PPO Food Security and Nutrition (re-advertise)

Job Title: PPO Food Security and Nutrition (re-advertise 830544)

Grade: NOB

Type of contract: National Officer

Duration: 12 months

Duty Station: Suva, Fiji

Vacancy Number: 831273

Date of Publication: 18 January 2024

Deadline of Application: 31 January 2024 at 5:59 PM EST

JOB PURPOSE
To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively strengthen food security and nutrition across the Pacific.

The WFP Pacific Multi Country Office is looking for a dynamic professional to support engagement with national Governments and strategic partners, strengthen WFP’s leadership role for food security and nutrition in the Pacific and advance the implementation of activities under the WFP Pacific Multi-country Strategic Plan 2023-2027 (MCSP). The Programme Policy Officer will closely coordinate and complement the efforts of Programme Policy Officers responsible for Social Protection/Cash-Based Transfers (SP/CBT) and Research, Assessment and Monitoring (RAM), and together support implementation of the MCSP. Under the newly approved MCSP, WFP Pacific Multi-Country Office is specifically looking at developing opportunities to expand its portfolio of capacity development activities supporting Pacific governments in strengthening nutrition outcomes for Pacific Islanders across the region.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Contribute towards the development of a wide variety of projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidance.
• Provide project management support to specific and defined programmes and projects of considerable size/complexity, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.
• Develop and coordinate data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.
• Research and analyse a range of policy and operational issues to inform the development of policies, programmes and activities.
• Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
• Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing projects and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
• Support the identification, development and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to improved food security and nutrition.
• Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and national government to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, e.g., through providing inputs into training materials.
• Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with analysis and queries.
• Other as required.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Provide support to strategic partnerships with national Governments and other regional and sub-regional actors to better position WFP’s role in food security and nutrition.
• Support the enhancement of WFP’s leadership in national and regional fora relating to food security and nutrition and strengthen the links to wider programme policy focus areas such as emergency preparedness, nutrition, livelihoods, social protection and resilience including climate change and DRR through direct participation, briefings, information products and other materials.
• With the Research, Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) unit, ensure food security and nutrition data contributes to policy and programme outcomes for Pacific governments.
• Contribute to strengthening relationships with regional actors having multi-country presence and ongoing food security/nutrition programmes in the Pacific (such as Rome-Based Agencies; CROP Agencies; NGOs; academic institutions) for linkages and collaboration on food security, resilience, and other themes.
• As required, represent WFP in inter-governmental and inter-agency fora, strategic working groups and coordination platforms.
• Act as a focal point for protection, gender and disability inclusion, including engagement in regional pacific coordination fora and protection and disability inclusion networks and, as appropriate build necessary in-country partnerships.
• Act as WFP’s focal point in the Regional Pacific Food Security Cluster (RPFSC), engaging with the co-lead focal point and cluster coordinator to ensure leadership and support national- level clusters to deliver emergency preparedness activities, DRR initiatives and long-term resilience activities to support food systems and the food security of communities in the Pacific.
• Liaise with coordination staff from other clusters present in the region (including Gender and Protection, Nutrition, Health and Education) to strengthen linkages, support simulation activities, assessments, and preparedness actions.
• Contribute to national food security and nutrition emergency preparedness and contingency planning to respond to humanitarian crises and needs.
• Provide operational support for capacity-strengthening of national authorities, staff, and members in country-level clusters on preparedness, response, and resilience actions in food security and nutrition through training, in country and remote capacity assistance.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams.
• Has taken leadership of implementing programmes.
• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.
• Has a knowledge of, or experience in implementing emergency response operations.
• Has experience in, or a solid understanding of the UN system and how it works in the Pacific.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced University degree with at least three years of experience in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/ Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/ courses.

Language: Fluency in the English Language