Programme Policy Officer – Pastoral Livelihoods, CST I, Semera, Ethiopia

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Act as the main liaison between WFP, Cooperating Partners and the Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resource Development (BoANRD) to promote the adoption of environmentally sustainable, climate resilient agricultural practices that support increased production of livestock.
2. Provide specialized analytical expertise, technical and operational advisory support to partners and stakeholders to enable the highest possible quality in design and effectiveness of activities related to pastoral livelihoods. Facilitation of folder production, index insurance, financial services and Village Savings and Lending Associations (VSLAs).
3. Plan and implement integrated resilience approaches, including but not limited to water management, rangeland rehabilitation and protection, cooperatives and agro-dealer networks for agricultural market access and linkage and diversification of livelihoods options through programmes such as cash-based transfers.
4. Enable synergistic approaches with external partners and other WFP interventions including smallholder crop production and productivity support, nutrition, relief, and supply chain interventions to maximise impact.
5. Lead the development and implementation of pastoralist field schools under (Pastoralist-centric, gender-sensitive field schools implemented on sustainable and regenerative rangeland management and biodiversity-friendly practices)
6. Provide technical advice and support implementation of various activities at household, and community levels to support relief programmes to build infrastructure/assets that contribute to improved livelihoods and resilience through cash- or food-for-assets.
7. Ensure that cross-cutting issues, including gender perspectives, environment and social safeguards, accountability to affected populations and other relevant protection considerations are adequately mainstreamed.
8. Participate in proposal development, assessments, staff and partner trainings, technical or design review, exchange of knowledge and experience while keeping abreast of water harvesting technologies in drylands including Dams, Ponds, and Water Diversion technologies
9. Support governments and other partners in identifying where livelihood and resilience programmes can be usefully employed and provide support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation and implementation of moderately complex livelihood and resilience programme to strengthen government and community ownership and effectiveness of water development and empowerment programmes at field level.
10. Organize practice oriented technical trainings on dryland management, water harvesting, natural resource management to enhance the capacity of WFP staff and government partners to design and deliver effective livelihood recovery and resilience programmes.
11. Provide guidance and support for the implementation of holistic grazing and rangeland management systems (Holistic, regenerative grazing practices and restoration interventions) and forest restoration and management.
12. In close liaison with M&E focal persons for the CPs and Country Office, support the generation of progress monitoring reports, impact stories, photo images and video clips for social media and participate in the project evaluation and documentation of the lessons learned and best practices.
13. Establish model sites with integrated and diversified technologies and initiate the scaling up of those initiatives and support advocacy work.
14. Lead, motivate and develop a team of staff to enable high performance.
15. Perform other duties as assigned.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: University degree in Natural Resource Management, Forestry, Economics, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Agricultural engineering, or other fields relevant to food security and livelihood, with a demonstrated focus/interest on rural livelihoods.

Experience:

• At least three (3) years of relevant work experience in Natural Resource Management, Integrated Watershed Planning, Dryland agriculture and Rural Development, Social Protection and Food Security and Nutrition.
• Ability to conduct capacity gaps needs assessments and design programmes to fill these gaps.
• Experience working in arid and semi-arid areas. Previous experience working in Ethiopia is an added advantage.
• Familiarity with water harvesting technologies and pastoral livelihood approaches
• Experience and strong skills in workshop facilitation.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Understanding of Public Works and Food Assistance for Assets, CBT and community based participatory planning approaches
• Strong organization and planning skills coupled with good interpersonal skills.
• Good analytical skills; resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgment, tact, negotiating skills.
• Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Language:
Fluency in both oral and written communication in English. Knowledge of the local language is an added advantage.