World Food Programme
ABOUT WFP
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity, and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change. In 2021 WFP supported 652,800 people in Iraq. Through providing food for vulnerable people, skills to build futures, and enhanced social protection, WFP is helping the Government of Iraq build people’s food security and resilience. For more information, see wfp.org/countries/iraq and ar.wfp.org/countries/iraq.
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 program.
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 for social protection an integral part of WFP’s activities in most of the countries where it operates.
Through its triple role as a technical advisor, service provider, and complementary actor, WFP is supporting these efforts, as it works with governments to extend the coverage, comprehensiveness, adequacy, and quality of national social protection systems, to ensure that all people have access, throughout their lives, to strengthen 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 Iraq, there has been a growing demand for WFP to support the national social protection system. Through a program funded by EU, UNICEF, ILO, and WFP aim to support the Government of Iraq to catalyse a more effective social protection response in the short-term and to support Iraq to accelerate reform in the medium- and longer term to build a coherent and sustainable national social protection system.
The joint program will contribute to social protection reform in Iraq by adapting, expanding, and innovating social protection responses to address the immediate needs of households in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as effectively reduce the negative implications of the crisis, in the short and long-term, on human development. The reform aims to improve the public policy environment for the sustainable and inclusive expansion of social protection, and to reinforce the capacities of federal and regional authorities to deliver quality child, age and disability sensitive, and gender-responsive social protection programs and services, fill in gaps in employment-related social insurance and assistance, and make social protection schemes food security sensitive and nutrition-sensitive. The UN agencies aim to align existing safety nets with the wider social protection system, complementing and strengthening government support
WFP leads a list of activities to achieve these goals, including activities to support the capacity strengthening of government of Iraq (GOI) to develop an operational framework and manual for labor-intensive employment scheme as part of the operational plans of the national shock responsive social protection program. The labor-intensive employment scheme will also include skills training to the people affected by shocks to return to labor market with improved skill sets thus contributing resilience building of the participants.
JOB PURPOSE
To deliver the above, the Country Office is seeking a consultant to provide technical support for the capacity building of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA) to analyze the shocks affecting the livelihoods of vulnerable populations and to develop an operational framework and manual for a labor-intensive employment scheme. A joint pilot project with MoLSA will test the first draft of the manual through engaging in WFP’s resilient livelihood support activities where livelihood activities are combined with skills training to address resilience building and providing the participants an opportunity for better income generating opportunities, to refine the manual that is ready to be used for the shock responsive social protection. The incumbent will operate under the direct supervision of the Programme Policy Officer and close technical consultation with the social protection team. The incumbent will be responsible for carrying out the following tasks and responsibilities according to the workplan the final output achievement by end of the consultancy.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
1. Undertake a scoping study on shock responsive social protection (SRSP) including stakeholder analysis and gap analysis in the existing national social protection system.
2. Facilitate consultation and inter-ministerial dialogues among the government stakeholders to identify and analyze shocks and the impact of the shocks on the livelihood of the vulnerable, linking WFP’s work on supporting GOI on vulnerability and risk assessment mapping.
3. Coordinate with the agencies in the joint program in the execution of activities under Outcome 3 of the program and alignment with the SRSP policy work.
4. Organize events and workshops to facilitate the consultation and dialogue processes.
5. Facilitate or conduct training for government officials on the concept of shock-responsive social protection, various programs and tools to be used in response to shocks required systems for livelihood opportunities, resource allocation, and so on.
6. Provide technical guidance and hands-on support to MoLSA in drafting operational framework and manual and revising it after pilot to ensure a quality product, including the review and endorsement processes of those drafts as the final output during the consultancy.
7. Provide technical advice and guidance to MoLSA as the leading agency on labor-intensive employment scheme on the coordination of the inter-ministerial dialogues and debates throughout the process.
8. Coordinate the engagement of MoLSA for a pilot linking to WFP’s resilient livelihood activities with components of labor-intensive employment and skills training.
9.Keep track of activities and accomplishment of milestones according to the workplan.
10.Draft analytical and critical reports, publications, and a variety of knowledge products or concept notes for internal or external use related to shock-responsive social protection and labor-intensive employment scheme in Iraq as needed.
11.Initiate and coordinate learning opportunities for the CO staff on SRSP.
12.Other as required.
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Advanced University degree in Public Policy, Social Protection, Public Administration, International Development, International Relations, Sociology, or other fields relevant to social protection, or a First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
Experience: For holders of an Advanced degree, a minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional work experience in social protection, preferably contributing to food security and/or nutrition objectives; For holders of a First degree, a minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional work experience as described above.
Language: Excellent skills in the English language both spoken and written. Knowledge of Arabic would be an asset.
OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS
Experience in working across the policy cycle.
Experience in working across various programme types relevant to social protection (e.g., cash-transfer programmes, school feeding, public works / food assistance for assets, insurance programmes).
Experience in capacity building of the government counterparts.
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.
- Understanding of 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 as well as country capacity strengthening.
- Knowledge of key national and regional contexts and issues.
- Problem solving and decision-making skills.
- Ability to develop and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders, conveying an informed and professional demeanour toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
- Ability to analyse quantitative and qualitative information to understand current and future social protection needs and identify solutions.
- Learning agility, and appetite for exploring and experimenting with new ideas and approaches.
- Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written outputs and ability to present in English.
- 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.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Position Title: Programme Officer, Shock-Responsive Social Protection
Contract: Type : International Consultancy (CST II)
Unit/Division: Programme Unit
Duty Station: Baghdad, Iraq
Medical Plan: Medical plan for the employee only
Contract Duration: 6 months with the possibility of extension
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
Applications close on 28th September 2022
How to apply
**How to apply
- Click on “Apply” on the link highlighted below
- Click on Create an account (if not created already)
- Create your online profile and make sure to answer all mandatory questions accurately
- Attach your updated CV in English (recommended length 1-3 pages)**
https://career5.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=173003&company=C0000168410P