Programme Policy Officer P4 – Head of Resilience – Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso at WFP

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, physical or mental disability.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. In Burkina Faso, WFP supports the government in implementing a multi-sectoral, integrated community-based approach to building resilience and climate change adaptation. The package combines Food and cash Assistance For Assets (FFA) programmes with technical trainings, local purchases, nutrition interventions, support to the government-led school meals programme, as well as lean season assistance and awareness raising sessions on Key Family Practices. Special emphasis is put on strengthening partnerships with organizations such as IFAD, FAO, UNICEF as well as other UN agencies, along with government key institution counterparts.

The Resilience and Livelihoods Unit of Burkina Faso CO ensures that “resilience” is conceptualized and operationalized within a WFP context. The unit is responsible to coordinate WFP’s resilience and early programmes, support the roll-out of Three-Pronged Approach (3PA) to strengthen the design, planning and implementation of programmes in resilience building, productive safety nets, disaster-risk reduction and preparedness. Such programme will be based on community/participatory planning tools, technical and strategic work on livelihood assets creation (i.e. land rehabilitation, irrigation, etc.) and synergies with hunger-related safety nets, providing guidance material and direct support to country operations, and including capacity development efforts with government, partners and communities. The activities are implemented in conflict context taking into consideration conflict sensitivity and social cohesion.

The Operation in Burkina Faso, as part of the Regional Sahel Response, is classified as among the most severe emergency within WFP and is therefore an L3 emergency which exceeds U.N. World Food Programme regional support capacity, allowing WFP to use its entire global, or “corporate,” human or financial resource base to respond.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Head of Resilience will service in a strategic position and will act as Deputy Head of Programme. WFP Burkina Faso is looking for a dynamic individual who has a broad understanding of all aspects of the programme cycle, as a strong field operational capacity and could build synergies across Programme units, with the capacity for team building, multitasking and inspiring colleagues.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme and working in close collaboration with the other activity managers of the Country Strategic Plan (School Meal, Nutrition, Social Protection and Capacity Strengthening, RAM, CBT, etc.), the Deputy Head of Programme / Head of Resilience will carry out the following duties:

• Lead the overall implementation of the resilience scale-up plan, in coordination with the programme division at Country Office and Field Office level and with the Resilience Taskforce Team (RTT)
• Build and maintain effective synergies and relations with other Programme sections, including P4P (Purchase for Progress), School Feeding, Nutrition, Monitoring & Evaluation, Food Security Analyses support, capacity strengthening and partnerships.
• Prepare the budget and ensure effective management of resources allocated to the resilience scale-up plan.
• Produce regular updates on the implementation and financial situation of WFP’s resilience scale-up plan.
• Provide technical advice on WFP programming and the integration of asset creation, school feeding, nutrition, value chains, local food procurement and capacity building interventions and synergies with partners’ interventions in the priority regions.
• Contribute to defining a set of WFP integrated interventions in agropastoral areas given the work carried in remote rural areas who will have to benefit both to the sedentary and the pastoralists affected population.
• Ensure robust monitoring and ensure descriptive of progress in the use of programming tools (3PA and FFA) and partnership efforts, particularly with FAO and other key agencies, and decentralized technical agents from the Ministry of Agriculture/Environment.
• Contribute to the development of specific proposals for funding and promote support to initiatives that strengthen linkages between FFA with gender, nutrition, value chains (P4P), and others. Lead the partnership with the University partnership WFP Burkina Faso has developed with the Bobo Dioulasso – Nazi Boni University.
• Identify possible bottlenecks and plan for contingency planning actions.
• Act as Deputy Head of Programme with tasks that could be further refined as the context requires given the volatility of the security situation in Burkina Faso.
• Lead, motivate and develop a substantive team to enable high performance.
• Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of work, to ensure equal participation of women and men.
• Perform other related duties as required.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

• Resilience scale-up plan successfully launched and implemented throughout the country as operation requires.
• Financial resources allocated to the project effectively managed within the established deadlines.
• Updates on the implementation and financial situation of the activities
• A range of WFP integrated interventions in agropastoral areas are identified and implemented even in conflict prone areas
• Resilience scale-up plan activities are well integrated (internally and with partners’ interventions) leading to synergies among programme activities and design innovation in terms of food systems support in the country.
• Sound management of the programme sections under the supervision of the Deputy Head of Programme – Head of Resilience.
• New funding opportunities identified/secured to enhance the scale-up plan

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education

An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in one or more of the following disciplines: Agriculture, Economics, Project Management, International Affairs, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Development studies or a field relevant to international development assistance OR a Bachelor’s degree with relevant years of field experience with particular emphasis on managerial experience such as head of field office for the UN or NGOs.

Experience

At least 8 years of relevant work experience in Project Management, Natural Resource Management, International Development, Social Protection and Food Security and Nutrition. Particularly relevant is field experience and potential managerial positions in field office linked with humanitarian/development type of activities. ​​​​​​

Languages

Fluency in oral and written English and French

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Good analytical skills, resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgement, tact and negotiating skills
• Ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing
• Ability to work in a team, and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to cope with situations which may threaten health or safety; flexibility in accepting work assignments outside normal desk description.
• Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with people of different national and cultural backgrounds, good interpersonal and communications skills.
• Proficiency in Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, Power point, Outlook)

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This is an International Professional fixed-term position and is open to all nationalities. Visas required for relocation will be provided by the organization.

• The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract of two years (renewable) with a probationary period of one year.
• The position is based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The selected candidate will be expected to relocate.
• Mobility is and continues to be a core contractual requirement in WFP. The initial assignment will be for three years, after which the incumbent will be expected to apply internally for other positions with WFP.
• WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. For more details please visit icsc.un.org

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for application is Tuesday, 21 December 2021 (11.59pm CET).

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.