Head of Programme, CSTII Abyei

VACANY ANNOUNCEMENT JRNO.

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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, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

WFP South Sudan has 15 Field Offices (FO) of varying sizes. The programmatically largest ones are responsible for managing operations at the level of WFP’s smaller country offices, implementing their activities in one of the most complex and challenging environments for the delivery of food assistance. These complex operations therefore require seasoned international programme staff to head Programme teams at the FO level. The FO Head of Programme will report to the Head of Field Office (or designate) and will manage a portfolio of programme activities and discrete tasks. The incumbent will directly manage programme activities in the FO and contribute to policy formulation and provision of technical advice to the Country Office (CO) in relation to building programme quality assurance. The incumbent will manage a team of programme staff at FO, providing oversight and mentoring to ensure that programme and policy objectives are achieved in full. S/He will also contribute to a wide variety of programme and policy activities and analytical work, some of which may be of a considerable complexity. The Head of Programme will also have a technical reporting line to the CO Head of Programme.

JOB PURPOSE

To design and manage programmes of moderate size or complexity that effectively meet food assistance needs, or contribute to policy formulation and/or provide technical advice or oversight on programme strategy and implementation.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Lead the day-to-day implementation of FO’s programme activities, solving operational issues and challenges as appropriate.
2. Supervise and motivate the FO Programme team to achieve results and enable high performance including through the provision of training and mentoring to enhance the capacity of WFP and partner staff to design and deliver effective food assistance programmes.
3. Translate programme policy into FO-level practices, ensuring that programme operations are consistent with WFP policies, SOPs and other relevant guidance documents and contributing to the development of programme guidance and implementation modalities and operations.
4. Provide technical advice on programme and policy issues including assessment and analysis, the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities, and identify opportunities for deployment and testing of innovative approaches and the development of strategies to support local authorities’ efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition.
5. Provide leadership and technical expertise for the planning, formulation, and implementation of flexible food assistance programmes for complex operational environments, including through participation in operational planning forums between CO and FOs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES CONTINUED

6. Lead the FO’s work on partnership cycle management (partner selection, oversight, reporting and assessment), building quality cooperating partnerships including identifying opportunities for collaborative approaches and initiates that improve assistance packages, enhance women’s empowerment, support advocacy work, and strengthen government and community ownership and effectiveness of food security and nutrition programmes at sub-national levels.

7.Ensure adequate monitoring of WFPs activities in the FO and the use of monitoring data at the FO and CO levels for corrective action and improved activity design and implementation.

8. Strengthen WFP’s leadership status in forums relating to WFP programme activities and facilitate coordination with other agencies and NGOs to ensure that WFP activities complement one another and do not overlap, and that synergies for the food assistance responses are created and maintained

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives : Utilizes understanding of WFP’s Strategic Objectives to communicate linkages to team objectives and work.
• Be a force for positive change : Proactively identifies and develops new methods or improvements for self and immediate team to address work challenges within own work area.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team : Identifies opportunities to further align individual contributions with WFP’s mission of making an impact on local communities.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions : Helps colleagues to see the link between their individual tasks and the contributions of their unit’s goals to the broader context of WFP’s mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills : Is able to identify, support and encourage focused on-the-job learning opportunities to address gaps between current skillsets and needed future skillsets for WFP.
• Create an inclusive culture : Recognizes the contributions of teammates, and encourages contributions from culturally different team mates to recognise the value of diversity above and beyond just including it in programming for beneficiaries.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback : Provides and solicits ongoing constructive feedback on strengths and development opportunities to help develop individual skills, whilst also helping others identify areas for improvement.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit : Sets clear targets for self and others to focus team efforts in ambiguous situations (e.g., unprecedented issues and/or scenarios)

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions : Thinks beyond team’s conventional approaches to formulate creative methods for delivering food aid and assistance to beneficiaries.
• Focus on getting results : Maintains focus on achieving individual results in the face of obstacles such as volatile or fragile environments and/or organizational roadblocks.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments : Takes personal accountability for upholding and delivering upon team’s commitments and provides assurance to stakeholders.
• Be Decisive : Demonstrates ability to adjust to team’s plans and priorities to optimize outcomes in light of evolving directives, while also responding quickly in high-pressure environments, such as in emergency settings.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units : Demonstrates an understanding of when and how to tactfully engage other units in conversations on impact, timing, or planning
• Build strong external partnerships : Networks regularly with key external partners using formal and informal opportunities to understand each partner’s unique value proposition, and to build and strengthen relationships
• Be politically agile & adaptable : Demonstrates ability to adapt engagement approach in the context of evolving partner circumstances and expectations
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships : Demonstrates ability to articulate to internal and external audiences the value that individual contributions and immediate teams bring to partnerships.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Strong intercultural and social competences about communication and interface.
• Ability to manage partnerships and relationships with a range of stakeholders ( government, traditional and armed actors, donors etc.)
• Strong initiative and independence, maturity of judgement, tact, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent professional track record in the UN or NGO sector, working in programme/project implementation and coordination.
• Experience in managing joint programmes with the other agencies.
• General knowledge of humanitarian principles, UN rules, regulations, and procedures

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS CONTINUED

• Strong knowledge of conflict dynamics in Abyei
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain productive, professional relationships with government and local community counterparts, donors, civil society, and other stakeholders
• Experience in managing joint programmes with other UN agencies
• Experience with / proficiency in the analysis, management, and synthesis of reports; research skills and experience in managing research also desirable

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has experience working across the Program portfolio including VAM/Nutrition.
• Has led a Sub Office or a small country/area office programme team or a component of a country office programme portfolio.
• Has engaged in policy discussions and provided input into policy decisions.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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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.

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