Programme Policy Officer, (Programme Cycle Management) CST, (6 mths), Johannesburg, South Africa

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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 end global hunger. 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.
In emergencies, WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After an emergency, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives. Present in nearly 120 countries, the organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to nutritious food and contribute to the lasting solutions, especially in many of the world’s most remote and fragile areas. We manage an operating budget of approximately $5.9 billion each year, distributing 12.6 billion rations to those most in need. We reach an average of 80 million people with food assistance in around 80 countries each year. The World Food Programme office in Johannesburg is a Regional Office coordinating and supporting the delivery of humanitarian assistance to 12 Southern Africa countries including Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe. For more on WFP and what we do, please go to http://www.wfp.org/videos/zero-hunger

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

These jobs are found in Headquarters (HQ), Regional Bureaux (RBs) or Country Offices (COs) and job holders report to a more senior Programme Policy Officer.
Job holders operate with a high degree of independence, manage more junior staff to ensure that programme and policy objectives are achieved in full. They are usually involved in a wide variety of programme and policy activities and analytical work, some of which may be of a considerable complexity. At this level job holders are expected to contribute to performance improvement.

Under the direct supervision of the of the Programme Cycle Management (PCM) team lead, the Programme Policy Officer will provide strategic and technical support for the 2G CSP formulation and budget revision across WFP operations in the region. The incumbent will be based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

JOB PURPOSE

As the largest humanitarian organization addressing the challenges of global hunger and nutrition, WFP works with its partners to achieve the vision of zero-hunger. Its Strategic Plan for 2022-2025 affirms and deepens this commitment, aligning WFP’s work with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. WFP’s entire portfolio of assistance within a country is defined in a Country Strategic Plan (CSP). CSPs outline WFP’s approach to strategic and programmatic planning towards medium- and long-term horizons, with strong links to nationally defined SDG targets.

2021 marked an important milestone for WFP: As the first generation of CSPs come to an end, WFP has commenced the process of developing second generation CSPs (2G CSPs). As of March 2022, four Country Offices in the Southern Africa region have developed 2G CSPs (DRC, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe), with preparations due to begin in other countries. This transition comes at a critical time as WFP embarks on its new Strategic Plan for 2022-2025 and as the United Nations system moves towards the next generation of the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) – now renamed UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) – and the Common Country Analysis (CCA).

Development of the 2G CSPs presents a critical opportunity for WFP COs to re-position their strategic and programmatic offering along the humanitarian-development-peace nexus – from saving lives to changing lives – in alignment with WFP’s new Strategic Plan, the CCA and UNSDCF. Building upon WFP’s life-saving and development-enabling work, the 2G CSPs also allows for a renewed focus on strengthening national programmes and systems and enabling humanitarian and development actors to achieve the SDGs.

Moreover, WFP recognizes that it is impossible to achieve zero hunger without addressing the structural drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition, and that gender inequality is one of the most important causal problems. WFP is cognizant that to enhance efficiency, impact and fairness, it must work to properly incorporate gender equality and women’s empowerment within its entire programme portfolio.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Working within the Regional Bureau Johannesburg (RBJ) Programme Unit, coordinate 2G Country Strategic Plans (CSP) preparation, formulation and revisions between Country Offices, RBJ and Headquarters (HQ), including the Project Review Process (PRP).
a) Assist and guide COs in the design and development of the CSP strategic orientation in accordance with WFP’s Policy on Country Strategic Plans, informed by evaluation findings, national frameworks and priorities, partners and stakeholders’ consultations, lessons learned and incorporating crosscutting priorities (gender, nutrition, climate, etc.).
b) Support COs during CSP visioning/formulation workshops to define the CSP strategic orientation (Theory of Change, Line of Sight and results framework).
c) Guide COs during the CSP consultation process in response to feedback from stakeholders on the design and strategic orientation of the CSP.
d) Coordinate the preparation and submission of full CSP/revision packages for review and approval through the PRP process, including coordination and delivery of strategic and technical elements, narrative drafting/revisions and updates to the CSP package as needed.
2. Advise and support COs on the alignment of 2G CSPs with the CCA and UNSDCF, including WFP’s strategic engagement around the CCA/UNSDCF process to facilitate alignment of CSPs in both content and cycle.
3. Contribute towards the design of tools and approaches for CSP formulation and revisions.
4. Review and provide technical inputs on corporate tools and guidance which affect programme design, implementation, and approval.
5. Provide technical support to COs on Field Level Agreements (FLAs).
6. Perform other related duties as required.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams.
• Has taken leadership of implementing programmes.
• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:
⦁ Advanced University degree in social sciences, international development, development economics, international relations, political science, humanitarian studies or related fields, or First University Degree with a minimum of five additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience:
⦁ At least 3 years of solid and relevant work experience in humanitarian assistance programmes.
⦁ Specific experience in strategy formulation, policy development, organizational change management, programme re-orientation, inter-agency coordination, programme management and project planning in a large multicultural institution in the field or headquarters is an asset.
⦁ Solid analytical, writing skills, and communication skills (including reviewing documents).
⦁ Team spirit and excellent interpersonal relations.

Knowledge and Skills:
⦁ Knowledge of Programme Cycle Management and development settings, humanitarian policy issues, and its linkage to food security and nutrition.
⦁ Knowledge and skills in Field Level Management (FLA) management.
⦁ Knowledge of UN system policies and reforms.
⦁ Ability to translate understanding of programme principles into relevant, effective and context specific approaches.
⦁ Advanced knowledge of MS Office and Outlook.
⦁ Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Languages:
⦁ Fluency in both oral and written communication in English is essential. Working knowledge of French and/or Portuguese an asset.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The Vacancy Announcement will close on 01 February 2023, 11:59 South African time

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Qualified women applicants, people with disabilities and candidates from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

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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