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ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In July 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP) Zambia commenced a new five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP), informed by and aligned with national and United Nations priorities and global commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It embraces the Government’s long-term Vision 2030; aligns with 16 key strategic areas of the 8th National Development Plan (NDP8); and contributes to the joint Zambia-United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

WFP Zambia’s integrated and pragmatic CSP shifts away from unsustainable localized and micro-level interventions, to embrace more effective advocacy and engagement with national policies, systems, and programmes to achieve national impact on SDG2. Given the Government’s commitment to budgetary support for nutrition, social protection, and agriculture, despite the constraints in the country’s fiscal position, WFP’s overarching strategy seeks to strengthen the government’s capacities to meet its national priorities through stronger systems, expertise, and resources for implementation. This means a decisive shift of WFP’s country positioning towards the provision of innovative, sustainable, upstream technical assistance to support nationally owned solutions.

Advancing the global WFP Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the CSP addresses both SDG2 and SDG17, and WFP’s Strategic Results 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. WFP will implement seven activities to achieve five Strategic Outcomes (SO) under the CSP. These SOs include: (SO1) responding to crises and shocks ensuring that crisis-affected people, including refugees, are able to meet their urgent food and nutrition needs; (SO2) addressing the root causes of malnutrition; (SO3) building the resilience, enabling environment and market access for smallholder farmers, especially women; (SO4) supporting government institutions to provide social protection systems (including home grown school meals) and disaster preparedness and response; and (SO5) improving access to supply chain services for humanitarian and development actors.

The Programme Policy Officer (Crisis Response) will serve as the Activity Manager for Strategic Outcome 1 in the Country Office, supporting emergency preparedness and response activities in the Country Strategic Plan. S/he will report to the Strategic Outcome Manager, under the overall guidance of the Deputy Country Director.

JOB PURPOSE

To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. As Activity Manager, design, plan, and implement emergency preparedness and response activities in line with Strategic Outcome 1 and in close coordination with Government, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations and other partners. This includes:
   1. Manage cash-based transfers and in-kind food assistance for crisis-affected people, including refugees.
   2. Integrate an anticipatory action approach into WFP’s emergency preparedness and response activities and contribute to similar efforts with the government’s social protection and disaster risk management systems, in conjunction with the SO4 unit.
   3. Support adherence to mandatory WFP preparedness actions to ensure the Country Office and Field Offices are ready to respond to disasters, including internal and external coordination, contingency planning, simulation exercises and other readiness efforts.
   4. Contribute to emergency needs assessments, joint assessment missions and other assessment activities in conjunction with the vulnerability analysis and mapping unit.
   5. Integrate gender, protection, accountability to affected populations, and other cross-cutting issues into WFP’s emergency preparedness and response activities.
   6. Serve as overall focal point for emergency preparedness and response, including serving as the entry point for regional bureau and headquarters processes and documents.
   7. Provide periodic and regular updates and briefings on disaster/crisis or food insecurity situation and progress on WFP’s emergency preparedness and response activities.
2. Ensure internal coordination and communication with other programme units (SO2/nutrition, SO3/smallholder farmer support, and SO4/social protection and disaster risk management); Field Offices; and functional units (monitoring and evaluation, vulnerability analysis and mapping, information technology, supply chain, communications, and partnerships).

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

1. Represent WFP at external events and meetings related to Strategic Outcome 1 with Government, United Nations, donor/development partners, non-governmental organisations, research institutions, and the private sector.
2. Liaise with external counterparts, including with disaster management authorities, cluster lead agencies, and other actors, to provide technical assistance on crisis response.
3. Support capacity strengthening of WFP and partner staff to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, e.g., through project management support and specific technical assistance.
4. Contribute to the development of projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider corporate programme policies and guidance.
5. Provide project management support to programmes and projects, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.
6. Follow data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.
7. Research and analyse policy and operational issues to support senior colleagues in the development of policies, programmes, and activities.
8. Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
9. Support the identification, development and management of potential/current partnerships and other collaborative efforts, leading to improved food assistance packages.
10. Other tasks as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree 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.
Experience: 6 years or more of relevant progressive responsible experience in a relevant area.

Language: Fluency in English language both written and spoken.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has solid experience in designing, planning, implementing and managing emergency preparedness and response activities, including cash-based transfers and in-kind food assistance.
• Has experience with humanitarian coordination, preferably through the cluster system.
• Has participated in sectoral or multisectoral emergency needs assessments.
• Has experience working with Government, United Nations and non-governmental organizations at the national and sub-national level.
• Has supported and provided input into policy discussions and decisions.
• Has excellent oral and written communication skills.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications must be submitted not later than 21st March 2024 23:59hrs Zambian time.

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Qualified Persons with Disabilities and Female candidates are especially encouraged to apply!

WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.