Knowledge Management Consultant
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: Knowledge Management Consultant
Type of Contract: Regular Consultant
Division: School-based Programmes
Duty Station (City, Country): Rome HQ, Italy
Duration: 11 months
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading organization fighting hunger worldwide, working with communities to improve nutrition, build resilience and address the growing challenges posed by climate change and rising inequality. For more than 50 years, WFP has been the leading organization in supporting countries with their school feeding programmes, which are widely prevalent throughout the world. Almost every country in the world has a national school feeding programme, making it the most widespread safety net. The interventions reach an estimated 370 million children and adolescents globally. Of these, WFP supports about 16 million children annually and also provides technical assistance to governments ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of government investments. To strengthen its global support for school feeding, WFP has established a new School-Based Programmes Service (SBP) within the Programme and Policy Development Department at its Headquarters in Rome. The School-Based Programmes Service will support WFP’s engagement in school feeding across four workstreams identified in WFP’s new School Feeding Strategy 2020-2030: 1. Generating and sharing knowledge and best practices globally 2. Increasing the investment in school feeding 3. Acting in partnership to improve and advocate for school health and nutrition 4. Strengthening programmatic approaches in key areas Purpose of the assignment This consultancy is related to workstream 1 of the Strategy, described above: “generating and sharing knowledge and best practices globally”. As the leading international agency supporting school feeding, WFP has the responsibility to house and make available global knowledge so that countries can use that information to improve programmes and provide adequate support to vulnerable children. Additionally, in recent years, new decentralized approaches are emerging on knowledge sharing, including South-South exchanges, knowledge hubs and other initiatives at the regional level. These approaches need to be supported in order to create more of a networked approach to knowledge rather than a centralized one. However, better coordination is needed between all these initiatives to ensure coherence. The Knowledge Management consultant will support the School Based Programmes Research and evidence generation efforts for school meals, school health and nutrition and that of the recently launched School Meals Coalition to generate and share credible, relevant, and salient knowledge, while managing relevant platforms as a critical pillar in the execution of the School Feeding strategy 2020-2030. This role will work with partners to establish an evidence agenda for school feeding, school health and nutrition for the next ten years, based on a mapping of learning needs, to ensure that global gaps in the knowledge base are being filled. The role will lead on four focus areas in Knowledge Management for the SBP division, namely, improving access to knowledge and increase the use of the library; enhancing dissemination of relevant knowledge products, with a focus on webinars; providing editing and review support for the WFP flagship “State of School Feeding Worldwide” publication series; developing and implementing an extensive dissemination plan for the State of School Feeding Worldwide publication. TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR SHORT-TERM/CONSULTANCY CONTRACTS Page 2 of 3 September 2021 S/he is also expected to provide key inputs and assist with the other key tasks as needed. As Knowledge Management consultant in the school-based programmes team, S/he will gain experience in the humanitarian and development sector by working and contributing to a multidisciplinary team. You will support improving evidence for school-based programmes and support the roll out of the school feeding strategy. Through a "hands on" and "make it happen" attitude and by sharing hers/his own thoughts and ideas with the team, S/he will contribute significantly to advancing school feeding programmes worldwide and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential and thrive.
ACCOUNTABITLITIES / RESPONSIBILITIES:
S/he will work under the direct supervision of the Head of Research and Policy in the School Based Programme Division.
• Lead the design and implementation of the SBP Knowledge Management (KM) Work Plan in alignment with the approved SBP knowledge management priorities, Regional Bureau Implementation Plans and WFP HQ KM strategy.
• Improve SBP’s ability to retain generated knowledge by designing, implementing, and promoting the adoption of a Knowledge One Stop Shop (embedding and/or building on existing tools including but not limited to SBP’s Results Portal).
• Coordinate with SBP units to address important knowledge management tasks as necessary, offering a palatable method for collecting lessons gained to assure continuous improvement. o Promote a culture of knowledge sharing by designing an action plan that will engage SBP on a continuous learning journey that incorporates latest knowledge trends.
• Create and implement plans for disseminating SBP knowledge products, such as webinars and other efficient and/or tried-and-true methods.
• Serve as a project manager and counterpart for outside businesses supporting activities connected with the publishing of SBP Knowledge Management Products.
• Improve the caliber and visibility of SBP knowledge products by working with relevant teams. Provide guidance on the categories of knowledge goods that are most appropriate for each audience, focusing on enhancing the onboarding and offboarding processes. o Work in close collaboration with WS3 to streamline SBP division’s multiple web pages and related contents
• Support and provide guidance on how to best capture, store, and share knowledge using current digital trends. Encourage the use of analytical thinking and agile processes for decision-making, interaction with internal teams, and collaboration with external partners.
• Support to WFP regional bureaus and country offices with Knowledge Management tools and procedures as required, encouraging efficient knowledge retention, and sharing through a systematic engagement through the proper regional channels and global tools (e.g., SBP’s Results Portal) as relevant.
• As coordinator of the Analytics and Metrics community of practice, support the School Meals Coalition Research Consortium in advancing the objectives of the community of practice and by delivering knowledge-sharing events.
• Serve as key contributor in the planning, drafting, reviewing and coordination of the WFPs flagship State of School Feeding Worldwide publication series
• Serve as the focal person for SBP in the working groups for institutional knowledge management to coordinate institutional initiatives pertaining to, but not limited to, the WFP knowledge management strategy.
• Work closely with WS4’s lead focal point on WFP Program Guidance Manual (PGM) to serve as WS1's focal point in the PRO division's coordinated (PGM) efforts, providing assistance for the adoption of the new PGM tool across regions utilizing the most effective knowledge management processes and tools given the project's scope.
• Serve as the SBP knowledge management focal point for best practices', ensuring that the agenda for SBP knowledge management is properly aligned and that an action plan is delivered.
• Support the Research and Policy team effectively develop talking points and briefing notes to support senior management; assist with the planning of and recording of WFP Executive Board meetings.
• In coordination with other SBP units, optimize the SBP SharePoint site and the organization and accessibility of documents.
• Any other business as required.
DELIVERABLES QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
(Please refer to previous section.)
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
Master’s degree in international affairs, social or behavioral sciences, economics, business administration, business analytics, or other relevant fields.
Experience:
Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience
Knowledge and Skills:
Proven communication skills (written and oral); excellent writer and able to draft high-quality documents in English quickly. Ability to work independently, with minimal supervision and has initiative to propose or initiate activities to the benefit of the team and of WFP Knowledge of WFP's 2020-2030 School Feeding Strategy and WFP school feeding programmes is required. Proven project management and communication skills Proficiency with Excel, Word and PowerPoint Exposure to WFP systems and excellent information technology skills (Microsoft Office Package, SharePoint, Teams) Strong attention to details Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in multicultural settings.
Languages:
Fluency in English and one other UN language.
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: 2 November 2022
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.
