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: Programme Policy Officer (Planning)
Grade: NOB
Type of contract: Fixed Term
Duration: 12 Months (Extendable)
Duty Station: Kabul
Vacancy Number: 831165
Date of Publication: 11 Jan 2024
Deadline of Application: 25 Jan 2024

This vacancy announcement is for Afghan nationals only and WFP encourages especially Afghan females and Afghans with disabilities to apply.

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 programme planning unit supports WFP Afghanistan’s programme operations by being the custodian of the implementation plan, operational plan and pivotal analysis that sparks action to address operational problems. The unit initiates the yearly programme planning; keeps the planning updated, and facilitates changes to the plan by actively liaising with key stakeholders, including supply chain, budget and programming, RAM, area offices and strategic objective staff, Deputy/Head of Programme to ensure a situationally shared up-to-date continuous planning reflecting food insecurity, malnutrition and school feeding related needs and WFP’s response. Moreover, the unit produces analyses and scenarios, monitors performance and reporting, and provides area offices with tailored support, including backstopping at the country office level to address cross-unit issues.

This position requires someone with an understanding of strategic planning, coordination, and execution of programme operations to address the complex food insecurity and nutrition challenges in Afghanistan. In addition, experiences with spreadsheets, including Excel, Tableau, and DOTS (one of WFP’s corporate data management tools); analytics, as often the incumbent will be required to produce analytical tables, visualizations, narratives; data savviness, including preparing, analyzing and articulating in narrative form data insights. The incumbent will be required to work significantly with other units, at the country level and field and constantly act as a coms focal point inside the programme department by remaining aware and supporting relevant programme processes.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the supervision of the Programme Planning Head, the Programme Planning Officer will take responsibility for the completion of a range of planning and analysis processes and activities requiring cross-unit follow-ups.

• Contribute to the preparation of the Implementation Plan (IP) / Operational Plan (OP) latest format / Needs Based Plan (NBP), in line with the IP/OP SOP;
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams, including supply chain, Budget and programming and partnerships to maintain a dynamic and responsive planning process;
• Contribute to scenario planning based on resources available, management requests, operational requirements, etc to optimize resource allocation and program impact;
• Regularly liaise with Area Offices and ensure FRNs are raised timely, as per IP/OP targets;
• Liaise with Area Offices, Strategic Outcome staff, and other country-level units (supply chain, budget and programming, donor relations, etc.) to keep the IP/OP/NBP up to date;
• Contribute to the digitization and analytical processes within corporate tools like DOTS, COMET, etc.;
• Contribute towards developing plans – in Microsoft Excel, Tableau, DOTS – and processes, ensuring planning data availability and alignment with broader programme policies and guidelines;
• Develop food security, nutrition, markets, and resilience analysis using quantitative and qualitative tools and prepare timely planning reports on food assessment needs in line with broader programme policies, processes, and guidance to enable effective decision-making on the development of country strategy, policies, and programmes;
• Facilitate capacity building initiatives for WFP staff, partners, and national government, as needed, to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, e.g., through analysis, planning, and troubleshooting;
• Represent the programme planning unit in strategic meetings and forums, ensuring alignment and integration of programme objectives across various units;
• Perform other duties as required to support the programme’s goals.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, or other field relevant to international development assistance,
• or First University degree with additional specialized training and additional two years of most related professional work experience

Minimum Experience:

• At least three (3) years of postgraduate professional experience in strategic planning, budget preparation, and programme portfolio management/ administration

Desirable work experience:

• Experience in leading or coordinating programme implementation
• Experience in providing input into policy discussions and decisions.
• Experience with and/ or Research Assessment and Monitoring (RAM), and/ or M&E
• Prior experience in analysis and planning with similar portfolio
• Experience in building partnership and coordinating with multiple stakeholders and co-creating innovative solutions.
• Substantial role in the creation and training of teams and in explain complicated concepts to a diverse audience.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong analytical skills and ability to produce quality documents and thorough reports.
• Strong MS Excel capabilities

Language:

• Fluency (level C) in English and local languages

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.