Programme Policy Officer (NHGSFP Advisor) at the United Nations World Food Programme (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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below

Job Title: Programme Policy Officer (NHGSFP Advisor)

Requisition ID: 153989
Location: Abuja

Organizational Context
WFP’s role in school feeding programmes:

• Globally, school feeding programmes have grown dramatically in quality and quantity over the last decade and WFP, as the United Nations lead on school feeding, has played important global roles both as a partner and as a catalyst in accelerating the expansion of school feeding programmes.
• WFP is now taking more deliberate steps to strengthen and support government-led school feeding programmes, as part of its work to strengthen existing social protection mechanisms and programmes (Strategic Outcome 4).

WFP Nigeria’s involvement in school feeding programmes:

• WFP Nigeria is providing technical assistance to Nigeria’s National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) to accelerate progress against its key objectives that cut across the themes of education, health, agriculture, and local economic development.
• WFP Nigeria has recently completed a joint assessment of the NHGSFP with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development (FMHADMSD), the government agency responsible for spearheading the NHGSFP.
• Based on the recommendations of the assessment, WFP will provide technical assistance to the NHGSFP in the areas of policy and strategy, programme design and implementation, institutional framework and capacity, the role of the community, and monitoring and evaluation.
• The scope of activities that WFP will support as part of its technical assistance package for the NHGSFP includes, but is not limited to:
  • The development of a national policy and strategy for school feeding;
  • A redesign of the national system of monitoring, evaluating and reporting;
  • A comprehensive revision of the NHGSFP operational guidelines;
  • The development and application of digital solutions to enhance the accountability and effectiveness of school feeding.

Job Purpose

• We are seeking to hire a qualified individual for the position of Programme Policy Officer (NHGSFP Advisor), with specialized skills in government capacity strengthening, to be based in WFP Nigeria’s Country Office in Abuja.
• The selected candidate will be employed on a special service-agreement contract, with an initial contract period of 6 months that is extendable.
• The NHGSFP Advisor will work under the line management of WFP Nigeria’s Government Capacity Strengthening and Policy Coherence (CSPC) unit, in close collaboration with an experienced international consultant in WFP HQ who is supporting the unit’s technical assistance to the NHGSFP on key workstreams.
• The position will require the incumbent to maintain close contact with FMHADMSD and other NHGSFP stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels, with field visits as required.

Key Accountabilities (not all-inclusive)

• The focus of the work will be to support FMHADMSD effectively design and implement NHGSFP-related transformation initiatives agreed upon under a jointly defined technical assistance framework between FMHADMSD and WFP.
• Until the end of 2022 (tentative), the incumbent will play a critical role in facilitating a government-led school feeding policy development process, in redesigning NHGSFP monitoring, reporting, evaluation (MRE) systems, and in revising / operationalizing NHGSFP implementation guidelines, among other tasks.

Main Tasks and Duties
The main tasks and duties of the National Advisor will include:

Policy and strategy development:
Contribute to the formulation of a school feeding policy aligned to the objectives of the NHGSFP and the practical realities of the field:

• Provide advice and support to ensure that the school feeding policy development process and policy content are consistent with national standards and guidelines.
• Mobilize technical expertise on issues requiring assessments and analyses as part of the policy development process.
• Ensure buy-in of relevant federal, state, and local level stakeholders for school feeding policy development.
• Lead the coordination of national-level workshops as part of the policy and strategy development process.
• Gather and analyze data as relevant for school feeding policy development, including through key informant interviews and focus group discussions.
• Identify strategic opportunities for multi-sectoral engagements.

Redesign of the MRE system for school feeding:
Contribute to the drafting of a comprehensive assessment report with recommendations on MRE system redesign that are aligned to NHGFSP objectives and practical realities of the field:

• Identify relevant documentation and knowledgeable stakeholders on the architecture, indicators, data collection tools, data transmission, aggregation, analysis and storage, and reports.
• Gather and analyze data from relevant national stakeholders (in particular at state and local levels) including through individual and group interviews.
• Inspect and report on existing data storage / data bases for school feeding at local, state and federal level.
• Provide technical advice and operational support when rolling out recommendations from the assessment report, including business process digitization initiatives.

Operational capacity strengthening:

• Explore the accessibility and usefulness of existing Operational Guidelines and identify potential gaps or areas for improvement
• Provide support and technical expertise for the formulation and implementation of guidelines to strengthen the effectiveness of implementation at federal, state, and local levels.

Functional Capabilities

Standard Minimum Qualifications
Education:

• Advanced University degree in Economics, Agriculture, Public Governance, Public Administration, International Development, International Relations, Social Policy, Social Research Methods or other field relevant to international development assistance, or a First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/course.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 (five) years of relevant experience in the field of international development assistance, contributing to food security and/or nutrition objectives
• Experience and deep technical knowledge of programme types relevant to social protection or school feeding
• Experience in achieving outcomes that require establishing successful partnerships with external stakeholders, including government agencies
• Experience in contributing to policy discussions and decisions
• Experience in managing substantial components of a complex programme
• Experience in developing analyses and guiding primary data collection activities.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders, conveying an informed and professional demeanor toward internal and external partners and stakeholders
• Ability to solve problems of a complex nature, with significant experience in gathering quantitative and qualitative information to diagnose problems and derive recommendations
• Understanding of research dynamics as well as policy and institutional arrangements for social investment programme interventions in Nigeria
• Understanding of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development with thorough knowledge of food and nutrition security issues
• Familiarity with effective knowledge management and project management models, concepts and principles.

Languages:

• Fluency (level C) in English.

4Ps Core Organizational Capabilities
Purpose:

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives : Utilizes understanding of WFP’s Strategic Objectives to communicate linkages to team objectives and work.
• Be a force for positive change : Proactively identifies and develops new methods or improvements for self and immediate team to address work challenges within own work area.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team : Identifies opportunities to further align individual contributions with WFP’s mission of making an impact on local communities.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions : Helps colleagues to see the link between their individual tasks and the contributions of their unit’s goals to the broader context of WFP’s mission.

People:

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills : Is able to identify, support and encourage focused on-the-job learning opportunities to address gaps between current skill-sets and needed future skillsets for WFP.
• Create an inclusive culture : Recognizes the contributions of teammates, and encourages contributions from culturally different team mates to recognise the value of diversity above and beyond just including it in programming for beneficiaries.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback : Provides and solicits ongoing constructive feedback on strengths and development opportunities to help develop individual skills, whilst also helping others identify areas for improvement.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit : Sets clear targets for self and others to focus team efforts in ambiguous situations (e.g., unprecedented issues and/or scenarios)

Performance:

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions : Thinks beyond team’s conventional approaches to formulate creative methods for delivering food aid and assistance to beneficiaries.
• Focus on getting results : Maintains focus on achieving individual results in the face of obstacles such as volatile or fragile environments and/or organizational roadblocks.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments : Takes personal accountability for upholding and delivering upon team’s commitments and provides assurance to stakeholders.
• Be Decisive : Demonstrates ability to adjust to team’s plans and priorities to optimize outcomes in light of evolving directives, while also responding quickly in high-pressure environments, such as in emergency settings.

Partnership:

• Connect and share across WFP units: Demonstrates an understanding of when and how to tactfully engage other units in conversations on impact, timing, or planning
• Build strong external partnerships: Networks regularly with key external partners using formal and informal opportunities to understand each partner’s unique value proposition, and to build and strengthen relationships  
• Be politically agile & adaptable: Demonstrates ability to adapt engagement approach in the context of evolving partner circumstances and expectations
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Demonstrates ability to articulate to internal and external audiences the value that individual contributions and immediate teams bring to partnerships.

Deliverables at the End of the Contract
All tasks under the incumbent’s responsibility are to be completed in a timely manner while fulfilling desired quality standards as defined with WFP Nigeria’s CSPC unit. These tasks should be in support of the following deliverables:

• Strengthened enabling environment for the NHGSFP, supported by a national school feeding policy that is informed by sound evidence and formulated with the participation of all key stakeholders of the NHGSFP
• Strengthened monitoring, reporting, and evaluation of the NHGSFP, supported by an MRE system that is fit-for-purpose for both impact and process monitoring and that fully takes advantage of digital technology
• Strengthened implementation of the NHGSFP, supported by hiqh-quality standardized operational guidelines and tailored capacity strengthening support.

Application Closing Date
2nd December, 2021 11:59 PM (Nigeria Time).

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Terms and Conditions

• Only Nigerian Nationals are eligible to apply for this position
• Applications are to be submitted and received online and in English language only.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Canvassing is strictly prohibited. Canvassing of any sort will lead to automatic disqualification of the concerned applicant.

Note

• WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.
• Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.
• Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply
• WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
• 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.