Programme Policy Officer - Risk & Compliance, NOB at World Food Programme (WFP)

Requisition #: 86228
Location: Abuja

Organizational Context

• This job is found in WFP Nigeria CO and job holders report to the Compliance Officer.
• Job holders operate with a high degree of independence, manage more junior staff to ensure that programme and policy objectives are achieved in full. They are usually involved in a wide variety of programme and policy activities and analytical work, some of which may be of a considerable complexity. At this level job holders are expected to contribute to performance improvement.

Background and Job Purpose

• The Compliance function assists management to oversee internal control systems and their effective implementation, identify weaknesses, inconsistencies, potential fraud and corruption, and recommend improvements and enhancements to ensure efficiency of operations and optimization of all WFP resources.
• Risk and Compliance Officers (RCOs) in the Country Office (CO) cover operations in a single country. The RCO is part of the second line of defense and supports efficient, effective and accountable CO management through the coordination and follow up of performance, risk management and accountability activities as per WFP standards.
• The RCO is responsible for alerting operational units on oversight issues and potential risks. This includes monitoring of the implementation of actions identified by oversight missions. RCOs liaise systematically with all CO functional units to ensure that all compliance issues are understood, implemented, followed-up and escalated as appropriate.
• Frequent travel to WFP area and sub offices is required.

Key Accountabilities (not all-inclusive)
Within delegated authority, the Risk & Compliance Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Provide oversight support to WFP area and sub-offices and CO units regarding the correct application of WFP policies, rules, regulations, and procedures in support of operational efficiency;
• Conduct regular compliance reviews and risk identification including compliance testing to assess the efficacy of WFP Nigeria systems and processes and prepare comprehensive reports on findings with improvement action plans;
• Provide technical advice and guidance both to management and to staff on risk identification measures necessary to maintain a credible control environment;
• Support implementation of the CO performance management process;
• Revise, update and/or develop Compliance review tools/checklists and obtain inputs from relevant units and endorsement of such tools from Heads of Unit/area and sub-offices before adopting these in compliance work.
• Review, compile and analyze internal control checklists completed by CO business units;
• Carry out regular visits to area and sub-Offices to create greater awareness and understanding of compliance work, clarify and give guidance on the correct application of policy guidelines and procedures to maintain compliance standards;
• Regularly update the risk management database and ensure efficient case management, follow up and closure;
• Perform at minimum quarterly analysis of the risk event database and update management, and when required also donors and cooperating partners (CPs), on trends arising and actions recommended;
• Oversee the management of the Compliance SharePoint ensuring that most up to date versions of functional unit guidance and SOPs relevant to WFP Nigeria are available on the site;
• Follow up on outstanding compliance review issues with area and sub-offices and with CO Units;
• Review and check Field Level Agreements (FLAs) with cooperating partners, MoUs and other documents as relevant, for accuracy, completeness and compliance with policy prior to CD signature;
• Assist in the preparation and/or delivery of training/awareness sessions to WFP, vendor and CP staff on relevant anti-fraud/anti-corruption (AFAC), ethics and integrity polices;
• Provide inputs to compliance unit briefings for management, new staff, donor proposals etc.;
• Assist in following up CO business units to ensure the timely implementation of audit and other oversight recommendations;
• Support verification, and evidence collection exercises undertaken to substantiate reported cases of fraud, corruption or misconduct as directed by the Country Director (CD) or Deputy Country Director (DCD) and present appropriate recommendations for further action by management;
• In consultation with the Risk and Compliance Advisor, support relevant units in the CO to prepare guidance materials to facilitate the implementation of compliance actions (SOPS, etc.) where necessary;
• Ensure that compliance unit annual work plan/mission plans are in place;
• Participate in Compliance related meetings during the absence of HoU and oversee/manage the day to day affairs of the Unit when acting as OIC;
• Any other business/assignments deemed necessary by the Risk and Compliance Advisor or CO Management;

Key Deliverables

• Provide quarterly risk and compliance updates on the health status of internal controls to the Risk and Compliance Advisor;
• Compliance unit annual workplans and mission plans are in place
• Efficient and accurate review of Field Level Agreements (FLAs) with cooperating partners, MoUs etc. prior to CD/DCD approval;
• Deliver training to WFP staff, Cooperating Partners and suppliers on WFP’s anti-fraud/anti-corruption (AFAC), ethics and integrity polices;
• Up to date risk events database in place and regular analysis produced on trends and where relevant with clear recommendations for action/follow up;
• Prepare and deliver presentations for management, donors or other stakeholders as and when required.

4Ps Core Organisational Capabilities
Purpose:

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Understands WFP’s Strategic Objectives and the link to own work objectives.
• Be a force for positive change: Flexibly adapts individual contributions to accommodate changes in direction from supervisors and internal/external changes (such as evolving needs of beneficiaries, new requirements of partners).
• Make the mission inspiring to our team: Recognizes and shares with team members the ways in which individual contributions relate to WFP’s mission.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Sets own goals in alignment with WFP’s overall operations, and is able to communicate this link to others.

People:

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses to increase self-awareness, and includes these in conversations on own developmental needs.
• Create an inclusive culture: Participates in open dialogue, and values the diverse opinion of others, regardless of background, culture, experience, or country assignment.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Proactively seeks feedback and coaching to build confidence, and develop and improve individual skills.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Participates in accomplishing team activities and goals in the face of challenging circumstances.

Performance:

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Shows willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.
• Focus on getting results: Consistently delivers results within individual scope of work on time, on budget and without errors.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments: Commits to upholding individual accountabilities and responsibilities in the face of ever-changing country or functional priorities.
• Be Decisive: Makes rational decisions about individual activities when faced with uncertain circumstances, including in times of ambiguity regarding information or manager direction.

Partnership:

• Connect and share across WFP units: Seeks to understand and adapt to internal or cross-unit teams’ priorities and preferred working styles.
• Build strong external partnerships: Demonstrates ability to understand and appropriately respond to and/or escalate needs of external partners.
• Be politically agile & adaptable: Portrays an informed and professional demeanor toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Provides operational support on analyses and assessments that quantifies and demonstrates WFP’s unique value as a partner.

Standard Minimum Qualifications
Education:

• Advanced university degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Accounting, Finance, Law, Economics, Project Management, Development Studies or related field. Applications from females and individuals holding compliance professional certification are especially welcome.

Experience:

• Three years of professional work experience in Operations, programme/project management, M&E, accounting & finance or in the legal profession and must include at least one year in a compliance role.

Language:

• Fluency (level C) in English language.

Functional Capabilities:

• Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance: Displays ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools.
• Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Voucher): Demonstrates ability to analyse and consolidate quantitative and qualitative information from different sources (e.g., market studies) to inform transfer modality selection and programme development.
• Broad Knowledge of Specialized areas (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.): Demonstrates the ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring.
• Emergency Programming: Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches.
• Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government: Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes.

Desired Experiences for Entry into the Role:

• Has deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams.
• Has taken leadership of implementing programmes.
• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.

Terms and Conditions

• Selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year. WFP offers an attractive compensation package.
• Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

Important Additional Information

• WFP will apply a rigorous and transparent selection process including thorough assessment of technical skills to ensure the best candidates are selected for the job. Please ensure that your application contains accurate and complete information on academic qualifications, employment record and language skills. WFP will only consider academic credentials and degrees obtained from an accredited educational institution. Only successful candidates will be invited for an interview.
• WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply to become a part of our organization. WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.