Senior Programme Policy Officer (Head, Country Engagement, Global Network Against Food Crises), P5

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

Are you a Senior Programme Policy Officer interested in further developing your professional experience while contributing to ending global hunger? Are you passionate about helping those in need? Would you like to join a global organization investing in its people?
If so, an exciting & fulfilling career awaits you! Join our diverse and passionate team that works on varied and international projects directly contributing to saving & changing millions of lives around the globe.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Sunday, May 1, 2022 (11:59 PM CET)

WHO WE ARE

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a highly prestigious, reputable & world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP’s values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: UN World Food Programme (WFP) and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

WHY JOIN US?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section)

THE ROLE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Global Network against Food Crises was launched at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit by the European Union, FAO and WFP with the objective of tackling the root causes of food crises and promoting sustainable solutions through shared analysis and knowledge and strengthened coordination in evidence-based responses. One of the foundational principles of the Network is that responses in food crises need to address immediate humanitarian needs, link the short-term interventions with a medium to long-term vision, and invest in targeted development assistance to reduce needs, risks and vulnerability as well as in early preparedness and anticipatory actions.

The Network operates at the national, regional and global levels along three interlinked dimensions (3×3 approach):

1. Understanding food crises – Generating evidence-based information and analysis.
2. Strategic Investment in food and nutrition security – Leveraging strategic investments to prepare, prevent and respond to food crises.
3. Going beyond food – Fostering political uptake and functional coordination across clusters/sectors to address other dimensions driving the food security crisis scenarios.

The vision of the Global Network Against Food Crises is to prepare and respond to food crises and support the collective outcome related to Ending Hunger (SDG 2); reducing needs, risks and vulnerabilities associated with acute hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture and food systems.

A set of principles inspires the Global Network’s efforts:

• The need to prepare, anticipate and respond at the local, regional and global levels, building on and strengthening local systems.
• The centrality of resilient and sustainable food systems in preventing food and nutrition crises, mitigating their impact and boosting recovery and rehabilitation for its transformation.
• The need to inform policies and actions to fight food and nutrition insecurity with evidence-based understanding of the complex dynamics and drivers of risk and vulnerability, such as conflict and insecurity, climate change, environmental degradation, and demographic change.
• The need to address the risk, vulnerabilities and priorities of local rural communities involved in agriculture by adopting a territorial approach that is supported by national policies.
• The need to align with and build on major existing initiatives and coordination mechanisms in order to deliver collective outcomes and meet the 2030 Agenda.
• Ensuring conflict-sensitive programming and principled approaches.

The overall strategic guidance of the Global Network is entrusted to a Senior Steering Group – the decision-making body of the Global Network providing strategic and policy guidance. The operational body of the Senior Steering Group is the Global Network Technical Support Unit designed to support the country and regionally-led initiatives.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Leading the Country Engagement team to deliver against the vision of the Global Network, you will work under the guidance of the Director and will be instrumental in shaping the strategy and overseeing the delivery of the Global Networks vision for Dimension 2. This covers the following:

1. Manage and implement the Global Network’s country engagement process, including liaison and coordination with relevant officials internal and external to WFP. This includes:

2. Strong understanding of donor policies vis-à-vis humanitarian development and peace frameworks that inform their investments at regional and country level;

3. Alignment of bilateral policy and programming with multi-lateral planning and delivery;

4. Delivery of strategic investments and engagement with countries is carefully delivered to reinforce the work of members of the Global Network Against food Crisis, including WFP, FAO, as well as bilateral programming with a view to supporting coherent action at country level;

5. Operational knowledge of the World Bank’s interventions and support to national governments, including implementation of the World Bank Group Strategy for Fragilty, Conflict and Violence to ensure alignment and complimentarity of the Global Network’s support to countries;

6. Strong liaison and strategic planning with relevant HDP convening platforms (including the OECD DAC-UN Dialogue, IASC H-D Task Teak and the Joint Steering Committee) with a view to coherent action at country level;

7. Leverage the work of the Global Network to strengthen integrated programming an integrated response across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, providing common messages for coordinated fundraising and resource allocation.

8. Identify, support and leverage strategic linkages with country engagement activities pursued by the Coalition on Fighting Food Crises along the HDP Nexus emerging from the Food System Summit, informing its evolution where relevant;

9. Inform the development of a solid, evidence-based body of knowledge and structured debate on typologies of crises responses, supporting the identification of lessons learned and best practices on the humanitarian development peace nexus.

10. Identify innovative opportunities to strengthen existing country and regionally led initiatives, platforms and mechanisms that support the humanitarian, development and peace nexus and be forward leaning supporting complementarity of efforts.

11. Promote partnerships and alliances to increase the Global Network’s impact at global, regional and country levels.

12. Others as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND KEY REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

You have:

• Advanced university degree in agricultural or development economics, international relations, social science, political science or a related field, OR First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses?

EXPERIENCE:

You have:

• At least 11 years of relevant experience in humanitarian and development assistance, including food security.
• Proven global policy formulation, engagement and experience in inter-agency affairs and leadership on nexus approaches is required.
• Proven knowledge of policies and strategies of bilaterals and their engagement in fragile states.
• Proven knowledge of and engagement with the Humanitarian, Development and Peace communities at country, regional and global level.
• Experience with both the development and humanitarian arms of the multi-lateral community is highly desirable.
• Experience with WFP and/or FAO is highly desirable and strong knowledge of food insecurity and food systems is essential.
• Proven experience in bringing coherence across sectoral interventions.

LANGUAGE:

You have:

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

MORE ABOUT YOU

• You have knowledge of challenges and mechanisms to promote evidence-based food security, risk and resilience related policy and/or programming processes.
• You have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a solution and action orientation.
• Familiarity with WFP and the UN system will be regarded as an asset

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Limited Fixed-Term Appointment (LFT) position is a non-mobile staff appointment in the international professional category for a limited period (2 years, with a possible extension up to max. 4 years). Incumbents of LFT positions are not eligible to apply for other mobile positions advertised internally through the Reassignment

WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel, visa and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. For more information, visit https://icsc.un.org/.

Mobility is and continues to be a core contractual requirement in WFP. This position is however classified as “non-rotational” which means the incumbent shall not be subject to the regular reassignment process unless the position is reclassified as rotational

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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.