International Consultant – Programme Policy Officer (Head of Kandahar Area Office) – CST II (831544)

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourage qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity, and disability.

JOB DETAILS

Job Title: International Consultant – Programme Policy Officer (Head of Kandahar Area Office)
Type of contract: Consultancy
Duration: 11 Months
Duty Station: Kabul
Vacancy Number: 831544
Date of Publication: 06 Feb 2024
Deadline of Application: 20 Feb 2024

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The hunger crisis in Afghanistan is unfolding at a rapid pace, with 15 million of population now facing acute food insecurity. Work opportunities are shrinking, with most households now reporting just one day of work per week. This comes on top of the worst drought in years, which is especially concerning for the 85 percent of the population who rely on agriculture for livelihoods.

Preventing and mitigating a drastic increase in hunger and malnutrition is the aim of WFP in Afghanistan which can only be achieved through the scaled up and sustained complementary food security and nutrition interventions, combined with a scale-up of resilience interventions to safeguard gains. WFP has embarked on a significant month-on-month scale-up of its crisis response and resilience programmes across the country, ensuring that the programme is delivered at the right scale and time, targeted to the right areas. WFP is also actively following up on evolving trends to pre-empt hotspots, while guaranteeing quality and maximum impact of the programme through the monitoring of these hotspots to be able to support continued donor advocacy.

JOB PURPOSE

The Kandahar Head of Area Office will work under the management of the Deputy Country Director of Operations, with close coordination with all other units in the WFP Afghanistan Country Office, covering the southern region of Afghanistan.
The role-holder will be expected to lead the WFP Kandahar team involved in the implementation of WFP activities. The position will require strong operational and technical competencies in both emergency and resilience-building settings. This will include driving operational performance, sharp analytical capacity, negotiation and conflict resolution skills with the ability to coordinate between the Country Office teams and the Kandahar based team to translate ideas into practical action across a very fast moving and large-scale operation. Building relationships with external stakeholders and engaging the De facto Authorities at the localised level will be essential in the role due to the nature of operational sensitivities in Kandahar and the southern region of Afghanistan.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Reporting to the DCD Operations, be accountable for effective management of the WFP Area Office in the implementation of WFP operations with the area of assignment, ensuring timely and effective deployment of assistance programmes.
2. Keep WFP Afghanistan Management aware of all prudent events at the field office.
3. Effectively manage the Area Office to ensure transparent and efficient people management and the continued development of a cohesive and high performing team.
4. Act as Emergency Lead, in collaboration with relevant staff in WFP Afghanistan CO, in the event of any/all major crisis events at the local level.
5. Conduct frequent field visits to ensure quality standards are maintained and recipients are receiving timely assistance with minimal interruption.
6. Contribute to the development of country strategies, policies, and programmes to ensure that local needs inform country-wide planning.
7. Support promotion and deployment of WFP corporate/CO initiatives, strategies and directions.
8. Ensure efficient use of financial resources for achievement of set objectives.
9. Hold accountability for the security of WFP staff, operations, premises and assets in the Area Office to ensure that WFP security and safety standards are locally set and followed. Actively participate and contribute to the Area Security Management Team (ASMT).
10. Hold accountability for development and sustain liaison with local De facto Authorities and collaboration with other partners to ensure continued implementation of WFP operations in line with humanitarian principles.
11. Forge and nurture external partnerships to improve assistance packages, including local De facto Authorities, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, civil societies, donors, beneficiaries and other partners and media engaged in the field of food security.
12. Work with local stakeholders in identifying where assistance can be usefully employed at the local level and ensure provision of support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation and implementation of food assistance programmes, including advice on the context-specific transfer modalities (food, cash or vouchers).

    13.    Engage with local stakeholders partnering with WFP (such as Cooperating Partners) to ensure standards are continuously adhered to.
14.    Hold accountability for timely monitoring and evaluation activities and for accurate and comprehensive analysis and reports on WFP’s operations and performance to inform operational planning and decisions.
15.    Engage with beneficiaries, inspect storage places and points where WFP commodities are received, in order to ensure compliance with WFP policies and that progress is made in the achievement of project objectives.
16.    To participate in communication with donors to present/discuss activities at the localized level in accompaniment of WFP Afghanistan Senior Management Team.
17.    Communicate all concerns pertaining to Risk Management to the relevant department at WFP Afghanistan CO
18.    Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.
19.    Any other business as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced University degree in Economics, International Development, Social Sciences, or other related field.
• Or First University degree with additional specialized training and an additional two years of most related professional work experience.

Minimum Work Experience: 

• A minimum of 8 years of postgraduate professional experience in humanitarian and/or transitional operations.

Desirable Work Experience: 

• Has led a large team to ensure the effective delivery of objectives.
• Has developed, or supported in the development of, multi-discipline work plans to support the achievement of strategic aims within a defined area.
• Gained broader exposure across areas within a function (i.e. policy, programme etc.)
• Has managed  large financial budgets, balancing multiple priorities effectively.
• Led government/ partner negotiation in support of broad function or Country Office requirements.
• Substantial risk management experience as it relates to project implementation and the security situation in Afghanistan in co-ordination with security experts and local authorities

Language:

• Fluency (Level C) in English.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. We want to ensure the recruitment process is fully accessible. Please contact us at afg.hrrecruitment@wfp.org to advise us of any accessibility needs you may have.

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WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.

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