Programme Policy Officer, NOA, Accra

External/Internal Vacancy Announcement

No. WFP/GHA/ACC/PPO/March/2023

JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer

Deadline for Application: 10 days from day of publication

The Office of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Accra invites applications from suitable candidates to fill the vacancy below.

Job Title : Programme Policy Officer

Duration : 1 year (Renewable)

Post Grade : NOA

Duty Station : Accra, Ghana

JOB PURPOSE:

WFP Ghana is transitioning from direct implementation to increased support through capacity strengthening to partners (government, CSOs, private Sector etc). Such support also includes institutional systems strengthening, policies and frameworks, as well as the human resource strengthening. In the social protection sector, such support also entails strengthening systems that support the use of cash transfers programmes to empower people to meet their essential needs in social protection. There is potential for such programmes to also contribute to longer-term objectives such as digital financial inclusion (DFI) and women’s economic empowerment (WEE), when deliberately designed to do so.

As such, WFP has a very important responsibility to uphold and ensure that our collaboration on social protection is strengthened, and systems that support social protection are functioning to deliver the best support. More and more, capacity strengthening thresholds are expanding, and WFP is committed to exploring all the thresholds to benefit all people living in Ghana.

WFP’s Ghana CO is seeking a Programme Policy Officer to support the strengthening of national and subnational entities that provide social protection, in close collaboration with the head of Social Protection and the Programme Team to support social protection activities within the upcoming 2024 – 2028 Country Strategic Plan and support the harmonization of social protection across the other CSP pillars.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Social Protection and overall supervision of the Country Director, the consultant will be responsible for the following duties.

1. Support the WFP Ghana social protection and relevant teams to coordinate the implementation of relevant strategies to enable uptake of SP for vulnerable groups in WFP Programmes.
2. Establish positive and efficient working relationship with national and subnational relevant government Ministries – Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Education, and other strategic Government structures that are crucial to SP to ensure government ownership for the outcomes of the CSP.

1. Support WFP to design and implement its capacity-strengthening interventions in collaboration with the Government and other relevant stakeholders.

1. Liaise with relevant government partners implementing social protection programmes to identify key capacity gaps on SP policies and related programmes and outcomes for WFP support; participation and articulation of the same during sector working groups is also included.

1. Liaise with development partners (DPs) in social protection to ensure coordination and harmonization in SP activities within the SP sector

1. In liaison with the monitoring and evaluation team, WFP Ghana Technical Lead, LEAP Secretariat, School Feeding Programme Secretariat and other SP programmes, keep track of the outputs and outcomes for all WFP Ghana SP programmes, including digital financial services and women economic empowerment initiatives.

1. Liaise with the Nutrition and Food Systems teams to promote harmonization of their initiatives with social protection, leveraging on the digitization, evidence generation and other key WFP tools.

1. Support other SP activities that focus on School Feeding, LEAP, and sensitization and communication efforts for women participating in national SP programmes to increase their use of digital financial products that are appropriate to their needs and ensure women are prioritized.

1. In collaboration with the Government partners, support WFP’s efforts to develop a business case for partnerships with private sector stakeholders, identifying key actors, opportunities to collaborate on sustainable SP delivery.

1. Scope for linkages and synergies with more national programmes supporting gender equality, resilience, and social protection plans, policies and strategies where possible.

1. Support proposal writing and fundraising with Private Sector for the SP pillar.

1. Represent the organization in meetings with Government counterparts, partners and other project stakeholders as delegated by the CO.

1. Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Academic Qualifications

Advance University degree in Development studies, Project Management, Business Administration, Economics, Social Sciences, Social Studies, Public Health, Gender, or any related field as advertised.

Desired Experiences for Entry into the role:

• Minimum of one or more years of professional progressive experience in coordination and project management.
• Previous experience in supporting activities and policies related to national social protection programmes will be important.
• The ability to coordinate multi-stakeholders in a multi-cultural environment is an important asset.

Other skills:

• Excellent collaboration skills with demonstrated ability in collaborating with various partners, including private sector actors and the government.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills especially for dealing with WFP partners; including the ability to effectively communicate through multiple mediums (e.g., policy, advocacy messaging, reporting, training).
• The ability to produce high-quality written outputs demonstrating an attention to detail.
• Experience in facilitating training modules and focus group discussions using adult education/participatory methods.
• Experience working in cross functional and cross organizational reporting structures.
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a team effort.
• A motivated and proactive individual who can work with minimal supervision, adhering to deadlines and used to meeting targets.
• Ability to collect and analyse programme output and outcome data and preparing various reports for management and stakeholders.
• IT literate with proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Power point and online collaborative working tools.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in the UN language in use at the duty station and in the duty station’s language, if different.

How to apply:

Applicants should submit their applications and CV stating 3 references online to: www1.wfp.org/careers/job.openings and follow the steps.

Qualified Female Candidates are encouraged to apply

People living with disability are also encouraged to apply

Only shortlisted candidates meeting the criteria will be contacted.

Note:

• 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.
• 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

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