World Food Programme Jobs Vacancies & How to Apply

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.

WFP Zambia has designed a five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP 2019-2024) as the result of rigorous consultations with government, donors and other stakeholders, and reflects their appetite to support and partner with WFP in the country. It is informed by, and strongly aligns 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 its current 7th National Development Plan (NDP7); and contributes to the joint Zambia-UN Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (UNSDPF). The CSP is informed by WFP’s long-standing and broad experience in the country, embracing lessons from evaluations and reviews which call for greater synergy, a consolidation of ‘pilot’ initiatives, and improved gender-sensitive approaches to programme design. Finally, it is guided by the Zero Hunger Strategic Review (ZHSR).

In a break with past approaches, both the ZHSR and the NDP7 recognise that hunger and nutrition issues are multi-faceted, and require well-integrated, collaborative, multi-sectoral national approaches, that draw on the skills and resources of key stakeholders.

Zambia has several social protection interventions that target extremely poor and vulnerable households. However, most of these programmes are fragmented and are not gender- and shock-responsive, posing challenges to their coordination and scale up. The lack of adequate systems for beneficiary registration and information management makes it difficult to target the most vulnerable households and individuals for effective and timely social assistance.

Advancing the WFP Corporate Strategic Plan (2017-2021), the CSP addresses both SDG2 and SDG17, and WFP’s Strategic Results 1, 2, 3 and 5. WFP will implement six activities to achieve four Strategic Outcomes (SO).  These SOs will: respond to crises and shocks including support to refugees (SO1); address the root causes of malnutrition (SO2); build the resilience, enabling environment and market access for smallholders, especially women (SO3); and support government institutions to provide social protection systems (including home grown school meals) and disaster preparedness and response (SO4).

On Social Protection in particular, WFP Zambia will direct its resources, expertise and experience to capacity strengthening activities that contribute to Strategic Result 5 and SDG 17 and have the aim of enabling the Government to strengthen its social protection systems, policies and programmes.

WFP will continue to work through established policy frameworks and programmes, including by supporting national safety nets such as the Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) and social cash transfer programmes in order to improve access to nutritious food and other basic needs for schoolchildren and poor people, including those with disabilities.

Education: Advanced University degree in Economics, Social Protection, International development, Social sciences or other relevant area, or First University degree with additional relevant experience and/or advanced training/courses.

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language. Working knowledge of a second official UN language is desirable.

1. Oversee implementation of WFP support to the Government on Social Cash Transfers (SCT)

• Serve as focal person with Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS) & Smart Zambia, in rollout of biometrics for the national Social Cash Transfer scheme
• Support rollout of MCDSS’s nutrition sensitive social protection guidelines
• Work with the CO’s ICT unit on utilizing experience from M-tech in its redevelopment to apply to the single registry, in line with the UN Joint Programme on Social Protection
• Review joint workplan with MCDSS on a semi-annual basis to ensure activities are on track

2. Oversee implementation of WFP support to the Government on Home Grown School Meals (HGSM)

• Serve as focal person with Ministry of General Education, in particular the HGSM unit, in capacity strengthening efforts including finalization of the HGSM Strategy and Procurement Strategy, and implementation of the strategy
• Support rollout of nutrition sensitive HGSM guidelines
• Work with the CO’s ICT unit on development and rollout of the food tracking system
• Identify fora for regular engagement of related Ministries (MCDSS, MoH and others) to continue support for HGSM, and engage relevant government stakeholders beyond MoGE as needed
• Review joint workplan with MoGE on a semi-annual basis to ensure activities are on track

3. Support national efforts on disaster risk management and mitigation

• Serve as focal person with the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit to provide specific technical advice, or mobilize technical expertise, for specific vulnerability needs analysis to support regional and country level efforts in advocacy, policy, programming and resource mobilization
• Support the establishment of a Zambia Food and Nutrition Security Monitoring System spearheaded by DMMU and the National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC)

4. Liaise with donors programmatically on WFP’s Social Protection portfolio in Zambia, including developing proposals, updates, concept notes and reports

5. Work with the M&E unit to provide regular reports on progress against the CSP’s key performance indicators

6. Liaise with UN and other stakeholders in social protection through established coordination forums

7. Escalate support needs to management as required

8. Perform other tasks as required

• 10 years’ experience in working within social protection, disaster risk reduction, or other relevant development area
• 5 years’ experience in a project management, with proven results in achieving programme milestones

Deadline to receving applications 17th August 2019.