Programme Policy Officer/ Head of Field Office
Career Opportunities: Programme Policy Officer/ Head of Field Office
Duty station: Saclepea Field Office, Nimba, Liberia
🚩 Vacancy Announcement n°: 804964
📢 Job Title: Programme Policy Officer/ Head of Field Office
📢 Job Grade: NOA
📌Type of Contract: Fixed Term
📌Post holder reports to : Deputy Country Director
➡️ Unit / Division: Programme & Policy
📍 Duty Station: Saclepea Field Office, Nimba, Liberia
➡️ Duration: 1 year (Renewable based on funding & Operational need)
⏰ Closing date: 28 April 2023, midnight (Liberia Time)
About WFP
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. 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.
To learn more about WFP, visit our website and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.
Background and Purpose of the Assignment
WFP has been providing assistance in Liberia since 1968 through its emergency and development activities. To ensure effective planning and better-informed responses in supporting the implementation of Liberia’s Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, WFP’s Country Strategic Plan (2019-2023) is designed to align with the government’s priorities alongside the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2020-2024 to create better synergy of actions with sister UN agencies.
The current five-year development portfolio of WFP Liberia includes social protection safety nets, such as home-grown school feeding, livelihood and capacity strengthening support through its Food Assistance projects, stimulating local food production and support the Government in enhancing the efficiency of food value chains in Liberia. Including emergency preparedness and response.
WFP is leveraging school feeding with a solid HGSF component to deliver climate-smart livelihood support activities that provide smallholder farmers, particularly rural women, with reliable and sustainable markets. This includes strengthening vulnerable smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate-related and other recurrent shocks through the creation or regeneration of productive community assets.
WFP aims to strengthen food and nutrition security through school feeding, and social protection measures and assists in strengthening the national capacity of Liberia to own and implement hunger solutions.
The Programme Policy officer/ Head of Field Office position is responsible to plan and manage field operations to ensure the effective and efficient deployment of food assistance programmes and use of allocated resources.
What will you do in this position?
- Effectively manage the Field Office to ensure the continued development of a cohesive and high performing team.
- Plan and manage WFP field operations within the area of assignment to ensure effective and efficient delivery of food assistance
- programs and that daily operational issues are timely resolved to prevent losses or delays.
- Ensure that allocated resources are used efficiently and are in line with agreed plans, and any deviations are reported to the Country Office.
- Hold accountability for the security of WFP staff, operations, premises and assets in the Field Office to ensure that WFP security and safety standards are locally set and followed. Actively participate and contribute to the Area Security Management Team (ASMT).
- Conduct timely monitoring and evaluation of activities and prepare accurate and comprehensive reports on WFP’s operations and performance with regular and timely submission for Country Office review to inform efficient operational planning and decisions.
- Build effective and collaborative relations with the local authorities and contribute to the expertise sharing and capacity building for effective preparedness and response to food assistance needs.
- Build partnerships to improve assistance packages, develop and sustain liaison with local government authorities, international and local NGOs, UN agencies, civil societies, beneficiaries and other partners and media engaged in the field of food security.
- Ensure extensive and frequent presence at project areas, distribution sites and centres.
- Engage with beneficiaries, inspect storage places and points where WFP commodities are received, to ensure compliance with WFP policies and that progress is made in the achievement of project objectives
- Perform other relevant duties as required.
Why work with us?
➡️ Meaningful and impactful careers:
Our day-to-day work makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve
➡️ Continuous learning and training:
We provide learning tools for our staff to continually develop their careers
➡️ Multicultural and stimulating work environment:
We encourage gender and cultural diversity to make our teams stronger
Join us to make a difference in Liberia!!
To join us in saving lives, changing lives, you will have for…
Education:
Advanced University degree in Economics, International Development, Social Sciences or other related field, or First University degree with additional (3) years of related work experience and/or training/courses.
Experience & Knowledge:
- Three years of progressively responsible work experience in a related field/ or at least one year of post-graduate professional experience.
- Has developed, or supported in the development of, single discipline work plans to support the achievement of WFP strategic aims within a defined area.
- Has gained some exposure in field operations, preferably in a hardship duty station or emergency.
- Has field experience via field rotations or working in a sub-office, and through field postings.
- Gained experience of analyzing local political situations and assessing risk accurately.
- Gained broader exposure across areas within a function (i.e. policy, programme etc.).
- Has gained experience managing small to mid-size financial budgets, balancing priorities effectively.
- Has experience leading a small to mid-size team to ensure the effective delivery of objectives.
- Participated in a vendor/government/ partner negotiation within area of focus.
- Participated in a small emergency operation/ development programme.
- Has experience with security co-ordination and compound management within a smaller area
Language: Fluency (level C) in English language.
Before you apply…
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 an inclusive work environment in which diversity is valued and where no form of discrimination is tolerated. We aim to achieve parity in our teams in Liberia. Qualified female applicants and individuals with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.
All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
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.
Only Liberian Nationals or Naturalized citizens are eligible to apply.
