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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a highly prestigious, reputable & 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.
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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).
POSITION TITLE: Programme Policy Officer (Nutrition and Food Systems)
GRADE: International Consultant – CST II
ORG UNIT: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
POSITION NO: 22405337
DURATION: August 2024 – July 2025 (11 months)
CONTEXT:
Côte d’Ivoire is considered a lower-middle-income country and ranks 159th out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index. It is subject to localized food insecurity, malnutrition and gender inequalities, which severely affect smallholder farmers as they struggle with land access and frequent climate-related shocks. Challenges persist on the nutritional situation: according to the DHS 2021, 23% of children under 5 are still suffering from chronic malnutrition, compared with 30% in 2012. Also, 8% of children under 5 are emaciated or suffer from acute malnutrition, and 2% are in the severe form. These trends are amplified by persistent disparities, particularly in terms of place of residence and/or region. Stunting particularly affects the oldest children (24-59 months), i.e. 26% versus 12% for those aged 6-11 months, and those in rural areas (28% rural versus 18% urban). Regional disparities are also significant: children particularly affected by chronic malnutrition are found in five (5) regions of the country, namely Zanzan (31%), Woroba (30%), Montagnes (30%), Denguélé (29%) and Sassandra-Marahoué (29%). Côte d’Ivoire has a population of around 30 million, of whom 47.8% are women and 34.8% live below the poverty line. It ranks 156th on the Gender Inequality Index, with a score of 0.612.
WFP’s Strategic Plan for Côte d’Ivoire (2019 – 2025) focuses on capacity strengthening with a view to shifting WFP-led programmes to government and community ownership. At the core of this strategic approach is the sustainability of the national school meals programme as a platform for promoting education, nutrition and gender equality and stimulating local food production and rural economies. The country strategic plan also constitutes an opportunity for WFP to support the Government in its fight against malnutrition, through its National Nutrition Multisectoral Plan (PNMN). In view of the preparation of the new strategic plan, WFP initiated an evaluation to assess the performance, identify bottlenecks and challenges and provide recommendation on focus areas for the elaboration of the next strategic plan (2026-2030).
During the past years, WFP has positioned itself as a key technical partner of the Government of Côte d’Ivoire in developing a national rice fortification strategy and programme. Now that the strategy is almost final, WFP is orienting its activities for the the strategy to be operationalized: WFP is implementing a project targeting lactating women and children under 5 in vulnerable regions and looking into using the locally fortified rice to supply the school meal programmes.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The Country Office (CO) is seeking an experienced international consultant to oversee WFP nutrition specific and sensitive activities, especially to continue the work initiated in Rice Fortification, and maintain WFP’s position as a key actor in nutrition in Côte d’Ivoire.
MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme, the Consultant will oversee the implementation of the nutrition activities of WFP CSP focusing on the following priorities:
Provide technical advice on nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive programme and policy issues including assessment and analysis, the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities and commodity choice for nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive programming in line with WFP standards and processes.
Support the strengthening of national nutrition initiatives, including the development of national government policies related to nutrition as well as nutrition strategies, action plans, protocols, and guidelines in line with the SUN Movement and international guidance and current evidence.
Work with staff in procurement, logistics, finance, other programme units and other divisions to ensure effective design and delivery of WFP nutrition programming.
Provide support for operational partnerships, including inter-agency collaboration, to ensure a strong multi-sectorial response to nutrition in both emergency and non-emergency settings.
Prepare accurate and timely reporting and learning, contributing to a knowledge base that informs decision making of WFP and other stakeholders.
Design, conduct and communicate the nutrition situation clearly and effectively to nutrition stakeholders.
Represent WFP at regional, national and international meetings to contribute in technical discussions, exchange experiences, advocate for nutrition interventions and identify areas of potential collaboration.
Build capacity of WFP staff, partners, and national governments to prepare for and respond to nutrition problems.
Support the monitoring and evaluation of WFP activities, provide technical analysis, and interpretation.
Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them on more complex analysis and queries.
Contribute to emergency preparedness actions, providing technical recommendations on contingency planning, risk analysis and early warning related to nutrition risks.
Any other tasks as required.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
Advanced University degree in Public Health, Nutrition, Food Technology, Medicine or other relevant field.
Experience:
At least 5 years of professional related work experience.
Knowledge & Skills:
Experience and exposure to implementation of national/international development programmes.
Experience working in public health/food security/ nutrition and fortification related activities.
Experience identifying and defining nutrition issues/problems within a country
Languages:
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and French
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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.
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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 wfprecruitment@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.