Programme Policy Officer

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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.

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.

WFP Zambia has designed a five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP) as the result of rigorous consultations with government, donors and other stakeholders, and reflects their appetite to support and partner with WFP in the country. It is informed by, and strongly aligns with, national and United Nations priorities, and global commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It embraces the Government’s long-term Vision 2030; aligns with 16 key strategic areas of its current 7th National Development Plan (NDP7); and contributes to the joint Zambia-UN Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (UNSDPF). The CSP is informed by WFP’s long-standing and broad experience in the country, embracing lessons from evaluations and reviews which call for greater synergy, a consolidation of ‘pilot’ initiatives, and improved gender-sensitive approaches to programme design. Finally, it is guided by the Zero Hunger Strategic Review (ZHSR).

In a break with past approaches, both the ZHSR and the NDP7 recognise that hunger and nutrition issues are multi-faceted, and require well-integrated, collaborative, multi-sectoral national approaches, that draw on the skills and resources of key stakeholders.

These key strategies point to an increasing national consensus on food and nutrition security, which has created a strong opportunity for WFP to re-focus its investments and efforts to areas of genuine comparative advantage, and give effect to maximum impact. WFP Zambia’s integrated and pragmatic CSP shifts away from unsustainable localized and micro-level interventions, to embrace more effective advocacy and engagement with national policies, systems and programmes to achieve national impact on SDG2. Given the Government’s commitment to budget support for nutrition, social protection, and agriculture, despite the country’s constrained fiscal position, WFP’s overarching strategy seeks to enable the government to meet its policy aspirations with better systems, expertise and resources for implementation. This means a decisive shift of WFP’s country positioning towards the provision of upstream technical assistance for nationally-owned solutions.

Advancing the WFP Corporate Strategic Plan (2017-2021), the CSP addresses both SDG2 and SDG17, and WFP’s Strategic Results 1, 2, 3 and 5. WFP will implement six activities to achieve four Strategic Outcomes (SO). These SOs will: respond to crises and shocks including support to refugees (SO1); address the root causes of malnutrition (SO2); build the resilience, enabling environment and market access for smallholders, especially women (SO3); and support government institutions to provide social protection systems (including home grown school meals) and disaster preparedness and response (SO4).

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Economics, International development, Social sciences or other relevant area, or First University degree with additional relevant experience and/or advanced training/courses.

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language. Working knowledge of a second official UN language is desirable.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Managing the Crisis Response component of WFP Zambia’s CSP, oversee the design and implementation of the emergency response to refugees and others as required.
• Coordinate cash-based transfer activities as part of WFP’s food assistance, both internally and with external stakeholders.
• Assume a supervisory role for Nchelenge field office.
• Work closely with Government local authorities, humanitarian partners, and in particular UNHCR, to ensure that operations are in line with the overall response to providing food assistance to refugees and host communities.
• Interact closely with the relevant Country Office technical units, particularly Programme and Supply Chain, to ensure an effective WFP response.
• Actively participate in inter-agency meetings that bring together various partners. In addition, the staff will ensure a frequent interaction between all concerned in various forms including ad hoc teleconferences.
• Coordinate mission pre-deployment preparations and ensure all mission equipment, material, team supplies, finances and cargo are mission ready.
• Ensure all team members are adequately prepared, briefed and equipped for the expected duration of mission assignments and provide on job training to strengthen the capacity of the national staff working on the strategic and operational planning.
• In close collaboration with local authorities and cooperating partners, where necessary, coordinate and manage the implementation of registrations and food/cash distribution to affected populations.
• Undertake field visits to monitor the implementation of the activities and document the capacity of cooperating partners against the process indicator checklists.
• Ensure process monitoring is done at a monthly basis, and outcome monitoring at a quarterly/semi-annual basis.
• Consult with CO management and other relevant RBJ staff in anticipation of critical issues that may jeopardize the efficiency of WFP response and advise the CO management on appropriate solutions to be envisaged. This will include the strategic prioritization of resources.
• Provide technical and operational inputs to the CO management team.
• Produce monthly situational reports using WFP standard reporting formats for emergency operations and provide inputs for the EB and CB every month
• Any other tasks as required in relation to the emergency response.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• 5 years’ experience in a relevant field of work, with a background and interest in international humanitarian development.
• Extensive experience leading multicultural teams and improving performance

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline to receving applications 15th March 2019.

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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.