International Consultant, Programme Officer (Social Protection) CSTI |N’Djamena| Chad

JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer – Social Protection

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultant (Junior consultant)

UNIT/DIVISION: Programme

DUTY STATION (City, Country): N’Djamena – Tchad

DURATION: 11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Social protection is an increasingly popular strategy for governments to reduce extreme poverty, hunger and inequality. Virtually every country in the world has at least one social protection scheme in place, and 2.5 million people are already covered by some type of social protection programme.

As a global leader in fighting hunger and malnutrition worldwide, often in very difficult contexts, the World Food Programme (WFP) is increasingly called upon by governments to support national social protection systems. In 2019, WFP partnered with governments in 75 countries to support their national social protection systems, making support in social protection an integral part of its activities in most of the countries where it operates.

As the COVID-19 pandemic put at risk not only the lives and livelihoods of many people across the globe, it also threatens to undermine decades of progress towards the SDGs. In response to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, the government of Chad is currently implementing its National Social Protection Strategy.

Through its triple role as a technical advisor, service provider and complementary actor, WFP is supporting these efforts, as it works with the government of Chad to extend the coverage, comprehensiveness, adequacy and quality of national social protection systems, with the aim to ensure that all people have access, throughout their lives, to strong national social protection systems that safeguard and foster their ability to meet their food security, nutrition and associated essential needs, and to reduce and address the risks and shocks they face.

Country context and response

In Chad there has been a growing demand for WFP to support the national social protection system. As a result, there is an increasing need for internal coordination across functional areas (e.g. nutrition, school feeding, SAMS, EPR, VAM, country capacity strengthening, VAM, supply chain, TECH) where WFP has a comparative advantage, to ensure the organisation delivers well-planned, integrated social protection support to the Government. WFP will work jointly with world bank and UNICEF to provide support to the government in scaling its safety net and social protection program with focus on shock-responsive approach.

Job purpose

To deliver against the above, the Country Office is seeking a Social Protection Programme Policy Officer (Junior consultant) to provide support to its social protection activities. The incumbent will operate under the direct supervision of the head of program. The incumbent will be responsible for carrying out the following tasks and responsibilities:

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Contribute towards the development of a limited number of projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with corporate policies and guidance relevant to social protection.
2. Provide project management support to specific and defined social protection programmes and projects of considerable size/complexity, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.
3. Research and analyse policy and operational issues to inform the development of in-country social protection policies, strategies, programmes and activities.
4. Follow data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that quality standards are maintained for social protection programmes and projects.
5. Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on social protection programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
6. Contribute to the development, management and sharing of knowledge products pertinent to social protection.
7. Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration.
8. Support the identification, development and management of external partnerships for improved support to national social protection.
9. Support the capacity strengthening of WFP staff, partners and national government to identify and address in-country social protection needs, e.g. by providing inputs into specific social protection guidance materials and/or learning initiatives.
10. Provide guidance to support staff, acting as a point of referral and assisting them with analysis and queries related to social protection.
11. Other as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

University degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, International Development, International Relations, Sociology, or other fields relevant to social protection.

Experience:

1 or more years of relevant professional experience related to national development programmes, policies, strategies or plans and institutional structures, preferably in relation to social protection and/or revolving around food security and/or nutrition;

Knowledge & Skills:

• Understanding of Agenda 2030 and respective targets – particularly SDG1, SDG2 and SDG17 – and how the work of WFP can contribute to achieving them;
• Familiarity with WFP’s mandate, Country Strategic Planning process, intervention modalities, programme and project lifecycle tools, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation desirable.
• Knowledge of current thinking and developments in the field of social protection and public policy;
• Knowledge of current thinking and developments in country capacity strengthening and effective knowledge transfer models, concepts and principles;
• Knowledge of key national and regional contexts and issues;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written outputs and ability to present in English and the working language.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders, conveying an informed and professional demeanour toward internal and external partners and stakeholders;
• Appetite for exploring and experimenting with new ideas and approaches.
• Ability to work independently in a timely and organised manner;
• Ability to work as part of a team, participating in open dialogues and valuing diverse opinions of others, regardless of gender, culture, background, experience, or country assignment.
• Moderate to proficient computer literacy.

Languages:

International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese.