UN Programme Policy Officer (Systems Strengthening) Job Careers – United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Job Title: Programme Policy Officer (Systems Strengthening)
Organization: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Duty Station: Uganda
About WFP:
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 United 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 SIDA SP programme has a strong focus on strengthening National and District Capacities to effectively deliver Social Protection interventions. The Systems Strengthening Officer will provide technical leadership and assistance with emphasis on strengthening social protection systems and building capacity of the District Local Governments (DLGs) in RHDs. As a member of SIDA SP Technical Team, the Advisor will ensure technical excellence through contributions made to project implementation, delivery, monitoring and evaluation with a focus on Enhanced DLG Capacities to Plan, Budget, Deliver, Lobby and Advocate for SP Financing. S/he will support the implementation of learning agendas, tool development and relevant strategic initiatives including supporting the Decentralized Planning Processes at Sub County Levels. The Advisor will liaise closely with technical advisors from other sectors to ensure seamless quality programming. Finally, the Advisor will be responsible for sharing WFP’s comparative advantage (on Capacity Strengthening), information, and experiences in Social Protection Programming within and outside the organization, as well as incorporate a broad-based approach for the overall well-being of those impacted.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- He/she will be responsible for mainstreaming the application of the Corporate Country Capacity Strengthening Framework in Arua Area Office operations. This will be achieved through a combination of technical support, systems strengthening, partnership enhancement and documentation expertise.
- More specifically, he/she will coordinate and support the implementation of capacity strengthening, including but not limited to i) lead on the finalization of Social Protection Local Government and Partner Workplans in alignment with Country office and on the review of existing FLAs; ii) lead on the adaptation of tools and frameworks for capacity strengthening.
- He/she will facilitate the capacity-building of staff and partners through training measures, i.e. providing technical assistance both remotely and on-the-ground to field-offices across Arua Area Office in application of approaches, including coordination and support of specialized training formats.
- Establish a monitoring mechanism to capture WFP operations’ impact on capacity strengthening at DLG, Sub County and Community Level.
- Document capacity strengthening best practices while at the same time supporting the revision of Capacity Strengthening tools and processes.
- Coordinate partnership with relevant stakeholders specialized in capacity strengthening expertise (NGOs, private sector, academics, etc.) in line with DLGs and WFP priorities.
- Advise project staff on technical issues related to SP programs such as financing, coordination and referral mechanisms, SP workforce development, with an emphasis on providing comprehensive support at the community and household level.
- Support program efforts by providing guidance and hands-on support in conducting assessments, advising on partnerships and strategies.
- Ensure the day-to-day implementation of the work plan capacity building related activities and provide input into the development, on-going management and maintenance of the work plan.
- Provide technical support to partners and government counterparts to implement social protection system strengthening activities and to ensure that agreed targets are met.
- Collaborate with relevant international development, donor and research institutions through relationship building, information sharing, and representation on Social Protection system strengthening.
- Stay abreast of state-of-the-art developments in quality and innovations related to SP system strengthening and share relevant information as appropriate.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Programme Policy Officer (Sys. Strengthening) job vacancy must hold an Advanced university degree in one of the following disciplines: Social Sciences, Development Studies, International Relations, or a related field.
- A minimum of seven (7) years of relevant, progressively responsible professional experience in project management, humanitarian or development project implementation, office management, and/or knowledge management.
- Experience designing and implementing institutional capacity development programs is essential.
- Facilitating and coordinating multi-stakeholder planning processes.
- Knowledge of change management theory and best practices.
- Technical expertise in principals, theories, concepts and techniques in the area of social protection systems strengthening, including knowledge of and ability to integrate across related disciplines. Excellent writing and speaking English abilities; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
- Experience speaking professionally in front of groups and facilitating high-level meetings.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (professional level).
- Leadership qualities and ability to create synergies where applicable.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team.
- Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills.
- Understanding of social protection programming priorities, strategies and monitoring and evaluation tools and systems.
- Knowledgeable of National Social Protection Programme in Uganda is an added advantage.
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, Voucher): Demonstrates ability to analyse and consolidate quantitative and qualitative information from different sources (e.g., market studies) to inform transfer modality selection and programme development.
- Broad Knowledge of Specialized areas (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.): Demonstrates the ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring.
- Emergency Programming: Displays capacity to provide inputs into the development, implementation and realignment of high quality emergency programmes.
- Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government: Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes.
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified candidates who wish to join the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are encouraged to apply online at the link below
Missed This Job? or Interested in more?. See List of Current Job Vacancies / Opportunities in Uganda