Operational Access Officer (CST2), Rome, Italy
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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 they need.
Job Title: Programme Policy Officer: Operational Access Officer
Type of Contract: CST Level II
Division: Emergency Operations/ HMI & Access
Duty Station (City, Country): Rome, Italy
Duration: 11 months
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Humanitarian access is critical to enable effective response to food security and nutrition crises in complex and conflict affected environments. Due to its mandate, operational presence, and size, WFP is more regularly operating in complex contexts where humanitarian access poses a challenge to operating efficiently. Thus, the demand on WFP to strengthen its corporate and field level capacities to negotiate, maintain and improve access is increasing.
The role of the Operational Access Officer intends to support Head Quarter (HQ), Regional Bureaus (RB) Country Offices (COs) to integrate a multi-dimensional approach to access to implement access strategies and work plans. The Officer will also manage the analysis of the prevailing humanitarian situation with a view to alerting and anticipating their implications on WFP operations.
The effectiveness of humanitarian action hinges on access – access by humanitarians to people in need, and by people in need to essential goods and services. Negotiation is one of the most important enablers of access in situations of armed conflict. The Operational Access Officer will be responsible to support WFP’s role in humanitarian access negotiations with non-state armed groups and civilian administrative entities in conflict and transitional settings as a key component of strategies developed to reach beneficiaries.
While the position is based in HQ- Rome, the Operational Access Officer will deploy to support WFP COs across the regions when needed. Specifically, the Operational Access Officer will be responsible for the following:
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)
Technical Support
- Work with functional Units in HQ, RBs and COs to develop long-term institutional arrangements necessary to implement access strategies.
- Support and advise WFP Country Offices on components, good practices, key actors and concerns to be considered in the formulation of strategies to reach beneficiaries and facilitate their access to essential goods and services.
- Provide guidance and assistance on considerations pertaining to engaging with non-state armed groups and other civil entities for the development of implementation plans to assist WFP in conflict and post-conflict settings.
- Support identifying programmatic and operational access-related risks and proposing mitigation measures, as well as opportunities to adjust and design WFP’s interventions to efficiently deliver WFP programmes in a timely manner.
- Assist the development of context-specific guidance on administrative and legal regulations
- Facilitate the development of country-specific guidelines on frontline negotiations and engagement with non-state armed groups, criminal gangs and other civilian entities.
- Support strengthening and establishing sustainable operational access capacities in key countries.
- Initiate and support efforts to build the capacity of WFP staff to undertake operational access and negotiation work, building a cadre of expertise across the region by assisting the training of WFP staff on humanitarian access, engagement and negotiation with non-state armed groups and civilian entities
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Knowledge Management
- Support COs to undertake contextual analysis and assess access related risks to alert and anticipate their implications on humanitarian operations and propose mitigation measures as well as opportunities to adjust and design WFP’s programmes.
- Support RBs and COs to develop and maintain an overview of the state-of-play of conflicts and insecurity, including WFP’s efforts to engage with communities and conflict actors with a view to supporting operational decision-making. This includes the implementation of access monitoring and mapping tools to understand where and why WFP may be unable to reach beneficiaries.
- Document good practices and learning from across WFP’s operations and ensure that it is systematically disseminated to feed the corporate development of guidance and tools and among countries offices. Ensure that Country Offices aware in a timely manner of any new opportunities to enhance their engagement on access and negotiation issues (including emerging funding windows).
- Participate in learning events and activities to build the knowledge across the emergent peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity network across WFP.
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Coordination
- Ensure that WFP is actively participating in relevant inter-agency discussions concerning access. This includes forging partnerships with traditional and non-traditional partners and other experts to improve performance in this area.
- Establish and maintain dialogue with NSAGS parties to the conflict and other civilian entities through coordinated and principled engagement, negotiation of access coordination, mainstream of access and establishment and maintenance of partnership and collaboration.
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DELIVERABLES
• Active monitoring of conflict dynamics, political negotiations and WFP’s ability to reach beneficiaries and/or facilitate their access to essential goods and services.
• Deployment carried out to support COs and FOs
• New operational partnerships are developed at supported CO level to strengthen WFP approach to access.
• Support provided in expanding the establishment of the access monitoring tool in countries where humanitarian access is a challenge.
• Capacity on access negotiation is strengthened in supported COs.
• Lessons learnt documented and disseminated with relevant and HQ.
• Access strategies developed and support provided for their implementation.
• Advice to COs and RB on access issues affecting WFP’s ability to deliver its programmes, including the identification and dissemination of good practices.
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Advanced academic degree in international relations, International Law, development studies, conflict studies, or another relevant discipline
Experience
- At least six (6) years of professional experience related to significant humanitarian programming with demonstrated experience in deep-field locations.
- Demonstrated experience in humanitarian access negotiations
- Demonstrated conflict and security analytical competency
- Strong knowledge of civil war and organized violence, in particular working with non-state armed actors and civilian entities.
Technical Skills & Knowledge
- Commitment to WFP’s mission and values
- Strong analytical skills
- Strong communication skills
- Strong influencing and networking skills
- Ability to work independently under minimal supervision
- Proficiency in Window MS office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)
Languages
Fluency level (oral and written) English and French
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE
Experience
- At least eight (8) years of professional experience related to significant humanitarian programming with demonstrated experience in deep-field locations.
- Experience in researching, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information
- Experience with the UN or comparable international organization
- Experience in design and completion of conflict analysis Experience in capacity building (training, accompaniment)
Technical Skills & Knowledge
Technical training in areas that are directly or indirectly relevant to humanitarian access, negotiations and networking
Competencies
Knowledge of WFP’s operation and previous experience with WFP is considered an asset
Languages
Knowledge of one of the other UN languages is an asset: Spanish Russian Chinese
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: 10 November 2022
Ref.: VA No. 177122
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WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment
WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.
