Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Officer (CST-II), Regional Bureau Cairo

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.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Note: This vacancy announcement will also be used to build a roster of prequalified applicants for future opportunities within same job profile.

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.

WFP’s Regional Bureau for the Middle East and Northern Africa (RBC), based in Cairo, Egypt, provides strategic guidance, policy/technical support and direction to WFP operations and activities in 16 countries: Algeria, Armenia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, State of Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Yemen. These country offices aim to assist roughly one-third of all of WFP’s beneficiaries (approx. 30 million) in some of the most critical humanitarian emergencies of our time. RBC is also active in the ‘Changing Lives’ side of WFP’s mandate, helping national governments and local communities improve nutrition, livelihoods, school feeding, social protection, climate and disaster risk reduction and other programmes that build resilience and support development.

WHY WORK AT WFP?

SAVING & CHANGING LIVES ❤
Make a difference, the world will notice.
We are driven by our mission to fight world hunger and feed people’s dreams of a brighter future.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY 🌍
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Being part of a global, diverse and multicultural community like WFP, will continuously expose you to new ideas and perspectives.
How we deliver our mission in a deep respect for personal and cultural differences and close collaboration between every member of our global team, will certainly enrich your experience and knowledge on so many levels.

UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES 💡
Unlock possibilities you never thought you'd find.
WFP goes anywhere it is needed and does whatever it takes to get the job done.

LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE ⭐
Reach beyond yourself and discover your true potential.
WFP offers the kind of life-changing experiences you’re unlikely to find in many other organizations.

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JOB PURPOSE

As the largest humanitarian agency in the world, WFP is well-known for its ability to anticipate, prepare for and respond to crises and deliver food assistance to people in need, either in-kind (IK) or in the form of cash-based transfers (CBT). WFP is also an enabler of the broader humanitarian system, playing a lead role in the Food Security and Livelihood Cluster, the Logistics and Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) and hosting the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS).

Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) is at the core of WFP’s mandate and therefore is a critical functional area. WFP EPR officers ensure that the organization’s preparation for, and response to, emergencies is well coordinated both internally and externally. By implication, EPR work involves close collaboration with other WFP functional areas at the global-, regional- and country levels. Furthermore, it involves relationship-building and coordination with external actors in interagency settings (e.g. the cluster system) as well as through bilateral channels.

Given the importance of EPR to WFP’s mandate, WFP is seeking to further reinforce its EPR capacity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Eastern Europe regions. This position addresses that gap.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

This position is based in the WFP Regional Bureau in Cairo, Egypt reporting directly into the WFP Regional Head of EPR. The incumbent will be expected to lead RBC’s regional transformation efforts related to delivering in emergencies and will be part of an EPR team that includes HMI and conflict sensitivity where s/he is specifically responsible for programmatic elements of an emergency response, whether in-kind or CBT.

The incumbent will be expected to have a strong field focus and be willing to travel frequently to field locations, including unstable and hard-to-reach locations. S/he will also work in close coordination with other parts of the organization, including the WFP Emergencies Division (EME) and CBT in headquarters.

Specifically, the incumbent will be responsible for the following:

• Working in close coordination with other Regional Bureau teams and EME, ensuring that WFP is continuously scanning the horizon for potential shocks and stressors that could lead to new emergencies in the region – both operational and oversight countries, and reacting with timely and proportionate preparedness actions. This will include leading contingency planning exercises.
• Working with COs and the RB to prepare for possible emergency responses, including identifying appropriate Anticipatory Actions for mitigations and potential transition pathways out of emergencies.
• Supporting WFP COs to adapt from the MPA/APA system to using the RBC Minimum Agility Standards (MAS) in coordination with other functional units and providing training and guidance to EPR Focal Points at the CO level.
• Ensuring that the Regional Bureau has minimum surge capabilities for responding to emergencies within the region. This will include building and maintaining a cross-functional roster of emergency responders from within the Regional Bureau personnel and ensuring their readiness to deploy at short notice.
• As required, participating and programmatically leading ‘first wave’ deployments in response to emergencies in the region. This will include helping WFP to quickly design and scale-up new operations that respond to the urgent food and nutrition needs of crisis-affected populations, as well as to set up the necessary internal capacity and systems to make that happen.
• Lead WFP’s regional efforts to support national governments to better prepare for, and respond to, emergencies. Depending on the context, this may include supporting governments to assess the risk landscape, assess their own preparedness for emergencies, develop contingency plans and undertake emergency simulation exercises.
• Acting as a day-to-day interface with EME technical counterparts and ensuring an effective two-way flow of information. This will include ensuring active and effective Regional Bureau engagement in the Corporate Alert System (CAS), the corporate Early Warning Watch List and other related systems and processes.
• Closely working with the regional Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping team for data preparedness for emergencies and developing 72 hours assessment capabilities in the region.
• Providing support to COs and the RB on funding proposals linked to emergency preparedness and immediate response activations, such as WFP’s IRA funds and the CERF.
• Any other duties, as required

REQUIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

Education

• Advanced academic degree in international relations, development studies, law, social sciences, or another relevant discipline.

Experience

ESSENTIAL:

• At least six (6) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the humanitarian-development system
• At least three (3) years of professional experience working in a low/middle-income setting
• A demonstrable track record of responding to emergencies on behalf of a humanitarian agency
• Prior experience of working with the cluster system and/or interagency cash working groups

DESIRABLE:

• Prior experience of working on an emergency response for WFP, or a WFP cooperating partner
• Demonstrable experience of supporting governments to prepare for emergencies and/or on shock-responsive social protection

Knowledge & Skills

• Commitment to WFP’s mission and values
• Familiarity with humanitarian standards (e.g. SPHERE)
• Ability to work independently under minimum supervision
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong communication skills
• Strong drafting skills and numeracy
• Strong influencing and networking skills

Languages:

• Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
• Fluency (level C) in Arabic and/or French language will be an added advantage.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline to apply for this position is Saturday, 19 November 2022 (11:59 PM Cairo Time).

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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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