Programme Policy Officer, (Hydroponics), 11 mths, Johannesburg, SA
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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
JOB PURPOSE
Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Evidence Generation Block, the incumbent will play a key role in supporting government and particularly as it relates to the Rapid Rural Transformation initiatives and other partners to establish and manage hydroponic units for the production of high value crops and vegetables. The consultant will also support in facilitating trainings for WFP, government and smallholder farmers on the management of the hydroponics units and market access.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)
Key roles and responsibilities for this position will include transfer of knowledge and skills to Government officials and Smallholder Farmers to own and manage horticulture initiative that uses hydroponics technology. Specific roles also include:
1. Assist in developing specific technical guidance and appropriate manuals related to hydroponic farming;
2. Provide technical assistance and Training of Trainers (ToT) on hydroponics system set up and management, the ToTs will include WFP staff, smallholder farmers and government officials;
3. Work with target schools and smallholder farmers to set up and manage a Hydroponic farm environment;
4. Support target schools and smallholder farmers to plan and coordinate the production of vegetables, fruits, horticulture & floriculture plants from seed, and bulbs propagation preparation to harvest in hydroponics environment, including new varieties to rootstocks
5. Ensure the right capacity and skills exist in the target schools and communities in order to maintain crop production by cultivating, de-budding, pruning, and maintaining optimal growing conditions in assigned greenhouses
6. Enhance the capacity and skills of target schools and smallholder farmers on Nutrient preparation & management
7. Provide overall guidance and supervision to target schools and communities on the general maintenance of greenhouse structures, irrigation equipment and water supply systems
8. Work closely with the M&E unit to support target schools and communities to establish and maintain a strong monitoring and evaluation system for monitoring and evaluation the outputs of the hydroponic system including production levels, sales and incomes.
9. Liaise with the communication unit to ensure systematic documentation of the impact stories and best practices coming from the implementation of the hydroponic interventions in schools and target communities
10. Support Regional hydroponics initiatives in RBJ Country Offices
FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES
| Capability Name | Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level |
| Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance | Displays ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools. |
| Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Voucher) | Demonstrates ability to analyse and consolidate quantitative and qualitative information from different sources (e.g., market studies) to inform transfer modality selection and programme development. |
| Broad Knowledge of Specialized areas (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.) | Demonstrates the ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring. |
| Emergency Programming | Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches. |
| Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government | Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes. |
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
Post-secondary qualification on related field, preferably in Agricultural, Horticulture, Agricultural Extension or related fields.
Language:
Excellent knowledge of English. Good working knowledge of a second UN language preferably French, Spanish or Arabic is desirable.
Experience:
⦁ 3 years of relevant experience.
⦁ The candidates should be able to demonstrate strong competence with progressively responsible roles in one or more of the following agricultural technologies: low-tech and low-cost hydroponic solutions, community-based programming on agriculture, and training facilitation at all levels
⦁ Traceable record of successful implementation of hydroponics
Knowledge & Skills:
⦁ Working knowledge and technical experience on hydroponics;
⦁ Experience of working in farming technologies, land and water management for agriculture;
⦁ Experience of working in projects with communities and community-based interventions;
⦁ Experience of working in the humanitarian context would be an advantage.
DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
1. Technical guidance and user-friendly manuals developed for the setting up and management of the hydroponic system
2. Capacity development- training of WFP, government and smallholder farmers on hydroponic system
3. Hydroponic systems set up in targeted schools and communities
4. Visibility activities supported and best practices documented and shared with relevant stakeholders
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
The Vacancy Announcement will close on 26 April 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.
