United Nations World Food Programme Job Vacancy Application Details

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.

The WFP Kenya Country Strategic Plan [CSP] (2018 – 2023) endeavours to ensure that targeted smallholder producers, food-insecure and vulnerable populations benefit from more sustainable, inclusive food systems and increased resilience to climate shocks to meet food and nutrition needs by 2023, through its Food Systems component (Outcome 2).   Under this component WFP will design and implement interventions to address food system challenges, from production, through transformation and to consumption.

In line with the new Food Systems approach outlined in the CSP and WFP corporate strategy documents, WFP will apply its comparative advantages in field presence, partnerships and relationships with national and county governments to improve the production and climate resilience of smallholder farmers and pastoralists, while linking them to markets and improving supply chain efficiencies. The programme is delivered in close collaboration with County Governments, drawing in partners from civil society, the private sector and academia.

To design and manage programmes of moderate size or complexity that effectively meet food assistance needs, or contribute to policy formulation and/or provide technical advice or oversight on programme strategy and implementation.

This position is required to provide overall leadership, management and coordination of WFP’s portfolio in promoting resilient livelihoods under Outcome 2 and specifically Activity 3 of the CSP.  Specific activities include management of in-kind and cash transfers, design and implementation of appropriate and transformational livelihoods assistance, capacity strengthening of national and county governments, promotion of access to financial services including micro-insurance and savings and credit schemes. This will include prioritisation and management of resources including financial flows from multiple funding sources, provision of normative guidance to field operations for effective and efficient delivery. It will also entail retaining an oversight and forging synergies with the Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA), which is also housed within WFP and forms part of CSP Outcome 2.

The Programme Policy Officer will be the Activity Manager for Activity#3 (Resilient Livelihoods), under the direct supervision of the Strategic Outcome Manager for SO#2 (Food Systems and Resilient Livelihoods).

1. Contribute to formulation of WFP-wide programme policies in line with both organisational strategy and the practical realities of operating in the field; or translate programme policy into Regional/Country level practices. Developing programme guidance and implementation modalities and operations, to ensure a clear and strong connection between HQ and field operations.
2. Provide advice and support to COs on moderately complex issues to clarify ambiguities and ensure that policy and programme operations are consistent with WFP policies, Executive Board decisions, and other relevant guidance.
3. Provide technical advice or mobilise technical expertise on programme and policy issues including assessment and analysis, the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities and appropriate food products, the deployment and testing of innovative approaches and the development of strategies to support government efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition.
4. Assist counterparts in governments and other partners in identifying where food assistance can be usefully employed and provide support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation and implementation of moderately complex food assistance programmes to strengthen government and community ownership and effectiveness of food security and nutrition programmes at national and sub-national levels.
5. Establish and maintain operational partnerships to identify opportunities for collaborative approaches and initiatives that improve assistance packages and support advocacy work.
6. Enhance WFP’s leadership status in forums relating to area of specialism, for example food security, nutrition, livelihoods, resilience or engagement in humanitarian, transition and development contexts through direct participation, briefings, information products and other materials.
7. Manage operational research and evidence building on issues relevant to food assistance.
8. Manage the preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports, publications, and a variety of information products or proposals for internal or external use.
9. Contribute to resources mobilisations efforts for WFP projects, including clearly articulating the need for food assistance and related programme opportunities, and follow up on the resource situation of projects including commodity and cash availability, seeking advice from senior colleagues where necessary.
10. Advice and support the development of functional training in areas of expertise to enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partner to design and deliver effective food assistance programmes.
11. Lead, motivate and develop a team of staff to enable high performance.
12. Ensure the best use of assigned financial resources for achievement of set objectives within a moderate budget.
13. Contribute to Country Office Emergency Preparedness i.e. early warning, risk analysis, and contingency planning in order to respond to humanitarian crises and needs.
14. Other as required.

1. Activity Management

• Lead the development and implementation of resilient livelihoods strategies including for improving productivity and resilience to shocks amongst food insecure populations.
• Analyse the country context and policy debates nationally, regionally and globally to ensure that WFP Kenya remains at the forefront of thinking and practice in Food Systems and Resilience.
• Provide technical oversight and guidance and identify opportunities for improvement and innovative initiatives analysing best practices from WFP and partners in academia, government and the private sector.
• Plan, monitor, prioritise and overall manage resources to maximise their effectiveness in the delivery of Activity#3.  Report comprehensively on the same in required formats and forums.
• Manage agreements, contracts and MoUs related to Activity#3 with external service providers to ensure corporate standards are followed with special emphasis on quality control, loss prevention, risk mitigation and cost effectiveness.
• Manage, develop and motivate a team of supervisees, including programme officers to support and provide day-to-day management of activities under Activity#3.

Collaborative Activities and Partnership Management (Continued):

• Present, justify and rationalize activity resource management status, plans, prioritization and options to the Resource Management Committee.
• Contribute fully to the wider Outcome 2 leadership with the Activity#4 Manager and Food Systems Coordinator.
• Represent WFP in relevant partnership, coordination and collaborations forums with government, United Nations agencies, donor and private sector forums among others.

• Liaise with other units, including Supply Chain, administration, finance, procurement, HR and others to ensure the multi-disciplinary and efficient delivery of the programme.
• In collaboration with the monitoring and evaluation unit, ensure baselines for Activity#3 are established; project reviews and evaluations are carried out and findings are used to improve guidance documents for use by field offices.

Main outputs expected from the position include the following:

1. Annual activity implementation strategies and budgetary reports developed, implemented and reported in line with WFP financial framework.
2. Technical guidance developed and made available to both Nairobi and field based staff as well as implementing partners where necessary.
3. Project funding proposals developed.
4. Activity grants programmed and managed according to WFP financial guidelines and donor requirements.
5. Strategic, complementary and implementation partnerships forged and formalised where appropriate.
6. Policy briefs/concepts for policy and strategic engagement with government.
7. Activity#reviews and evaluations carried out and reports available.
8. Human resource requirements for delivery of the activity are identified, recruited and managed.

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives : Utilizes understanding of WFP’s Strategic Objectives to communicate linkages to team objectives and work.
• Be a force for positive change : Proactively identifies and develops new methods or improvements for self and immediate team to address work challenges within own work area.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team : Identifies opportunities to further align individual contributions with WFP’s mission of making an impact on local communities.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions : Helps colleagues to see the link between their individual tasks and the contributions of their unit’s goals to the broader context of WFP’s mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people’s skills : Is able to identify, support and encourage focused on-the-job learning opportunities to address gaps between current skillsets and needed future skillsets for WFP.
• Create an inclusive culture : Recognizes the contributions of teammates, and encourages contributions from culturally different team mates to recognise the value of diversity above and beyond just including it in programming for beneficiaries.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback : Provides and solicits ongoing constructive feedback on strengths and development opportunities to help develop individual skills, whilst also helping others identify areas for improvement.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit : Sets clear targets for self and others to focus team efforts in ambiguous situations (e.g., unprecedented issues and/or scenarios)

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions : Thinks beyond team’s conventional approaches to formulate creative methods for delivering food aid and assistance to beneficiaries.
• Focus on getting results : Maintains focus on achieving individual results in the face of obstacles such as volatile or fragile environments and/or organizational roadblocks.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments : Takes personal accountability for upholding and delivering upon team’s commitments and provides assurance to stakeholders.
• Be Decisive : Demonstrates ability to adjust to team’s plans and priorities to optimize outcomes in light of evolving directives, while also responding quickly in high-pressure environments, such as in emergency settings.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units : Demonstrates an understanding of when and how to tactfully engage other units in conversations on impact, timing, or planning
• Build strong external partnerships : Networks regularly with key external partners using formal and informal opportunities to understand each partner’s unique value proposition, and to build and strengthen relationships
• Be politically agile & adaptable : Demonstrates ability to adapt engagement approach in the context of evolving partner circumstances and expectations
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships : Demonstrates ability to articulate to internal and external audiences the value that individual contributions and immediate teams bring to partnerships.

How to Apply

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