Deputy Country Representative Employment Opportunity – Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET)
Job Title: Deputy Country Representative
Organisation: Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About us:
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage through a mix of presence and remote monitoring.
Job Summary: The Deputy Country Representative (DCR) will work closely with the Country Representative (CR) to undertake activities in the field office in the following areas:
- Efficient, focused food security monitoring, data collection, assessment, and early warning analysis
- Effective communication of early warning analysis to partners and decision-makers through high quality reports and participation in briefings and formal and informal meetings
- Close collaboration with key partners, such as host government ministries, UN agencies, and international and local NGOs, among others
- Supporting partnership and network development by addressing identified gaps in effective early warning systems
- Project administration and management at the field office level, as designated by the CR, including acting as CR when required.
- The DCR will assist the CR to provide quality control for the deliverables of the project and will help ensure that activities and products are delivered in a timely manner.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Technical Activities
- Supporting the effective execution of technical activities in the national office including: early warning analysis, livelihoods and vulnerability assessments, markets and trade analysis, monitoring tools and methods development, capacity strengthening, and network development/enhancement
- Maintaining and updating a knowledge base composed of, at a minimum: livelihood zone profiles, commodity trade flow maps, sub-national seasonal monitoring calendars, commodity price data, nutrition data, and other technical data covering levels of rainfall, climate change, agricultural production, population, historical assistance flows, migration, remittances, labor etc.
- Developing and updating seasonal monitoring plans
- Providing high quality and effective early warning of threats to food security and supporting efforts to mitigate food insecurity and prevent food crises through the production of actionable, evidence-based food security analysis
- Conducting regular field assessments of food security conditions, security permitting, both independently and with partners, in areas of most concern to FEWS NET
- Fulfilling monthly reporting requirements, including writing Food Security Outlooks (FSO), FSO Updates, the Price Watch, Market and Trade outlooks, seasonal monitors, and Key Messages, contributing to Food Assistance Outlook Brief reports, and providing regular briefings to the US Government and other partners in country;
- Organizing project documentation and files and updating all essential data used in food security early warning monitoring and assessment, including through inputs into the FEWS NET Data Warehouse, in line with guidance provided by the Washington-based technical team
- Participating actively and collaboratively in country-level Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analyses, as applicable, in line with IPC protocols
- Contributing to other FEWS NET information products required locally, regionally, and by the Washington-based technical team Partnership, Representation, and Network Development
- Collaborating with national, regional, and international partners in food security monitoring and analysis through participation in implementation of the IPC
- Developing and maintaining strong collaborative relations, both formal and informal, with USAID
- Mission representatives, US Embassy technical contacts, UN agency representatives, government ministry staff, and key international and local NGO colleagues to facilitate technical exchanges, promote consensus-building, work to resolve technical disagreements, and facilitate joint, coordinated actions to mitigate food insecurity
- Playing a leading role in collecting, archiving, analyzing, and sharing food security data and information
- Reinforcing partnerships through network development/enhancement at the national and sub-national levels by focusing support to address identified gaps and strengthen shared opportunities, including providing training and skills transfers for effective early warning in country
- Representing FEWS NET at regular and ad hoc formal and informal meetings within FEWS NET’s national food security network, as designated by the CR
Management
- Supervising, mentoring, and supporting the professional development of technical and administrative staff in the field office, as delegated by the CR
- Supporting national recruitment efforts for technical and administrative staff in country, as needed
- Other related tasks, as assigned.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate must be Fluent in English, local language skills desirable
- An advanced university degree in a discipline relevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, social geography or related field.
- Significant, directly related professional experience can substitute for education experience.
- At least two years of relevant experience in early warning/food security information systems, food security analysis, or other related fields
- Strong spoken and written communication skills in English and French is required
- Excellent computer skills; GIS applications and mapping skills are an advantage
Location and Reporting
The DCR is directly supervised by the CR. For technical activities, the DCR will collaborate and coordinate with national, regional, and home office (Washington, D.C.) technical advisors, analysts, and specialists. For office administration and financial management, the DCR will collaborate with the CR, the Regional Representative(RR), and the Washington-based Project Management Unit (PMU), FEWS NET Operations Team, and the Senior
Management Team (SMT). The DCR will be required to travel regularly within the country, and some international may also be required, security permitting.
Selection Criteria
Candidates for the DCR position will be evaluated against the following core competencies and technical skills:
Core Competencies
- Relevancy of education to the work of FEWS NET
- English language ability (spoken and written)
- Presentation skills
- Computer skills
- Writing skills
- Evidence of working with and coordinating partners, networking, and collaboration
Technical Skills (depth of understanding of and experience with the following topics)
- Food security and Knowledge of the food security system in Uganda
- Livelihoods and the Household Economy Approach (HEA)
- Markets and trade
- Agro-climatology (agro-meteorology, remote sensing, GIS, etc.)
- Nutrition
- Agricultural sciences (crops, livestock, pasture, etc.)
- Field assessments (quantitative and/or qualitative)
- Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
- Analytical and reporting skills
How to apply:
All Interested candidates should fill out the general information form and upload their
CV and a cover letter at the link bellow
All application materials, including responses to the general information form, CVs, and cover letters, should be provided in English. No telephone inquiries. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Deadline: 18th December 2019