Programme Policy Officer (School Feeding Project Manager) Consultant II – Mogadishu

Background and Purpose of the Assignment

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. WFP Somalia works in partnership with the Government and other stakeholders through technical assistance and direct implementation of integrated programmes targeting the most vulnerable people with the vision to progressively shift towards building national capacities to formulate, manage and implement programmes for achieving zero hunger, while also advancing on other interlinking national priorities. WFP’s work in Somalia is informed by five strategic outcomes outlined in the Country Strategic Plan (CSP). Strategic outcome 2 focuses on strengthening Human Capital Development – a critical precondition for advancing on Zero Hunger agenda and national priorities around economic growth and poverty reduction. This outcome encompasses capacity strengthening and direct implementation in the areas of school feeding, social protection, poverty and food insecurity analysis and mapping, data-driven planning, nutrition, economic inclusion and transformative programming.

Under Strategic Outcome 2, WFP acts as a technical partner of the Government of Somalia in developing and expanding the National School Feeding Programme launched in 2003. In 2021, the Government of Somalia joined the School Meals Coalition and aims to align with the Coalition’s goals to ensure a nutritious diet for schoolchildren, enhancing education outcomes and human capital development. In September 2023, the Federal Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and Ministry of Finance, endorsed a national vision for school meals for all. This has since led to the drafting of a roadmap for a nationwide programme by 2030 which is being implemented with technical and operational support from WFP. As a starting point, in 2023, WFP supported the crafting and dissemination of the National School Feeding Policy. WFP is now assisting the government with the operationalization of the school feeding policy with a particular focus on girls.

Position Overview

In delivering its technical and operational support to the national school feeding programme, WFP works with a large number of strategic government and development partners to mobilize and advocate for cross-sectoral investments in support of a home-grown school feeding programme. WFP also invests in an ambitious learning agenda to inform policy and advocacy for school feeding, which feeds into WFP’s global school feeding learning agenda. Given Somalia’s low human capital development (170/175), a burgeoning caseload of 4.8 million out-of-school children, 26% primary enrolment rates and low labour productivity, Somalia’s school feeding programme, as a precursor for systematically advancing Somalia’s developmental priorities on human capital development, economic growth and poverty reduction.

The School Feeding Project Manager will provide strategic engagement with key stakeholders and design a needs-based and results-oriented multi-year school feeding programme hinged on the predictability of support to draw predictable results, with the broader vision of transitioning the programme in its entirety to the Federal and State Governments. This position will be based in Mogadishu, Somalia and will report to the Social Protection Lead.

What will you do?

• Lead the formulation and implementation of a needs-based, result-oriented, multi-year school feeding programme with synergies across various areas (education, food systems, etc.).
• Lead technical team on a broad range of strategically significant and policy, programmatic and operational issues, including assessment and analysis, the choice of objectives activities, transfer modalities and appropriate menu options to effectively achieve programmatic objectives, synergies and sustainable impact.
• Coordinate strategic engagement with relevant government officials, relevant platforms and networks including development partners, donors and research partners.
• Ensure that learning is consistently captured and systematically informs planning and implementation.
• Manage the development and implementation of school feeding plans and activities, providing technical oversight and guidance to the team and colleagues providing inputs into programmatic strategy and identifying opportunities for new funding, engagement, programme quality improvement and innovation.
• Oversee the development of school feeding-specific capacity strengthening and technical assistance at the federal, state and district level to advance on the road map toward a government implemented national school meal programme.
• Plan, monitor and prioritize school feeding resources (both cash and in-kind) to maximize effectiveness. Coordinate commodity management for school feeding in close consultation with the supply chain and budget and programming teams.
• Constantly monitor the performance of state authorities on the delivery of school feeding interventions and provide timely feedback to programme management on the quality and effectiveness of service delivery.
• Support the enhancement of monitoring, evaluation and accountability systems for school feeding with the PMLE team, ensure timely, relevant, credible data and evidence are generated to inform planning and operations.
• Support fostering partnerships with donors. Development of technically sound proposals for school feeding implementation and technical assistance, drawing on the human capital development strategy and analysis. Significantly contribute to the crafting of quality (timely) reports to the various school feeding donors and management.
• Support Strategic Outcome 2 and Programme Management as required.

Do you meet the minimum requirements?

• Advanced University degree in Development, Education, Public Policy, Nutrition, Agriculture, Social Sciences, and other relevant fields.
• Minimum of six years relevant professional experience, preferably in a post-conflict and fragile setting, in either or more of the following: project or programme management, strategic planning, strategic engagement, networking and coordination.
• Specific experience in or knowledge of school feeding or school health and nutrition is an added advantage.

Are you competent for this job? Do you have:

• Knowledge of food and nutrition security-related concepts and programmes.
• Understanding of capacity strengthening and technical assistance.
• Strategic thinking and analytical skills.
• Skills or experience in designing and implementing analytical, research and evaluation assignments.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills and ability to deal patiently and tactfully with people of different national and cultural backgrounds and to manage a team.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.

Language

• International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge

(Level B) of a second official UN language, an added advantage.