Programme Policy Officer (Gender Specialist) P4 – Kabul, Afghanistan

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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.

Are you a Gender specialist interested in further developing your professional experience while contributing to ending global hunger? Are you passionate about helping those in need? Would you like to join a global organization investing in its people?

If so, an exciting & fulfilling career awaits you! Join our diverse and passionate team that works on varied and international projects directly contributing to saving & changing millions of lives around the globe.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications must be submitted by Tuesday, November 22, 2022 (10:59 PM CET)

WHO WE ARE

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a highly prestigious, reputable & world’s largest humanitarian organization, operating in more than 120 countries and territories, bringing life-saving assistance in emergencies, building pathways to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change and supporting sustainable and resilient livelihoods for a world with zero hunger.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: UN World Food Programme (WFP) and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

WHY JOIN US?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

WFP Afghanistan recognizes the importance of gender equality in achieving its mandate of ending hunger and through gender analysis informing its strategic and programme planning. Under the WFP Gender Policy (2022 – 2026) WFP integrates gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) into all its activities, to ensure that the different food security and nutrition needs of women, men, girls and boys are addressed. It advocates a transformative approach to GEWE to address unequal gender relations and promote sharing of power, control of resources and decision making between women and men.

45% of the total Afghan population experience acute food insecurity (18.9 million), and 3.9 million children malnourished. With drought, pandemic, and conflict, the food security will continue to worsen. Despite security and logistical challenges, WFP maintains access to most of the country including areas with active fighting. In the first nine months of 2022, WFP delivered food and nutrition assistance to 22 million people, including people newly displaced by fighting. Ensuring that WFP activities reach the most in need, safely and with integrity is a key priority.

A humanitarian crisis of considerable magnitude and complexity has developed since international forces withdrew and the Taliban took control in August 2021. At this critical time, WFP is delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance across the country and continues to have a presence in the field throughout Afghanistan with staff and programme activities in six Area Offices – Faizabad, Mazar, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Kabul, and satellites offices to be set up in Bamyan, Maimana, Kunduz, Ghor, and Gardez. WFP is adapting its operations in response to the more complex and unpredictable context, reassessing assumptions and adjusting programmes. Major constrains include maintaining access to the most in need (of all diversities of men, women, boys and girls), changing security conditions, navigating internal and cross-border transport corridors, and overcoming expected critical supply challenges. Work is underway on how to adapt programmes in Afghanistan based on lessons and experiences from WFP operations in other conflict and insecure contexts and informed by the affected populations. As part of this, there is an urgent need to ensure that appropriate gender and inclusion and accountability to affected populations mechanisms and activities are in place, for the changed context.

JOB PURPOSE

The purpose of this assignment to support the Programme Unit and existing protection and gender staff, by providing:

• technical guidance to overall programming (i.e., relief assistance, school feeding, nutrition, resilience building) to ensure that gender, inclusion and AAP considerations are appropriately integrated into programme adjustment planning and implementation.
• assistance to facilitate the safe continuation of gender-sensitive, inclusive humanitarian assistance, with consideration of WFP’s commitment to supporting full enjoyment of human rights including gender equality.
• strategic and analytical support on gender and inclusion for programmes, with a future focus.
• support to Management on improving gender dynamics within WFP’s own teams and providing a conducive working environment that can lead to greater gender parity.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Under the supervision of the Head of Planning and Accountability, and the overall direction of the Head of the Programme Unit, the Gender Specialist/Team Lead will provide strategic and technical support to lead the integration of gender across WFP programmes and operations in the Afghanistan Country Office.
• This will be done by strategically leading gender equality and women’s empowerment across WFP operations; external coordination with relevant actors and coordination partners; and supporting the practical implementation of gender mainstreaming based on the policies and guidelines.
• Based in the Country Office, the incumbent will be required to travel significantly across the country to support field offices and engage with communities in a diversity of settings. The Head of Gender Team will overall be required to be self-driven and able to work strategically and independently to respond to gender priorities as the context evolves.

Responsibilities

Gender Strategy: Develop and implement country strategy in line with Country Office strategic plan. Provide strategic and technical support for the integration of WFP’s relevant policies and related normative frameworks across WFP operations in Afghanistan context.

Gender Mainstreaming: Support WFP to integrate gender into programmes and operations. Ensure robust mainstreaming of gender into WFP programming and operations, including systematic gender analysis, and provide policy advice on specific gender issues that impact on WFP operations. Manage the effective application of the Gender Marker and ensure that staff are equipped to sustainably mainstream gender equality objectives/goals in all WFP strategies, projects and programmes.

Gender outcomes: Identify opportunities and programming adjustments/designs that contribute more intentionally and measurably to gender outcomes.

Gender risks management: Undertake gender analysis using multi-assessment methods to document gender risks relevant to food and nutrition security. This will include presentation of mitigations ranging from immediate risk mitigation activities to institutional adjustments required for sustainable risk mitigations.

PSEA: Support the senior PSEA Focal Point to oversee implementation of PSEA, accountability, and reporting.

Capacity building: Support WFP staff and partner capacity to apply gender inclusion and other relevant cross-cutting approaches. This includes but is not limited to mentoring and training staff, cooperating partner staff, third party monitoring staff to build their capacity to identify food insecurity-related to gender risks and implement adequate and culturally appropriate mitigation measures.

Partnerships: Represent WFP in gender interagency fora; establish community and key stakeholder relationship to enhance gender parity – including with civil society, I/NGOs, community groups, community representatives and individuals working to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Others: Provide technical input to strategic and policy processes at CO, RB and HQ level as requested by the relevant teams and units; contribute to donor reporting and briefing requirements; as well as protection related ad-hoc tasks as identified or required by Country Office Management.

KEY REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION:

• Specialized education with post-graduate university degree in one of the following disciplines: law, international relations, political science, human rights, or other relevant fields.

EXPERIENCE:

• At least eight (8) years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in the gender field and human rights and/or gender-based violence; of which at least four years international field experience. This should include experience working in crisis or post-crisis contexts.

Essential

• Demonstrated field and policy-oriented experience working on gender/or human rights programming is required.
• Experience designing and establishing accountability mechanisms and disability considerations within programmes.
• Experience in delivering training and conducting capacity-building for field operations and supporting senior managers in implementing new concepts.
• Previous deployment to an L2 and/or L3 emergency as gender advisor.
• Managerial experience.
• Ability to work on short timelines, under pressure, and managing multiple priorities simultaneously with minimum supervision.
• Initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, and flexibility with excellent interpersonal skills and team spirit.
• Flexibility to travel frequently and on short notice, when necessary.
• Willingness to be deployed to a Country Office for up to eleven months. No telecommuting possible.

Desirable

• Knowledge and/or experience in gender in emergencies programming, as well as conflict-sensitivity, peacebuilding, humanitarian access and broader inclusion (social, economic, other identities) consideration in humanitarian and development programming are desirable.
• Understanding of food security programming with previous experience from WFP or any of its cooperating partners is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of subsidiary and other cross-cutting issues including disability, access, gender, conflict sensitive programming, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and the humanitarian, development and peace nexus is highly desirable.
• Experience working in Afghanistan is highly desirable.

LANGUAGE:

• Fluency (level C) in written and spoken English.
• Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or Portuguese (A WFP working language)
• Working knowledge of Dari, and/or Pashto is an advantage.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

These are the common standards of behaviour that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Different expectations of behaviour are defined depending on your grade and role/responsibilities within WFP.

MORE ABOUT YOU

You have:

• Knowledge of interagency and WFP architecture, systems, and programmes.
• Demonstrated knowledge of humanitarian programming in protection and AAP.
• Proven ability to produce outputs independently, while at the same time seeking innovative ways to integrate areas covered by this TOR in the work of other units and functions within the Country Office.
• Demonstrated capacity to rapidly review available documentation on contexts in which WFP operates, and be ready for substantive engagement and advisory work.
• Capacity to engage in strategic conversations at senior levels
• Demonstrate strong analytical and writing skills, including the ability to write in an engaging, persuasive and informative manner, and conceptualise and clearly synthesise information.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• This is an International Professional position and is open to all nationalities.
• Mobility is and continues to be, a core contractual requirement in WFP. The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed term as well as a rotational contract with a probationary period of one year.​
• WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards (http://icsc.un.org) including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance.
• The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Kabul, Afghanistan to take up this assignment.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Please contact us at wfprecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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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.

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