Programme Policy Officer- NOC
POSITION TITLE: Programme Policy Officer
CONTRACT MODALITY/Grade:Fixed term-NOC
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme
DUTY STATION: Nouakchott / Mauritanie
DURATION : One (1) year, renewable.
WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and a gender balance. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
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 they need.
Job Purpose:
This role of Programme Policy Officer – NOC is based within the WFP Mauritania Country Office in Nouakchott. The incumbent will report to the Head of Programme but will operate with considerable independence in their specialities and may manage a team of national staff. The role will focus on the design and management of programmes that effectively meet food and nutrition assistance needs or contribute to policy formulation and/or provide technical advice or oversight on programme strategy and implementation. The incumbent will act as the Strategic Outcome 1 coordinator for crisis-affected populations including refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, and host population in Mauritania (lean season and other crisis response).
RESPONSABILITIES :
Main responsabilities :
• Formulate parts of WFP-wide programme policies in line with both organizational strategy and the practical realities of operating in the field; and/or translate WFP-wide programme policy into Country level practices, programme guidance and implementation modalities and operations, to ensure a clear and strong connection between headquarters, the WFP regional bureau and the country office.
• Develop operational partnerships and maintain established strategic partnerships to identify opportunities for collaborative approaches and initiatives that improve assistance packages and support advocacy work, with a special focus on crisis response.
• Provide technical advice and support to programme activities to clarify ambiguities and ensure that policy and programme operations are consistent with WFP policies and other relevant guidance.
• Provide technical advice and mobilize technical expertise vis-à-vis WFP’s programmes and policy issues including the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities and the deployment and testing of innovative approaches as well as the development of strategies to support government efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition.
• Manage or oversee the preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical programme reports, as well as a variety of information products or proposals for internal or external use.
• Advise and support the development of functional trainings on programme-related topics to enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partners to allow for the design and delivery of effective food assistance programmes.
• Take the lead in the operationalization of WFP’s programme strategy into country level practices, including the development of functional training to enhance the capacity of WFP staff, government and partners to design and deliver effective crisis response programmes through knowledge exchange and joint management of activities,
• Actively support and motivate the sub-offices’ programme teams to achieve results and enable high performance, including through the provision of training and mentoring to enhance the capacity for WFP and partner staff to design and deliver effective food/cash and voucher assistance programmes.
• Strengthen WFP’s leadership status in high-level forums relating to WFP programmes activities and facilitate the coordination with other UN 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.
• Ensure that the WFP programme cycle incorporates gender and protection analysis, age and sex-disaggregated data, and gender-transformative activities.
• Liaise with different WFP units (Programme, Procurement, Administration, Finance, Logistics, ICT and Security, budget & programming, etc.) to ensure the coordinated design and implementation of Cash-Based Transfers (CBT) and in-kind food transfers to targeted populations.
• In coordination with the CBT team, provide effective support to Field Offices in SCOPE (WFP’s corporate beneficiary management system)-related activities to strengthen planning and the timely implementation of CBT and In-Kind programming through SCOPE.
• Liaise with the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (M&E Unit) and Communication focal points to analyze feedback from beneficiaries and provide appropriate responses as part of WFP’s beneficiary accountability system.
• In close collaboration with the M&E Unit, contribute to the operational research, outcome monitoring and evidence-building on issues relevant to the crisis response, ensuring documentation of the same in relevant information products for both internal and external use.
• Contribute to the preparation of accurate reporting on cash-based transfer and general food distribution activities that enable informed decision-making and consistency of information and assist in compiling monthly statistics.
• Assist in establishing and refining Standard Operating Procedures, internal controls and procedures for effective delivery of assistance.
• Assist in reviewing and monitoring general food distribution interventions, documenting lessons learnt, and addressing advantages and challenges.
• Undertake field missions to support WFP Field Offices Coordination and Partnerships
• Ensure the establishment and maintenance of high-level engagement with government counterparts to create an enabling environment that will allow for quality technical assistance.
• Foster productive partnerships with key stakeholders in government and UN agencies, I/NGOs, private sector, and academia to ensure multi-sectoral and joint approaches to achieving improved food security and nutrition through social protection, school feeding, rice fortification, maternal child health and nutrition, livelihoods, climate change adaptation and resilience building.
• Advocate for the mainstreaming of gender perspectives and social inclusivity in all areas of work to ensure the equal participation of women and men from diverse social groups.
• Support the identification, development, and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to improved food assistance packages.
• Contribute to building and sustaining effective collaborative relationships with appropriate local government stakeholders in the areas of food security and nutrition policy and planning, social protection, nutrition, school-health and nutrition, and livelihoods/resilience building.
• Represent WFP in different high-level forums specifically in government and food security forums, sharing information that will enhance collaboration with government agencies and build support for WFP activities.
Gender
• Support in increasing awareness of protection and gender among staffs and WFP partners.
• Support the implementation of gender and protection-related programme responses and adoption of gender and protection-specific approaches across WFP programme activities.
STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: University degree in a field related to social sciences, development or international relations, economics, political science, engineering, public policy or other related fields.
EDUCATION:
Advanced University degree (Master II) in project management or other relevant field with at least 5 years of professional experience.
A Bachelor’s degree in Project Management, or other relevant field with 7 years of professional experience can be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
DESIRED SKILSS AND EXPERIENCE
o Should possess skills including good analytical skills, good teamwork, communication, creative thinking and client management. o Ability to cope with situations which may threaten health or safety; flexibility in accepting work assignments outside normal desk description.
o Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with people from different national and cultural backgrounds. o Experience in humanitarian assistance, food aid, emergency response, disaster mitigation, contingency planning, early warning, food needs assessments, budget and programming.
o Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information and present ideas and recommendations in a clear and understandable manner.
o Ability to work independently, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
o Computer literacy in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and basic spreadsheets (Excel).
o Excellent communication (both written and oral) and presentation skills.
LANGUAGES:
• Fluency in English and French is required. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of Arabic is a strong asset.
WFP is committed to an inclusive working environment which values diversity and has zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, and abuse of any kind. WFP does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing
Candidates who demonstrate their technical ability to fill the position may be recommended if equivalent positions are available in other WFP Mauritania locations.
