Programme Policy Officer (Food Systems & Smallholder Farmers Support Coordinator) at World Food Programme (WFP)

Requisition ID: 173184
Location: Damaturu, Yobe

Organizational Context

• The job is found in Headquarters (HQ), Regional Bureaux (RBs) or Country Offices (COs) and job holders report to a more senior Programme Policy 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.

Job Purpose

• Under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme, Damaturu Sub Office and in close collaboration with the livelihoods teams, the programme Policy Officer (Food systems and Smallholder Farmers Support Coordinator) will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of food systems interventions and Smallholder Farmers (SHF) support activities in targeted Local Government Areas (LGAs).
• She/He will coordinate with relevant units including Supply Chain, RAM, Gender through joint planning, monitoring and representation while ensuring programme convergence with other integrated resilience programmes within WFP.
• The incumbent will report, document and build on the experience that define WFP’s role in supporting food systems and smallholder farmers for integration into all programmes of WFP.
• The incumbent will also serve as the main focal point for coordination with the Government at state level and with WFP Technical Leads in Maiduguri and Abuja. She/He will play a key role in donor relations/liaison and partnerships building around the food systems transformation agenda at field level.

Key Accountabilities (Not All-Inclusive)

• Provide technical guidance to the WFP Area and Sub Office in strategic planning and implementation of Food Systems and Smallholder support initiatives.
•  Act as the organizational focal point for northeast cross-sectoral initiatives related to Food systems and SHF support interventions.
• Represent WFP in coordination forums with states, level governments and other governance systems and networks related to food systems transformation agenda.
• Support in designing, implementation and coordinating specific SHF support interventions through ensuring work plans and activities are formulated, implemented, and monitored based on LGA’s specific risk profiles, conflict analysis, partnerships, government capacity and programme priorities.
• Work with other partners to identify and advise on ways to strengthen the capacity of smallholder farmers and their organizations, including management structure and processes with a particular focus on building marketing and operational capacity
• Collect, synthesize and report on seasonal production and marketing data (acreage, volume and price) of food crops, mainly sorghum and millet in locations where WFP has SHF interventions
• Contribute to strengthen capacity and learning for WFP in programming for food systems, SHF support, resilience and the triple nexus. 8.
• Oversee and support the area office on knowledge management and lessons learnt arising from implementation through drafting/finalizing key documents, reports, updates and briefing notes and knowledge/information exchange to ensure continued generation of evidence from supported interventions
• Coordinate closely with other UN agencies, development partners, and state government counterparts, and targeted communities in the area of responsibility to ensure alignment and complementarity of SHF support and food systems interventions.
• Any other task assigned by the supervisor.

Expected Deliverables:

• Timely progress reports
• Regular coordination with technical leads in CO/AO with other functional units during implementation
• Documented lessons and success stories emanating from activities’ implementation
• Strengthened partnerships around food systems transformation and SHF support initiatives.

Standard Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Advanced University Degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
• Language: International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese.
• National Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language and the duty station’s language, if different.

Other Specific Job Requirements:

• Minimum of five years of relevant work experience in food and nutrition security, Natural Resource Management, International and Rural Development.

Desired Experiences for entry into the Role:

• Exposure to and experience with food systems, food and nutrition security programmes and safety nets desirable.
• Strong coordination and negotiation skills especially in implementing multisectoral projects
• Good analytical skills; resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgement, tact, 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.
• Proficiency in Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook) and experience in using geographic information systems is an advantage.