Senior Programme Associate (Tribal SHG), Service Contract L7, Dhenkanal, Odisha

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.

VACANCY DETAILS

Job Title: Senior Programme Associate (Tribal SHG)

Grade: Level 7

Type of Contract: Service Contract

Duration: 1 Year (with possible renewable)

Reporting To: Head of Field Office-Odisha,

Duty Station: Dhenkanal, Odisha

Date of Publication: 02 April 2024

Deadline of Application: 16 April 2024

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• This vacancy is open to Indian National only
• This vacancy is open to internal and external candidates.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A Written test will be used for Screening Candidates
• Only recommended candidates will be retained on roaster for a period of two years and may be considered for similar positions from roaster.
• The Base Salary for this position is INR 1,12,202/- per month + 8.33% of Base Salary towards Social Security also employee will be covered with medical benefits as per WFP ‘s Plan. All Tax liability for payments from this contract are to be borne by the subscriber.   

JOB PURPOSE:

The Senior Programme Associate (Tribal SHG) will be based at the block where the project will be implemented in Odisha, and work under the direct supervision of the Head of the Sub Office in Bhubaneshwar with technical guidance from the Head, Gender and Women Empowerment, at WFP India Country Office at New Delhi. She/he will complete the assigned tasks in consultation with both the supervisor and the Head, Gender and Women Empowerment, and will be required to liaise with relevant colleagues in other units, partners in Mission Shakti and the Odisha Field Office (FO) team on a regular basis, and other external partners as required. She/he will also be required to travel regularly to project field sites and occasionally to Bhubaneswar.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (Not all inclusive) 

The Programme Coordinator (Tribal SHG Intervention) will be responsible to perform the following duties:

1. Coordinate and organize trainings of WSHG members
   1. Prepare a quarterly work plan in consultation with all stakeholders, project implementing partners, WFP Field Office and Country Office.
   2. Identify and enlist Master Trainers from among the local programme stakeholders, including SHG leaders and local NGO partners to conduct training sessions with targeted WSHGs on the topics covered in the project, such as financial and digital literacy, enterprise development and business management.
   3. Prepare a schedule for refresher and Q&A sessions after the completion of trainings and coordinate the field implementation of the refresher training by the trainers.
   4. Obtain feedback from the targeted WSHGs after completion of the trainings, collate the responses and report back to the WFP team.
   5. Identify and facilitate development of any new training modules, based on the scoping exercise and stakeholder engagement.

2. Ensure effective delivery of trainings and establish innovative learning models, such as peer learning networks and apprenticeships. Coordinate and support activities to strengthen market linkage and technology deployment
   1. Support the programme team in identification of products and data collection for the market linkage assessment.  Identify and map local markets competing producers and rates of relevant commodities as required.
   2. Support in developing a business plan based on the market assessment and support WSHG members in expanding markets as per plan through capacity building sessions and on-field support.
   3. Support the development and deployment of technology solutions to enhance WSHG incomes and flag technical, policy or procedural issues and concerns and support the team in resolving them.
   4. Identify key technical and operational issues being faced by the WSHGs with regard to the innovations and work with relevant stakeholders for resolution.
   5. Assist in organising and conducting events related to the project in the field
   6. Support identifying relevant government schemes that SHGs could benefit from and facilitate their access to them.
   7. Collate and analyse data to contribute to the preparation of accurate reports on technical solution development/deployment activities, investments and costs, identifying ideas to increase cost-efficiencies where possible.
   8. Support in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) based on the demonstrable model, for scale up to other SHGs with similar products or services.

3. Support IEC and SBCC campaigns
   1. Provide inputs to the Project team for development of campaign material to ensure contextualization of communication messages for the IEC and SBCC campaigns.
   2. Identify modes of campaign implementation at the local level (hoardings, posters, radio messages, wall paintings, nukkad natak, sessions at schools and Gram Sabhas, etc.) and possible stakeholders such as local Panchayats, schools and NGOs who can help amplify the campaign reach.
   3. Coordinate field implementation of the campaign and monitor and report on campaign coverage and progress. Participate in campaign activities at the field level where possible with the local community members.
   4. Document and monitor progress on the training and technology component of the programme on a regular basis and prepare periodic reports and provide timely progress updates for sharing within WFP (with senior management, regional office, or HQ), or with Mission Shakti or other partners as required. 

4. Support partnerships, monitoring and reporting
   1. Liaise with different stakeholders at the local level including district and block administration, Mission Shakti staff, NGO partners, Panchayat and other local leaders as required to facilitate project implementation.
   2. Provide monitoring, capacity building and handholding support for all project related activities, conduct regular field monitoring visits and collect and report monitoring data as per prescribed formats on a regular basis.
   3. Provide inputs to all operating procedures, formats, templates, presentations, etc. to enhance implementation and monitoring of the project.
   4. Participate in any stakeholder meetings and support field visits to the project site by WFP or partners as required.
   5. Conduct process documentation on a regular basis and provide timely progress updates for sharing within WFP (with senior management, regional office, or HQ), or with Mission Shakti or other partners as required.
   6. Support in any other tasks assigned by the Supervisor.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Secondary Education, preferably with specialized certification in the related functional area including Development studies, Social Work, Project Management, Rural management or Social Science.

EXPERIENCE

At least Seven years of progressively responsible professional experience working in rural livelihoods projects, particularly with women’s self-help groups or in tribal areas in Odisha.

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

The post holder should have strong technical, analytical and problems solving skills; ability to think through complex issues to conceptualize, design and execute action plans. Demonstrate passion and motivation with the ability to manage complexities, multiple tasks with commitment to deliver against multiple, tight deadlines at work. Excellent team player with an ability to work collaboratively, share information and build strong working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds while focusing on impact and results. Excellent oral and written communication skills, presentation and documentation skills.

KNOWLEDGE:

Knowledge of the government livelihoods programme for women is required. Knowledge of tribal areas and communities would be an added advantage.

LANGUAGE

Fluent oral and written communication skills in Odiya and English required.

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.

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.

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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization that is committed to saving lives in emergencies and changing lives through sustainable development. WFP is working with 120 countries around the world, supporting governments in their efforts to reach the targets under Sustainable Development Goal 2 – improving access to food, ending all forms of malnutrition, improving incomes, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

WFP believes that a world free of hunger cannot be achieved unless everyone has equal opportunities, equal access to resources and equal voice in the decisions that shape households, communities, and societies. Gender equality, women empowerment and inclusion are therefore integrated into all of WFP’s work to ensure that the differential food and nutrition needs of women, men, girls and boys are met and all marginalized and vulnerable groups are able to access food. WFP’s Gender Policy (2022-27) aims to work towards advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in a sustainable manner to meet the following objectives: (i) Equitable access to and control over the means to achieve food security and nutrition; (ii) Addressing the root causes of gender inequality, and (iii) Economic empowerment of women and girls.

Recognizing the role played by women small and marginal farmers, and Women Self Help Groups (WSHG) in enhancing the well-being of the population, the Government of Odisha has taken pioneering steps to empower women and ensure their equal participation in the development process. Mission Shakti, the dedicated department for women empowerment, has prioritized enhancement of women’s livelihoods and incomes as a broad-spectrum strategy for empowering women. WFP and Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha, have collaborated to provide technical assistance in the thematic areas of improved livelihoods, women empowerment, and nutrition to support Mission Shakti in achieving its outcomes. A series of activities are being implemented under the partnership to build capacities of Mission Shakti and the WSHGs to enhance women’s economic participation, market linkages, incomes, and empowerment. One such activity is an intervention to strengthen WSHGs in a cluster of five villages and approximately 50 WSHGs belonging to a PVTG community following an intensive handholding approach. This intervention includes a basket of activities such as training of WSHG members, improving market linkage of products prepared by them, providing technical innovations to improve their incomes and conduction community awareness campaigns to enhance access to schemes and promote good nutrition behaviours.

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.