Programme Associate G6 – WFP Washington DC

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, physical or mental disability.

We are seeking to fill a Fixed Term position of Programme Associate G6 based in the WFP Washington Office.

Please note that this is a local recruitment. Candidates must be US Residents and have a legal work permit there. In addition, candidates must reside within commuting distance to the location of the office in the duty station Washington, USA (2121 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037) at the time of application or, if not residing within commuting distance at the time of application, candidates must be willing to relocate to Washington, DC, USA at their own cost before taking up the assignment. WFP shall not be responsible for any costs associated with such relocation nor shall WFP assist or otherwise be involved in obtaining residency status or legal work permits. Preference will be given to candidates who reside within commuting distance of Washington, DC, USA.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. With headquarters in Rome, Italy, WFP has 20,000 staff worldwide. WFP is committed to delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. In 2020, WFP assisted 114 million people. The WFP Washington Office (WAS), located in Washington, DC, aims to maximize potential resources from the US Government and private sector. WFP Washington staff liaise with USG partners, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the US Department of State, in processing bilateral grant contributions.

JOB PURPOSE

The role of the Programme Associate (PA) is directly connected to the core activities of WFP WAS. Each PA covers specific regions and performs technical work under the direction and supervision of a Partnership Officer (PO)and providing technical input, support, and advice to the respective POs on a daily basis.

The Programme Associate (PA) reports to a Partnership Officer (PO) and the Team Lead of the Grants Management Team. The PA will be a critical member of the Grants Management Team, and will work across all program areas, including collaborating with WFP headquarters units, such shipping and programming, to ensure effective and efficient grant management processes. The primary purpose of the position is to ensure and oversee the timely and accurate submission of USAID funding proposals and review of cost sheets that are aligned to donor policies and WFP's own policies and guidelines. This also involves the provision of technical input, support and advice to respective POs and the registration of United States Government (USG) contributions and forecasts in accordance with standard provisions of the donor as well as WFP's general rules and financial regulations. The selected incumbent will be expected to demonstrate cognitive capacity, in-depth understanding of complex issues, independence, competence, and initiative and must have a strong sense of judgment to ensure necessary prioritization of their multi-tasked work and ability to deal with unforeseen operational problems on a daily basis. The PA will be required to have good problem-solving approach, excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and ability to work under pressure while working well in a multicultural and multi-disciplinary work environment.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive)

1. Provide technical support and assist in the development and implementation of various activities and processes within the specific area of work supporting alignment with wider programme policies and guidelines.

1. Provide specialized project management support to specific and/or defined programmes to ensure that the various activities are performed within the established targets following WFP’s policies and procedures.

1. Within the specific area of responsibility, prepare a range of reports and data analysis (e.g. food assistance needs, resource utilization, programme status, performance) and highlight trends/issues ensuring deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control.

1. Ensure and/or perform accurate, timely recording of data within the specific technical area of work (e.g. assistance programmes, food security and vulnerability assessments) and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.

1. Liaise with internal counterparts to support effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of ongoing project activities.

1. Coordinate and communicate with local partners, agencies, NGOs and government institutions to perform accurate food security analyses and to ensure efficient delivery of food assistance.

1. Support the capacity building of WFP staff, cooperating partners and national government within the specific technical area.

1. Act as a point of contact for resolution of a range of operational queries and problems within a specific technical area of responsibility.

1. Oversee and/or review the work of other support staff, providing practical advice and guidance, to contribute to delivering objectives to agreed standards and deadlines.

1. Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.

SPECIFIC POST REQUIREMENTS (As required by the Hiring Manager)

Essential

• Experience in grant management processes
• Experience providing technical input for the implementation of project/programme
• Experience handling data and information statistics with attention to detail, and a process and system mindset.

• Strong ability to prioritize and synthesize information in an analytical and systematic manner.
• Experience working with Microsoft Office Suite, especially with Excel and MS Word and the ERP systems (specifically SAP Software)

Desirable

• Familiarity with USAID funding policies, regulations, processes and technical requirements
• Knowledge of US Government food assistance programs

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area.

Experience: Six or more years of progressively responsible work experience in the relative business stream.

Language: Working knowledge (proficiency/FAO level C) of English.

WFP Leadership Framework : Common Standards of Behaviour as outlined in the Job Profile ‘Programme Associate G6’ apply

Leads by Example with Integrity:

• Upholds WFP values, principles, and standards: Demonstrates and encourages others to uphold the WFP values, principles and standards
• Respects others and values diversity: Values diversity using respectful and inclusive language, and encourages others to do the same
• Stays focused and calm under pressure: Stays focused and calm when under pressure and encourages others to do the same
• Demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn: Shows humility and a willingness to learn and share knowledge, frequently seeking and acting on feedback, and taking up opportunities to develop

Drives Results and Delivers on Commitments:

• Delivers results for maximum impact: Holds self and/or others accountable for the delivery of results
• Delegates appropriately: Delivers results against delegated tasks and seeks guidance and support where needed
• Adapts readily to change: Responds readily to change adjusting work as needed

Fosters Inclusive and Collaborative:

• Is inclusive and collaborative: Promotes inclusive teamwork and psychological safety by sharing ideas and openly raising issues
• Gives timely and constructive feedback: Supports development for others by giving timely and constructive feedback
• Builds and shares new perspectives: Listens attentively to others to capture, learn, build and share new perspectives

Applies Strategic Thinking:

• Communicates and fulfils WFP’s vision: Fulfils WFP’s vision and is able to explain how their objectives support the vision
• Embraces curiosity and new ways of doing things: Demonstrates curiosity, and proposes new ways of doing things when relevant
• Analyses and evaluates data: Gathers data and shares knowledge to inform team decision making
• Considers the impact of decisions: Implements decisions and asks questions to understand the impact for wider objectives

Builds and Maintains Sustainable Partnerships:

• Builds partnerships: Builds partnerships by seeking out opportunities to work with others
• Collaborates to deliver common objectives: Collaborates with partners by sharing information and working together to deliver common goals

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

• Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance : Demonstrates ability to identify key variables and contextual factors that affect food assistance problems and programmes throughout the lifecycle to inform quality programme design or re-design.
• Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Vouchers) : Demonstrates ability to implement, under guidance, food assistance programmes deploying the full range of transfer modalities with an understanding of basic principles guiding modality selection and implementation.
• Broad Knowledge of Specialized Areas : Understands basic technical concepts and data and their relevance to food assistance programmes.
• Emergency Programming : Displays capacity to provide inputs into the development, implementation and realignment of high quality emergency programmes.
• Strategic Policy Engagement w/Government : Understands and applies basic principles of engagement with government counterparts at the national or local level.

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

Applicants must be :

• US Residents holding a valid US passport or a valid Permanent Resident Card/Green Card; and
• Reside within commuting distance (100-kilometer radius or distance that can be covered within 1.5 hours by car or public transport under average conditions of traffic, weather, and roads) to the office location at the duty station located at 2121 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. If not residing within commuting distance at the time of application, candidates must be willing to relocate to Washington, DC, USA at their own cost before taking up the assignment. WFP shall not be responsible for any costs associated with such relocation nor shall WFP assist or otherwise be involved in obtaining residency status or legal work permits. Preference will be given to candidates who reside within commuting distance of Washington, DC, USA.

Please note that applications should be sent in English. Only applications submitted in English will be considered.

Deadline for applications: 2 October 2022

Ref. VA: 173219

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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