) to be addressed in updated Policy.
  • Consolidation of an effective approach to consultations in coordination with PRO
  • Roll-out of an inclusive stakeholder consultation process with internal and external partners in the run-up of the SSTC Policy Update
  • Production of progressing versions of the evolving draft policy, along the milestones and timelines developed with PRO-T at the beginning of the process, taking into consideration WFP's standards for development of policies.
  • Consolidation of a costed implementation plan to accompany the policy, which together with the final draft of the updated SSTC Policy, will be submitted for approval to WFP's Executive Board in June 2023.
  • A presentation detailing content of the actions to be taken in line with the new Policy Update and its implementation
  • Regular updates to WFP's Senior Management and WFP's SSTC Task Force Membership on the emerging drafts and development of the discussion. Contribution to roll-out of WS 3 of WFP's Global SSTC Task Force, which is focused on the peer review of WFP's SSTC Policy Update in this process;
  • Guidance to RBx on producing regional SSTC Strategies to support the roll-out of WFP's corporate  SSTC Policy Update;
  • Effective supervision of a SSTC consultant (who has a dual reporting line to the incumbent and PRO's Head of the SSTC Team).

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

 

Education:

Advanced University degree in International Development, International Relations, or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience.

 

Experience:

  • 7+ years of relevant international experience. The candidate should be able to demonstrate strong competence in the following areas:
  • Excellent writing and communication skills
  • Experience in consolidating organizational programme strategies and development policies, ideally with exposure to those processes in different multilateral organizations and bilateral development agencies.
  • Experience in supporting national/SSTC development programmes, policies, strategies or plans and institutional structures, in relation to food security and/or nutrition and revolving around national capacity strengthening, SSTC and/or programme and knowledge management.
  • Excellent work planning and project management skills ideally demonstrated in a WFP or other international context.
  • Has ideally had some exposure to the work of WFP Country Offices and WFP Centres of Excellence in the area of South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
  • Has demonstrated research ability and ability to link analysis to programme design, in the context of WFP programmes.
  • Has experience in supporting host governments in the developing world.
  • Has gained direct experience of different programme approaches.
  • Has worked with government agencies and gained policy experience.
  • Has led teams in strategic discussions and facilitated stakeholder consultations effectively.
  • Team leadership experience is an asset.
  • Has experience working in an international environment heavily dependent on virtual networking and engaging individuals from a diverse range of geographical and functional areas.

 

Knowledge and Skills:

 

  • Solid understanding of Agenda 2030 and of SDG2 and SDG17 and respective targets and how the work of WFP can contribute to achieving them.
  • Solid knowledge of WFP’s mandate, Country Strategic Planning process, intervention modalities, programme and project lifecycle tools, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation desirable.
  • Data collection and analytical writing skills, including ability to analyse and consolidate quantitative and qualitative information to understand national capacities across a wide range of policy and programme areas and identify gap and needs, as well as WFP’s entry points.
  • Strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavour through demonstrated technical leadership.
  • Strong communication and conceptual skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written outputs and ability to present in English. Knowledge of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese is desirable.
  • Proficient computer literacy

 

Languages:

 

International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language, particularly that of the Regional Bureau in question: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese.

Terms and Conditions

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Deadline for applications: 27 May 2022

Ref.: VA No. 162805

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.

 

 

This vacancy is now closed.
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