Budget & Programming Associate, GS6

JOB TITLE:Budget & Programming Associate (GS6)

TYPE OF CONTRACT:Fixed Term

UNIT/DIVISION:Support Services

DUTY STATION (City, Country):Thimphu, Bhutan

DURATION:12 months extendable

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

WFP, through its Country Strategic Plan (2019-2023), focuses on a food system and resilience approach in its strategic partnerships with the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) supporting Bhutan in enhancing food security and nutrition, and a transformative food system that is carbon-neutral while also being economically viable. WFP is the interagency lead in agriculture and has built a partnership with RGoB, and UN and development partners to support the country in enhancing food and nutrition self-sufficiency, and agriculture sector transformation. WFP aims to raise rural household income, create additional jobs, increase value and volume of sales, increase the proportion of local produce in school meals, improve dietary diversity, increase production of nutritious crops, and link farm products to viable markets.

WFP partners with the Ministries of Health, Education, and Agriculture and Forests to create an enabling environment for healthier school nutrition and the improved nutritional status of Bhutanese school children. WFP supports the RGoB to reach all rural schools with school meals by connecting 9,000 farmers in five districts to provide diverse and nutritious foods for school meals. This also assures incomes for smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women. WFP is assisting in the construction or refurbishment of school kitchens and stores, and to develop national standards for school kitchens, stores, and kitchen equipment. WFP is also collaborating with the Ministry of Education on the use of SMP PLUS, a user-friendly software that optimizes school menus to be more nutritious, cost-efficient, and locally sourced.

WFP supports the development of Bhutan’s food fortification regulatory framework and compliance mechanisms through technical assistance and capacity strengthening to ensure food safety and quality assurance. The RGoB has prioritized food fortification as a public health strategy to address micronutrient deficiencies among school children using the school meals as a platform. With growing evidence on the effectiveness of the programme, the RGoB plans to scale-up the use of fortified rice to reach other vulnerable populations, including monastic institutions, and to gradually introduce fortified rice through the open market.

WFP Bhutan identifies enhancing resilience to natural disasters and climate change as a key focus area. WFP is the current UN lead on disaster risk reduction in the country and supports coordination between development partners through regular sector meetings and knowledge sharing platforms. To develop stronger national resilience to disasters and the climate crisis, WFP supports the RGoB’s DRR initiatives in the five areas of governance and coordination, data preparedness, logistics, emergency telecommunications, and food security. WFP worked closely with the Department for Disaster Management and government partners to support the overall COVID-19 coordination and response in the areas of food security and logistics. This included capacity support to frontline personnel, preparing for future pandemics, and supporting the National Food Security Reserve in securing sufficient food stocks for six months for the whole population.

WFP considers that strengthening nationally led supply chain coordination mechanisms with strong government leadership increases legitimacy and leads to robust supply chain capacity, both at national and sub-national levels, thus contributing to sustainable economic growth. WFP seeks to utilize its global network of partners and technical expertise to localize and strengthen national supply chain capacity in accordance with SDG 17 and its Country Strategic Plan (2019-2023). Empowering national responders and promoting collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders to address potential logistics constraints will lead to effective humanitarian assistance during disaster situations.

JOB PURPOSE: To coordinate and provide budget, finance, and administration support services involving the recording and interpretation of financial and budgetary information to ensure the efficient functioning of the support services and inform WFP decision-making.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Review budget plans, monitor and analyze project financial performance and make recommendations in compliance with WFP financial policies and procedures and best practices, to support financial analysis and optimization of resources.
2. Provide comprehensive analysis on fund and grant balances identifying surpluses and deficits, and suggest corrective measures, to support maximum fund utilization and decision-making process.
3. Support pipeline management ensuring efficient monitoring, to prevent and address pipeline breaks and maximize operational effectiveness, including compiling data from WFP database and systems to assist in generating and analyzing financial reports on a monthly l basis.
4. Contribute to the improvement of internal processes, enhancement of corporate systems and design of tools, to facilitate the overall planning, expenditure forecasting, and budget management and monitoring of resource utilization.
5. Enter project budget plans and revisions in the corporate systems, to ensure data is timely and accurately captured enabling easy access to information and supporting planning and decision-making.
6. Review, compile and analyse data, maintain accurate records and files, and prepare periodic and ad hoc reports, to support accuracy and efficiency of information presented to internal and external stakeholders.
7. Maintain communication with stakeholders regarding project funds management matters and related processes, to clarify any discrepancies and optimize use of funds.
8. Provide guidance to other support staff and contribute to their learning and development in budget planning, fund management and operational planning, to facilitate continued development and consistency in services delivered.
9. Follow standard emergency preparedness practices, to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.

OTHER POST REQUIREMENTS:

1. Supervise and provide guidance to the Finance Assistant, and to the Business Support Assistant (HR/Admin), to ensure efficient performance of required financial and administrative tasks, respectively.
2. Monitor and manage WFP resources in the areas of responsibility, i.e., WFP managed facilities, assets, travel management, light vehicle fleet, with assistance from the Business Support Assistant (HR/Admin); monitor requirements and contribute to the estimation of new requirements to facilitate efficiency and cost effectiveness of operations and services.
3. Represent WFP in inter-agency common activities, as required.
4. Any other related duties, as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area.

Experience:

• A minimum of six (6) years of progressively relevant work experience in the areas of resource management, budget and programming, finance, and administration, or relevant fields.
• Has supported the preparation, management, and monitoring of budgets/resource plans/pipelines/supply chain.
• Ability to carry out data analysis and independently address problems, particularly those requiring immediate attention.

Languages:

Fluency in both oral and written English (level C) and Dzongkha is an asset.