Programme Assistant G5

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WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply. 

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 encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity and disability. 

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need. WFP has been present in Sri Lanka since 1968 and provided assistance to the country in emergency response and protracted recovery interventions in the aftermath of man-made disasters such as the 27-year confilict and recurrent natural disasters (Drought and floods/land slides). WFP aims to support and facilitate multi-sector approaches to nutrition and food security through both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programming, including supporting the government to scale up its rice fortification effort, promoting positive nutrition practices, as well integrating nutrition lens within the WFP assisted School Meal Programme and resilience building programmes.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position Title: Programme Assistant

Contract Type: Fixed Term (G5)

Contract Duration: 01 Year

Duty Station: Colombo Sri Lanka

Nationality: Sri Lankan only

Remuneration: Attractive remuneration package following UN policy including salary and medical insurance

Education: Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area is desirable.
Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in the UN language in use at the duty station and in the duty station’s language, if different.

Deadline for applications: 29 April 2024

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The WFP has been operating in Sri Lanka since 1968, collaborating with the Government to address malnutrition, support families’ access to food, and enhance the productivity and incomes of smallholder farmers. In 2023, WFP launched its second-generation Country Strategic Plan (CSP) with a budget of US$105 million for 2023-27. The plan aims to address immediate food and nutrition needs while promoting medium- to long-term solutions for rebuilding resilient food systems and improving nutrition standards.

The CSP aligns with the UNSDCF for Sri Lanka for 2023-2027 and contributes to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2): Zero Hunger. The CSP outlines four key outcomes by 2027:

1. Vulnerable people in Sri Lanka have access to adequate and nutritious food through social safety nets and other support.
2. Targeted groups in Sri Lanka have improved nutrition from strengthened nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific programmes focusing on the first 8,000 days of life.
3. Communities in Sri Lanka have strengthened resilience and reduced vulnerability to natural hazards, climate change and other risks with improved sustainability of livelihoods.
4. National and subnational institutions and stakeholders in Sri Lanka have enhanced capacity to enable adaptive and resilient food systems to improve food security and nutrition.

WFP Sri Lanka’s Country Strategic Plan aims to address the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition, supports longer-term recovery and resilience, while maintaining emergency-response capacity.

JOB PURPOSE

To perform specialized and/or standardized policy and programme-related processes and activities to support the effective delivery of assistance packages.  

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

To provide effective specialized support and technical analyses to programme activities under the Country Strategic Plan.

The Programme Associate, under the direct supervision of the Programme Policy Officer, Disaster Risk Reduction will be accountable to:
•    Provide technical support and assist in the development and implementation of various and multiple activities and processes within the Programme unit, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidelines.
•    Provide specialized project management support to specific and/or defined programmes, ensuring that activities are performed within established targets and in accordance with WFP’s policies and
 

TERNS OF REFERENCE

procedures.
•    Within the specific area of responsibility, prepare a range of reports and data analysis (e.g., food assistance needs, resource utilization, programme status, performance), highlighting trends/issues, and ensuring deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control.
•    Ensure and/or perform accurate, timely recording of data within the specific technical area of work (e.g., emergency preparedness A response, disaster risk reduction, social protection, resilience) and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
•    Support the development and implementation of procedures and assist in the setup and implementation of proper procedures, systems, and controls for management of resources.
•    Monitor fund advances, fund balances, and the centralized system to ensure efficient resource utilization, prevent project delays, and adhere to WFP stąndards, taking corrective actions when necessary.
•    Contribute to the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of proposals, work and procurement plans, budgets, monitor expenditure, and budget forecasts to ensure that relevant requirements are met.
•    Coordinate with other teams to ensure that ali project activities are performed efficiently and in line with the needs of the wider Programme team.
« Compile data from the WFP database and systems to assist in generating and analyzing performance reports on a predefined timeline.
•    Liaise with internal counterparts to support effective collaboration, implementation, and monitoring of ongoing project activities.
» Coordinate and effectively communicate with the Government institutions, local partners, NGO/CBOs, and to perform accurate programme analyses and ensure efficient delivery of activities.
•    Support the capacity building of WFP staff, cooperating partners, and national government within the specific technical area of Emergency Preparedness & Response, Social Protection, Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience.
•    Act as a point of contact for the resolution of a range of operational queries and problems within a specific technical area of responsibility.
•    Oversee and/or review the work of other support staff, providing practical advice and guidance, to contribute to delivering objectives to agreed standards and deadlines.
•    Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis in the field.
•    Support the advancement of gender equality and nutrition integration.
•    During an emergencies, support in the delivery of food assistance.
•    Perform any other duties as required.
 

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

Education:

Completion of secondary school education. NVQ level 4 or a post-secondary certificate in agriculture / construction related functional area is desirable. In addition, the following competencies are required:

        Experience:

• • At least five years relevant working experience in the districts or equitant.
  • Has contributed to implementation of programmes by working with government, private sector and civil society.
  • Familiar with participatory approaches to advance food and nutrition security
  • Previous experience on Disaster Management/Emergency Response, Disaster Risk Reduction, Social Protection and Resilience would be advantage.
  • Basic understanding on UN Agencies would be an advantage.

Languages:

Proficient in oral and written English communication, with strong written and oral communication skills in local languages. Trilingual (English, Sinhala, Tamil) language skills (written and oral) is an advantage.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong interpersonal, communication and collaboration skills and proven ability to be flexible in a team -oriented approach with diverse groups of people.
• Strong analytic and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent planning, organizational and time management skills.
• Proven ability to efficiently and effectively handle multiple tasks at the same time.
• Computer literate.

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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.