DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

19 January 2025-23:59-GMT+02:00 Central Africa Time (Kigali)

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP’s values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

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WHY JOIN WFP?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer (Food Systems)
TYPE OF CONTRACT: CST – II
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Kigali, Rwanda
DURATION: 11 Months (with possible extension based on performance and available funding)

BACKGROUND:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency for fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 80 million people every day – delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to strengthen food systems, improve nutrition and build resilience.

WFP Rwanda supports the Government of Rwanda with its ambitious food systems transformation goals to ensure equitable access to sustainable livelihoods and healthy diets for all, as described in its strategic plan called PSTA5. The Food Systems Team works with government and private-sector partners to foster sustainable systems change.

The existing food systems portfolio puts an emphasis on:

1. Job creation for young people in food value chains, especially young women in rural communities.
2. Strengthening pro-smallholder value chains in partnership with public and private off-takers, credit and input providers, and farmers cooperatives.
3. Home-grown school feeding, especially on the provision of local, nutritious foods for healthy meals at schools, in support of the National School Feeding Programme.
4. Rural women’s empowerment, though a joint programme with FAO, IFAD, and UN Women.
5. Supporting the food systems innovation ecosystem, including innovative microfinance for rural communities, and supporting small ventures with local solutions that promote food security.
6. Promoting conservation agriculture practices amongst farmers cooperatives.

PURPOSE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Ahead of the launch of the new WFP Rwanda Country Strategic Plan 2025 – 2029, WFP Rwanda is seeking a CST-II to provide oversight and support the implementation of projects within the food systems portfolio.

Independent, goal-oriented and a proactive problem-solver”, the incumbent will support the oversight and management of a significant part of the food systems portfolio. She/he will liaise across teams within the WFP Rwanda Country Office, as well as the East Africa Regional Bureau and WFP Headquarters.

The position is based in Kigali. The incumbent will report to the Head of Food Systems.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Food Systems, the Programme Policy Officer will oversee and coordinate key components of the food systems portfolio, ensuring effective risk management and stakeholder engagement.

This role requires strong leadership, coordination and communication skills to effectively manage diverse projects and partnerships within the food systems portfolio.

Responsibilities include:

1. Conservation Agriculture Projects. Provide oversight and support the Project Lead to establish and implement new climate-resilience projects aimed at scaling up the use of conservation agriculture practices across Rwanda. Work with the Project Lead and Information Officer to manage project activities, engage cooperating partners and conduct monitoring, evaluation and learning activities.

2. Shora Neza: Youth Employment in Food Value Chains. Provide oversight, risk-management support, and project implementation support to the Project Team. Work closely with the project team to engage cooperating partners to ensure quality implementation and reporting of activities. Engage with Innovative Finance programme officers to ensure integration of activities with Shora Neza.

3. Joint Project on Rural Women’s Empowerment. Provide oversight and support to the JPRWEE Project Coordinator to coordinate and implement activities between WFP, FAO, IFAD and UN Women. Engage with partner UN agencies to ensure quality implementation and reporting of activities.

4. Farm to Market Alliance. Provide oversight and support to the FTMA implementation team and cooperating partners, which aim to support farmer cooperatives with improved agricultural practices, post-harvest loss reduction practices, and market linkages. Engage with the FTMA global team and the Information Officer on monitoring and evaluation activities.

5. Serve as Deputy to the Head of Food Systems which includes:

• representing the Food Systems Team with internal and external stakeholders,
• providing oversight to additional elements of the Food Systems portfolio in the case of the Head of Food Systems absence. This includes the innovation, home-grown school feeding, government relations and M&E activities.
• working closely across programme teams within the Rwanda Country Office, and
• supporting strategic initiatives such as the integration of nutrition-sensitive actions throughout the Food Systems Portfolio

6. Other duties as required. Including support to learning, partnerships, and internal processes.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Advanced University degree in economics, international development, or relevant other area, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses

Experience:

At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience working in project implementation in the areas of rural development, agri-food systems and value chain strengthening.
Experience should include working in multi-cultural teams. The ideal candidate has experience in East or Southern Africa.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Passion and demonstrated knowledge of pro-smallholder farmer rural development strategies and private sector driven models.
• Has worked cross-functionally and can navigate uncertainty with curiosity, poise, and a solution-oriented mentality.
• Excellent communication/presentation skills, with the ability to write strategy documents, to develop business plans and to write and deliver presentations.
• Able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders and external audience with maturity and tact.
• Collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy, proactively seeking support and guidance when needed.
• Sets a high-level of ownership over projects to achieve impact for WFP constituents.
• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English mandatory. Intermediate knowledge of French would be an advantage.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements