Programme Policy Officer (Conflict and Food Security Analyst), CST II Juba South Sudan

• Country: South Sudan
• No of vacancies: N/A
  
• Salary: N/A 
• Organization: WFP
• Gender: Both
• Deadline: 2024-01-22

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In September 2018, after more than five years of civil war, the Republic of South Sudan signed a peace agreement with several opposition parties, including the SPLA-IO. Yet over the past two years, implementation of the peace agreement has stalled, and South Sudan continues to present a wide array of challenges to the conflict sensitive delivery of humanitarian assistance. While an enduring ceasefire covers most of the country, new armed opposition groups have emerged, with some remaining outside the peace agreement, and the peace process is deeply troubled and at risk of collapse. Armed conflict continues in several parts of the country, particularly in parts of Central and Western Equatoria. Sub- national and local violence has increased in Warrap, Lakes, Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Unity states, resulting in the killing of civilians and large-scale displacement, as well as contributing to widespread food insecurity and malnutrition.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2417 (2018) reaffirmed the well-evidenced role of conflict as a primary driver of food security – including famine risk and occurrence – economic crisis, and the degradation of resilience in rural and urban contexts. These links demand a heavy analytical emphasis on the interactions of conflict, socio-economic wellbeing, and humanitarian programming if WFP is to be effective in South Sudan. Likewise, the role of humanitarian assistance – especially food and cash – in armed conflict and the associated risks of unintended negative consequences and opportunities for positive contributions to peace demands integrated conflict, food security, and programmatic analysis. The World Food Programme requires dedicated analytical staff to ensure conflict sensitive programming and to further the Triple Nexus agenda in South Sudan.

JOB PURPOSE

Recognizing armed conflict and varied forms of violence as primary impediments to achieving Zero Hunger in South Sudan, WFP-South Sudan in 2020 established the position of Conflict and Food Security Analyst. This Analyst supports the Programme Unit and all of its sections and units in integrating conflict sensitivity in its strategies and throughout the Programme cycle – including project design, partnerships, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning. This also includes directly supporting and remotely providing technical backstopping to all Field Offices (FOs) as a core duty. These efforts are both reactive – responding to issues and requests as they arise – and proactive – integrating conflict sensitivity to prevent and mitigate such issues and to anticipate analytical needs within the organization. The Analyst also supports efforts to incorporate contributions strategically and programmatically to peace and peacebuilding into the WFP-South Sudan portfolio, including through conducting context analysis and providing inputs to programme design. The Analyst works across all relevant units, collaborating heavily with Gender & Protection, Security, and Access as well as VAM & MEAL. Technical backstopping may be provided to the Analyst by the Senior Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding Advisor in WFP HQ and RBN staff including a Peace and Conflict Adviser as available. This analyst also functions as a further link between the Country Office and a wide range of stakeholders as relevant to conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding, including organizations engaged in implementationand knowledge production both within and outside of South Sudan, such as but not limited to the Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility in South Sudan, relevant sections and divisions of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, and International Crisis Group.

Under the supervision of the Head of Programme, the Conflict and Food Security Analyst shall perform the following tasks:

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Source and analyze a wide range of information, including related to politics, conflict, food and nutrition security, protection, and humanitarian access, to inform context analysis in support of conflict sensitivity and/or peacebuilding for strategic planning, all aspects of the programme cycle, and ad hoc needs;
   1. Produce public and internal memos, briefs, full-length reports, presentations, and other written outputs as requested and as anticipated as needed;
   2. Lead on development of products developed by the Conflict, Security, and Access team (CSAT), including relating to strategic planning of logistics, security, and access for the country office;
   3. Contribute to any analysis by Access or Security units and utilize analysis by other units for conflict sensitivity as applicable.
2. Oversee implementation of the Conflict Sensitivity Action Plan originally adopted December 2019 – in conjunction with the Head of Section-Gender & Protection – across the CO and FOs, updating and documenting progress against the Action Plan throughout; will include but not be limited to:
   1. Design, inform, and/or lead on assessments, tools, trainings, guidelines and other outputs to support the CO and Field Offices in conflict sensitivity and other context assessments and analysis;
   2. Lead and support capacity-building in core skills required by WFP staff to effectively and durably implement the Conflict Sensitivity Action Plan across all relevant units, covering the CO and FOs;

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES CONTINUED

3. Support the CO in the design of programming to best utilize opportunities for contributions to peace and peacebuilding (including implementation of the Contributions to Peacebuilding Strategy), ensuring that high quality analysis underpins project design, and design processes articulate evidence-based theories of change regarding peace and conflict;
4. Establish and maintain formal and informal relationships with external stakeholders, including organizations and individuals, involved in humanitarian and other analysis related to the context of South Sudan as considered relevant for CO needs in conflict sensitivity; ensure the incorporation of key research findings and recommendations; facilitate collaborative and/or applied research, preferably from the beginning of the research cycle, to advance contextual understanding, conflict sensitivity, and peacebuilding for WFP;
5. Provide integrated conflict and food security analysis for use in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analyses by VAM as requested;
6. Perform other related duties as required

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EXPERIENCE

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Strong knowledge of civil war and persistent national, sub-national, and local violence, food security, and vulnerability analysis
• Demonstrated experience in humanitarian and other data collection, management, and analysis
• Demonstrated    ability    to    translate    diverse    research    into    concrete programmatic recommendations
• Demonstrated experience with and knowledge of IPC
• Strong initiative and independence, maturity of judgement, tact, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing
• Ability to deliver on responsibilities with minimal guidance

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS CONTINUED

• Ability to establish and work within teams and build effective working relationships with persons of many national and cultural backgrounds
• Ability and willingness to cope with situations which may threaten health or safety and to live in challenging environments
• General knowledge of humanitarian principles, UN rules, regulations and procedures
• Flexibility in accepting work assignments outside normal desk description or outside Terms of Reference

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL 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 skillsets 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.

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