UN Jobs – Programme Associate (Innovation) – United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

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UN Jobs – Programme Associate (Innovation) – United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

Job Title:   Programme Associate (Innovation) (UN Jobs)

Organisation: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

Duty Station:  Kampala, Uganda

 

About US:

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.

 

Job Summary:  The Programme Associate (Innovation) will provide effective specialized support and technical analyses to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Supporting the implementation of the Ugandan Innovation Strategy through the technical design, development, delivery and scale of impactful products, services and processes to increase food security in Uganda. The incumbent will use Human Centred Design and design thinking techniques to identify and scale desirable, feasible and viable innovations
  • Manage IGNITE Food Systems innovation programme implementation and events with the support of the Innovation Advisor WFP Innovation Hub for Eastern Africa and support the scale-up of innovations through partnerships management and close coordination with relevant WFP and external stakeholders.
  • Be the country office product, service and process designer
    • Create design concepts and drawings to determine the best product
    • Present product ideas to relevant team members for brainstorming
    • Suggest improvements to design and performance to products and services
    • Employ design concepts into functional prototypes
    • Perform research on product and services technologies and structures to implement into design concepts
    • Maintain up to date on current industry trends and market conditions
    • Coordinate with programme team to ensure accurate communication and efficiency in the design phase
    • Modify and revise existing WFP products and services designs to meet client expectations
  • Learn and understand the needs of WFP people of concern
  • Conduct design research to generate value (utility) for the end users
  • Gather cumulative experiences of human interactions, experiences and artifacts
  • Use empathy thinking and modelling to gather research
  • Prepare multimedia presentations that use words, photos, drawings, and stories to present complex human archetypes, needs, patterns and narrative data
  • Concept development
  • Develop written innovative concepts to present to programme teams and other stakeholders
  • Develop innovative and effective communication strategies and support in their execution
  • Lead ideation and brainstorming workshops
  • Organize and facilitate ideation and brainstorm workshops and boot camps where teams are supported by human centred design methods as they go through the innovation process
  • Prototyping and testing
  • Enable low-cost, rapid testing and visualization of ideas by supporting teams to design prototypes.
  • Build representation of ideas c. Implement pilots using a lean approach to gather quick and measurable value propositions
  • Support implementation of scaling plans of successful prototypes and pilots
  • Together with the innovation advisor and a programme team member, develop and implement scaling plans for innovative ideas including the development of sustainable business models.
  • Innovation capacity development and external innovation programme management
  • Train teams on innovation methodology such as design thinking, lean start-up, and agile project management through in person, online or blended formats.
  • Manage innovation projects from regional bureau and the accelerator as needed

 

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

  • The applicant for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Programme Associate (Innovation) job must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and product design, architecture, technology or other related degrees
  • Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in an international design or innovation studio and working in the humanitarian/international development sector.
  • Technical skills in Computer Generated Design (CAD) and Adobe design software. Bonus if the candidate has visual illustration capabilities
  • Program and event organization, project management, and data collection and analysis experience required.
  • Experience working with start-ups/organizations in the East Africa innovation ecosystem and/or in food systems is beneficial.
  • Experience owning and building strategies to develop new concepts
  • Experience navigating a complex network of stakeholders
  • Must have an up-to-date portfolio of product, service and design work
  • Passion and deep understanding of innovation and relevant context
  • Wide-reaching networks in the innovation community in Uganda and globally
  • Design experience and/or start-up mentality, i.e.; experience of working and leading across functions/teams to get things done in a hands-on way
  • Proven track record of driving projects, effectively managing projects and events from design to completion
  • Strong conceptual thinking to develop new strategies and innovative project
  • Able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders and external audiences with maturity and tact
  • Ability to manage and motivate indirect reports (matrix management), set clear expectations, and encourage them to develop their skills and take ownership
  • Languages: International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language

 

Competencies:

  • Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance: Demonstrates ability to identify key variables and contextual factors that affect food assistance problems and programmes throughout the lifecycle to inform quality programme design or re-design.
  • Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Vouchers): Demonstrates ability to implement, under guidance, food assistance programmes deploying the full range of transfer modalities with an understanding of basic principles guiding modality selection and implementation.
  • Broad Knowledge of Specialized Areas: Understands basic technical concepts and data and their relevance to food assistance programmes.
  • Emergency Programming: Displays capacity to provide inputs into the development, implementation and realignment of high quality emergency programmes.
  • Strategic Policy Engagement w/Government: Understands and applies basic principles of engagement with government counterparts at the national or local level.

 

Note:

  • 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.

 

How to Apply:

All candidates who wish to join the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the aforementioned capacity should apply online at the online portal link below.

 

Click Here

 

Deadline: 20th January 2023 

 

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