Programme Associate

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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In July 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP) Zambia commenced a new five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP), informed by and aligned with national and United Nations priorities and global commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It embraces the Government’s long-term Vision 2030; aligns with 16 key strategic areas of the 8th National Development Plan (NDP8); and contributes to the joint Zambia-United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

WFP Zambia’s integrated and pragmatic CSP shifts away from unsustainable localized and micro-level interventions, to embrace more effective advocacy and engagement with national policies, systems, and programmes to achieve national impact on SDG2. Given the Government’s commitment to budgetary support for nutrition, social protection, and agriculture, despite the constraints in the country’s fiscal position, WFP’s overarching strategy seeks to strengthen the government’s capacities to meet its national priorities through stronger systems, expertise, and resources for implementation. This means a decisive shift of WFP’s country positioning towards the provision of innovative, sustainable, and upstream technical assistance to support nationally owned solutions.

Advancing the global WFP Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the CSP addresses both SDG2 and SDG17, and WFP’s Strategic Results 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. WFP will implement seven activities to achieve five Strategic Outcomes (SO) under the CSP.  These SOs include: (SO1) responding to crises and shocks ensuring that crisis-affected people, including refugees, are able to meet their urgent food and nutrition needs; (SO2) addressing the root causes of malnutrition; (SO3) building the resilience, enabling environment and market access for smallholder farmers, especially women; (SO4) supporting government institutions to provide social protection systems (including home grown school meals) and disaster preparedness and response; and (SO5) improving access to supply chain services for humanitarian and development actors.

JOB PURPOSE

• To provide effective specialized support and technical analyses to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Provide technical support and assist in the development and implementation of various activities and processes within the specific area of work supporting alignment with wider programme policies and guidelines.
• Provide specialized project management support to specific and/or defined programmes to ensure that the various activities are performed within the established targets following WFP’s policies and 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) and highlight trends/issues 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. assistance programmes, food security and vulnerability assessments) and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
• Liaise with internal counterparts to support effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of ongoing project activities.
• Coordinate and communicate with local partners, agencies, NGOs and government institutions to perform accurate food security analyses and to ensure efficient delivery of food assistance.
• Support the capacity building of WFP staff, cooperating partners and national government within the specific technical area.
• Act as a point of contact for 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.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has worked with technical teams (i.e. nutrition, VAM, etc.).
• Has contributed to implementation of programmes.
• Has observed or assisted with policy discussions.
• Ability to analyse and translate numerical data to show WFP’s outcomes and impact against the objectives; ability to explain WFP projects and operations to counterparts and to communicate with Government and partners clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing; General knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations, and procedures.
• Ability to understand the cultural and political environment and to work well with colleagues.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: University Degree in one or more of the following disciplines: Agriculture/Agronomy, Horticulture, Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness, Agricultural Extension, Agricultural Education Range Management, Livestock, Natural Resource Management or equivalent qualification from a recognized institution.
• Experience: Has minimum of 3 years working experience working in comparable and/or relevant position in the public service or private sector or an international organization.
• Language: Fluency in both oral and written English. Understanding of local languages an added advantage.

Source: https://career5.successfactors.eu//career?career_ns=job_listing&company=C0000168410P&navBarLevel=JOB_SEARCH&rcm_site_locale=en_GB&career_job_req_id=833254