The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. We are seeking to fill the position of Programme Officer (Resilience and Safety Nets) P4, based in our Country Office in Khartoum, Sudan.
Under the supervision of the Head of Programme, the Programme Officer will manage WFP Sudan’s social protection, safety nets and resilence-oriented programmes by brining existing WFP strategies for these thematic areas into the county context through the following duties:
- Design and manage resilence and safety net programmes and the various staff working on this team, including cash and vouchers, climate change adaption, resilience, school feeding and Safe Access to Firewood and Alternative Energy (SAFE) project;
- Manage the school feeding portfolio as well as the various pilots;
- Keep in constant contact with the federal and state authorities with a focus on building a nationally owned school feeding programme;
- Ensure that relevant standard operating procedures and strategies for resilience, school feeding, safety nets, cash and vouchers, SAFE and climate change are updated as necessary;
- Engage with the UN Country Team on the inclusion and update of WFP’s activities in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and ensure timely reporting against these activities;
- Manage the trust funds for SAFE and resilience projects;
- Develop and sustain professional relationships with key Government, UN and NGO partners engaged in the field of SNR issues and programmes;
- Build partnerships with public and private sector actors, International Financial Institutions and UN agencies to identify points of entry for WFP programming;
- Oversee preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports including proposals for improvements in operation and the scope of programmes;
- Assess the need for transitioning programmes or modalities, including primary and secondary analysis and consultation with the field offices, and develop plans for this transition in coordination with the various units in Khartoum and the field;
- Design and maintain databases of indicators relating to food security and SNR projects;
- Advise the government on the handling, transport, storage and distribution of the commodities supplied by WFP and assist the government in the maintenance of all records, accounts and books as stipulated;
- Prepare periodic reports on the progress of operational projects and related government plans;
- Ensure compliance with WFP’s policies, criteria and procedures regarding food assistance;
- Update Country Directors and Programme Advisers in all matters related to SNR programming, including donor briefings and preparation of funding proposals;
- Supervise programme staff by providing training and technical guidance;
- Perform other related duties as required.
Qualifications & Experience Required
Education:
- University degree, preferably at an advanced level, in Economics, Agriculture, International Affairs, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Development Studies or other fields related to international development assistance.
Experience:
- At least 8 years (of which 3 international) of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in public sector management, development projects, emergency assistance, and/or operational aspects of food aid or commercial transactions;
- Strong experience in formulating programme strategies and activities in humanitarian and transition contexts, drawing upon full range of food assistance tools, and translating them into implementation modalities and operations;
- Proven experience in designing and managing resilience programmes;
- Experience with school feeding programmes is desirable.
Technical Skills & Knowledge:
- Ability to provide technical advice, or mobilise technical expertise, on a broad range of operational areas including on the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities and appropriate food products, the deployment and testing of innovative approaches and the development of strategies to support government efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition;
- Ability to forge and nurture partnerships to improve assistance packages;
- Ability to promote dialogue and joint programming in different fora on subjects related to food security, nutrition, livelihoods, resilience, engagement in humanitarian, transition and development contexts and other related issues;
- Good understanding of programme principles in conflict, transition and development situations with ability to translate them into context specific design and implementation approaches;
- Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook);
- General knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations and procedures governing administration is desirable.
Competencies:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- Effective action management to plan, coordinate and prioritize multiple tasks;
- Excellent cognitive capacity and problem solving skills;
- Outstanding teamwork and interpersonal skills with ability to work patiently and tactfully with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
- Excellent partnership skills to build strategic relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders;
- ability to gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavour through technical leadership in a broad range of operational areas.
Language:
Fluency in oral and written English with an intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages).
Application Procedures:
Step 1: Register and create your online CV.
Step 2: Click on “Description” to read the position requirements and “Apply” to submit your application.
NOTE: You must complete Step 1 and 2 in order for your application to be considered for this vacancy.
Deadline for applications: 6 October 2014
