JOB DETAILS

Job Title: Programme Policy Officer (Gender)
Grade: NOB
Type of contract: Fixed Term
Duration:12 months (Extendable)
Duty Station: Kabul
Vacancy Number:833367
Date of Publication: 13 June 2024
Deadline of Application: 29 June 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 successful candidate will operate with a high degree of independence to ensure that programme and policy objectives are achieved in full. The incumbent will be involved in a wide variety of programme and policy activities and analytical work, some of which may be of considerable complexity. As this level, jobholders are expected to contribute to performance improvement.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Technical Support to WFP Programmes  

• Provide strategic and technical support for the integration of women’s participation and gender equality across WFP programmes in the country – both through technical advisory to existing WFP programmes and in development of new standalone programmes.
• Lead the implementation of the WFP Gender Policy and ensure that the project goals, objectives, processes and activities are gender sensitive and meet the needs of women, men, girls and boys of all diversities.
• Ensure systematic gender analysis and provide policy advice on specific gender issues that impact on WFP humanitarian operations.
• Review and input to monitoring, evaluation and analysis frameworks, activities and outputs produced by country office from time to time, to ensure that gender considerations are fully integrated.
• Provide assistance in data collection, compiling lessons learnt and establishing indicators to support knowledge sharing on gender.

Safe Delivery and Accountable Delivery

• Guide development of risk mitigations mapping and action plans to ensure no beneficiary is left behind on account of their gender.
• Lead PSEA and GBV policy, implementation and partner capacity building across WFP operations, including for WFP staff, partners and vendors.
• Work closely with WFP’s Protection and Accountability to Affected Populations team to ensure gender-sensitized intake and escalation mechanisms, as well as community feedback and engagement.

Staffing and Capacity Building

• Support CO in analysis and technical advisory on women and men staff’s safe and dignified deployment in WFP operations, including for WFP, partner and vendor staff.
• Support implementation of gender-equitable adjustments across WFP, partner and vendor workforce.
• Support on gender-inclusive workplace initiatives within WFP including on internal staffing fora and bodies.

External Engagement 

• Establish working relationships with relevant local and regional actors, key domestic political and civil state actors, think tanks, academic institutions, human rights organizations, UN, development and donor partners to coordinate and enhance principled humanitarian protection and gender impact.
• Support the development of relationships with UN agencies and inter-agency for a to strengthen coordination and advancement of gender equality and mainstreaming, as related to food and nutrition security.
• Represent WFP in interagency working groups, conferences, and seminars as necessary.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced University degree in in one of the following disciplines: Social Sciences, International Development, Gender Studies, Political Science, Law, or a related field. Other Educational backgrounds may be accepted if relevant experience is demonstrated.
• Or First University degree in the same subject (s) with additional years of related work experience.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum three years of postgraduate professional experience focusing specifically on Gender in humanitarian contexts.

Knowledge and Skills:

• In-depth knowledge of gender-transformative approaches to humanitarian assistance, application of humanitarian protection principles; understanding of PSEA and other forms of gender-based violence in emergency and other humanitarian settings; understanding of gender components of access relations; and other humanitarian policy issues and its linkages within humanitarian assistance.
• Ability to work in a team, and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds
• Ability to speak with confidence with a diverse range of stakeholders
• Flexibility in accepting work assignments
• Innovative and self-driven with a strong commitment to results-focused work

Language:

• Fluency in spoken and written English, Pashto, and Dari is required.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Strong analytical, writing and communication skills
• Sound knowledge and skills in training and facilitation
• Knowledge of UN system policies and functions pertaining to promotion of women’s and girls’ empowerment and gender equality
• Strong capacity in establishing and sustaining relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Capacity to innovate solutions for women’s participation based on local norms
• Experience in humanitarian programming and operations is an asset

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.