Career Opportunities: Programme Policy Officer with WFP

WFP is looking for talented people who are committed to joining our efforts to eradicate hunger. It offers unlimited opportunities to grow your professionalism,  talent and expertise. Start your journey to be a member of the world-wide effort to eradicate hunger. WFP has a policy of affirmative action for women.ABOUT WFP

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) 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. 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 lives. On average, WFP reaches more than 80 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year. The organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to food and contribute to lasting solutions, especially in many of the world’s most remote and fragile areas.

Brief description of WFP in Uganda

WFP delivers food assistance in emergencies and work with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. WFP provides life-saving food assistance and livelihood opportunities to refugees in Uganda. In addition, WFP assists the most vulnerable people in Karamoja with food and nutrition assistance. Finally, WFP works with smallholder farmers and links them to markets.

As Uganda strives to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030 and become a middle-income country by 2040, WFP is also assessing its relevance and repositioning its role in Uganda.JOB PURPOSE

The Cash Working Group Coordinator is expected to lead, on behalf of WFP and UNHCR, all coordination processes in relation to cash transfers in Uganda including chairing meetings, representing the CWG at strategic meetings, capacity building of agencies, developing technical and cash coordination guidelines (including IM products, CWG bulletins, etc) and ensuring a harmonized approach to the delivery of cash transfers among CWG members, including joint procurement of Financial Service Providers.

This position is expected to support the interagency cash working group and its members at technical level, which will benefit the entire community of practice by supporting organisations in the adoption of common tools such as the MEB calculator and reference guidance, supporting Essential Needs and Multisectoral Market Assessments. S/he will liaise with all relevant sectors e.g. WASH, Health, Education, Food Security, Shelter, Environment and Livelihoods to ensure that cash is not only mainstreamed in sector plans but also all sectors actively participate in cash transfer programming and adapt a common and harmonized approach to cash transfers. S/he will ensure that cash is mainstreamed in the country Refugee Response Plan and RRP Information Management products and considered as a tool for delivering assistance where conditions permit. The accountability line of all TWG coordinators is to the leadership of the inter-agency response, which are OPM (Commissioner) and UNHCR (Representative). The CWG Coordinator thus also participates in the Inter Sector Working Group.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the coordination of developing a common approach to the delivery of cash-based interventions
• Lead the sharing of lessons learnt and best practices within the response and create a common repository
• Lead the continued mapping of financial service provider capacity and analysis of the advantages/disadvantages of delivery mechanisms (smart card, mobile money transfers, cash in envelops), etc.
• Ensure regular publication of cash-related information products: updated 4W’s, mapping, factsheets, infographics
• Lead the technical coordination of inter-agency market assessment exercises.
• Lead the planning and realization of inter-agencies Multi-Sectoral Situation and Response Analysis (SRA) that takes into consideration the essential needs approach
• Support the technical coordination of inter-agency needs assessments exercises.
• Support to determining need from an income and expenditures perspective including the MEB, Vulnerability Assessment and Gaps Analysis. Update the MEB when required.
• Explore social protection as an opportunity for an integrated approach in humanitarian cash and voucher assistance.
• Lead the regular dialogue between the Cash and Social Protection Working Groups

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced University degree in one or more of the following disciplines: International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance.

• At least 6 years of post-graduate, progressively responsible, job related experience in the coordination and/or implementation of cash-based interventions.
• Proficiency in Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Competencies: Good analytical skills, resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgment, tact, negotiating skills, ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing, ability to work in a team, and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds. Strong management skills.

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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.

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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. 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for submission is 26 June 2020..

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.

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