Building Blocks Global Project Management (GPM) Consultant

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance

Job Title: Building Blocks Global Project Management (GPM) Consultant

Type of Contract: Regular Consultant level II

Division: TEC

Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya

Duration: 11 months

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

Through the “Building Blocks” (BB) project, WFP applies blockchain technology to achieve better its mission of ending hunger and empowering the people it serves. BB is the world’s largest and most advanced blockchain implementation for humanitarian aid.

Building Blocks serves both as a coordination mechanism among organizations providing aid (e.g. UN and NGOs) as well as a distribution mechanism for various types of aid (e.g. food and cash). BB is offered for free to reputable humanitarian organizations that become equal owners, operators, and governors of the shared neutral humanitarian blockchain network upon joining. The technical architecture of BB can also accommodate other use cases, such as supply chain management and digital identities.

WFP has a bold vision for Building Blocks disrupting the humanitarian system for the better and is looking for a highly driven and competent individual to help bring about the change. The project has been deployed to operations in Jordan, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and Ukraine and has supported more than 40 humanitarian organizations. The team is looking to expand the project within WFP and also capitalize on inter-organizational collaboration opportunities towards common objectives.

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Emerging Technologies, the Building Blocks Global Project Management Consultant will be responsible for leading the project team from planning to implementation, ensuring proper resource management, on-time and complete delivery of the project KPIs within established timelines and budgets, as well as coordinating proper reporting through every stage of the project. Moreover, the consultant will track project KPIs and make recommendations on the changes that need to be implemented, considering a complex multi- stakeholder context with dynamic requirements, frequent change requests, and numerous internal/external constraints.

The Building Blocks Global Project Management Consultant will be based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and deploy to wherever there is a need for their presence to perform their duties in relation to the project. As such, the role may require frequent and/or prolonged deployment to many countries around the globe; therefore, the incumbent must be willing and able to undertake such travel. When not deployed, the Building Blocks Global Project Management Consultant will work with the Head of Emerging Technologies to advance the project’s goals through internal/external country office, regional, and global structures.

A short video on Building Blocks is available here.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The overarching responsibility of this role is to ensure BB’s on-the-ground operations run smoothly, are tuned to business needs, and meet KPIs.

• Lead scoping activities to evaluate BB’s potential application for WFP and partner operations across the globe.
• Create project documents to support BB’s deployment, scaleup, and maintenance for various global operations.
• Develop project KPIs, monitor progress against those KPIs throughout the project implementation, and make necessary adjustments.
• Continuously define and analyze potential risks, and ensure their proper management, including developing and maintaining risk registries and contingency plans, implementing best practices from the industry, implementing relevant frameworks, etc.
• Support operational roll-out and scaleup activities as needed.
• Support capacity-building activities, including hiring and training new staff as part of handing over ongoing BB operational responsibility to local operations.
• Lead the on-the-ground BB project teams using agile and other applicable methodologies to fulfill project deliverables.
• Identify underperformance and ensure it is managed promptly.
• Provide remote support to country office teams to ensure BB’s operations continue smoothly.
• Be accountable for the high-quality and timely output of necessary project documentation, including project proposals, SOPs, manuals, progress updates, evaluations, reports, and project history narratives.
• Ensure all stakeholders are updated on the project status at the right frequency and level.
• Assist in the development of new BB use cases.
• Other role-relevant duties as assigned.

DELIVERABLES:

• Product Canvas;
• Product Roadmap;
• Product Backlog well-structured in Epics, Features, and User Stories, with User Stories that
• pass the “Definition of Ready” as per the INVEST criteria

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

• University degree in business administration, project management, engineering, or a related field.
• PMP and/or PRINCE2 Practitioner certification(s) desirable.

Experience:

• At least five years of related professional experience, including experience in:

1. Delivering complex, field-level implementation of technical projects in humanitarian contexts.
2. Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders on business-critical matters.
3. Developing and delivering on project KPIs
4. Experience in coordinating/leading project teams.

Technical Skills & Knowledge:

• Continually striving to develop new skills outside of comfort zone.
• Highly autonomous and able to work with minimum supervision.
• Able to work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines.
• High tolerance for ambiguity and ability to decide from incomplete information. • Ability to come up with innovative solutions to problems without precedent.
• Strong conflict resolution and consensus-building skills.

Language:

• Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese, is desirable.

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: 26 January 2023 at 11:59pm Rome time (CET/CEST)

Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

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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