Outcome Manager and Cross-cutting Advisor on Value Chains

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

30 October 2024-23:59-GMT+06:00 Kyrgyzstan Time (Bishkek)

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

BACKGROUND
WFP’s vision is that people in the Kyrgyz Republic will have substantially increased access to national social protection systems that safeguard and foster their ability to meet their food security, nutrition and associated essential needs, and to manage the risks and shocks they face, with ample opportunity to graduate from poverty and contribute to sustainable food systems, national disaster risk management efforts and social cohesion.

WFP supports and promotes the inclusion of people with diverse and often intersecting vulnerabilities and inequalities, by supporting nationally led social and civil protection systems and programmes (strengthening the government’s ability for anticipatory action and ensuring that no one is left behind) and by modelling new approaches within complementary WFP interventions (which can be adopted or transitioned), leveraging WFP’s global expertise in promoting healthy diets and sustainable food systems, climate risk management, warehousing, food safety, smallholder market access and innovations such as private sector-oriented solutions, micro-insurance and digital public goods.

Derived from the UN Cooperation Framework and national priorities, promoting participatory community engagement and nutrition-sensitive approaches, the 2nd generation Country Strategic Plan (2023-27) continues WFP’s human capital development, capacity building and productive asset creation activities to enhance the resilience and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable, with a focus on food systems strengthening across three core pillars: (i) Social Protection; (ii) Climate Change Adaption, Disaster Risk Management & Emergency Preparedness; and (iii) Schools as platforms for healthy diets. In addition, a contingent emergency response outcome can be activated in case of need.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Outcome Managers lead a programmatic pillar of the Country Office’s Strategic Plan, ultimately responsible for managing resources to results as outlined in a Theory of Change, and are tasked to support policy and programme activities that strengthen national social protection measures to effectively meet the essential needs of vulnerable populations for improved food security and nutrition and strengthened food systems, and enabling crisis-affected populations to meet their food and nutrition needs and early recovery during and in aftermath of crises.

This Outcome Manager builds the team in charge of enhancing sustainability and effectiveness of the national school meals programme, establishing schools as platforms for promoting healthy and planet-friendly diets, and enables interlinkages between WFP’s activities, serving as Value Chain Advisor across WFP’s offerings, supporting farm-to-school approaches and other access to markets/food systems initiatives.  

Supervision: The Outcome Manager for Strategic Outcomes 4 is directly supervised by a Head of Programme (who has advisory responsibilities esp. as concerns digital programme offerings), supervises Programme Officers and/or Assistants and works in close coordination with Specialists in Policy/Partnerships, in Research, Analysis and Monitoring, in Budget and Programming, in Supply Chain and in other support functions. The majority of WFP’s field level activities in Kyrgyz Republic being implemented in the south, the Outcome Manager ensures close liaison with the Head of the Sub-Office, who supervises programme staff based in Osh. For upstream policy, representational and resource mobilization efforts, Outcome Managers also interact and coordinate with Country Director and Deputy Country Director as needed.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

1.            Contribute to formulation of programme policies in line with both WFP Strategic Plan and Kyrgyz Republic UNSDCF with due consideration of the practical realities of operating in the field; translating corporate programme policy into country level practices, including developing programme guidance and implementation modalities for the specific programmatic area in close collaboration with Regional Bureau and HQ counterparts.  

2.            Provide advice and support to national staff on moderately complex issues to clarify ambiguities and ensure that policy and programme operations are consistent with WFP policies, Executive Board decisions, and other relevant guidance. 

3.            Provide technical advice or mobilise technical expertise on programme and policy issues including assessment and analysis, the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities and appropriate food products, the deployment and testing of innovative approaches and the development of strategies to support government efforts leveraging school meals as effective safety net to reduce hunger and malnutrition, applying food systems thinking.

4.            Assist counterparts in governments and other partners in identifying how food systems approaches can contribute to the sustainability of the national school meals programme and provide support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation and implementation of moderately complex food safety net programmes and value chains to strengthen government and community ownership and effectiveness of food security and nutrition programmes at national and sub-national levels.

5.            Establish and maintain operational partnerships to identify opportunities for collaborative approaches and initiatives that improve assistance packages and support advocacy work.

6.            Enhance WFP’s leadership status in forums relating to food systems and school meals through direct participation, briefings, information products and other materials.

7.            Manage operational research and evidence building on issues relevant to food systems and school meals.

8.            Manage the preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports, publications, and a variety of information products or proposals for internal or external use.

9.            Contribute to resources mobilisations efforts for WFP projects, including clearly articulating the need for food systems thinking and related programme opportunities, and follow up on the resource situation of projects including commodity and cash availability, seeking advice from senior colleagues where necessary.

10.         Advice and support the development of functional training in areas of expertise to enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partner to design and deliver effective food assistance programmes. 

11.         Lead, motivate and develop a team of staff to enable high performance. 

12.         Ensure the best use of assigned financial resources for achievement of set objectives within a moderate budget.

13.         Contribute to Country Office Emergency Preparedness i.e. early warning, risk analysis, and contingency planning in order to respond to humanitarian crises and needs.

14.         Other as required.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

15.     In close exchange with HQ/Regional Bureau and WFP offices in the region, build and coordinate the team in Bishkek, Osh, incl. as complemented with cooperating partners’ staff.

16.     Ensuring strong coordination with UN and other partners, continue the empowerment of the national team, including by further handover to existing and/or additional resources with relevant skills and by further integrating and linking with support functions and other teams to ensure sustainability of the new implementation approaches.

17.     Enable growth and relevance of the donor and activity portfolio for the outcome pillar 4, contributing to positioning WFP as go-to food systems partner also with key stakeholders in the region.

18.     Contribute to the finalization of specific resource mobilization efforts for upcoming projects under pillar 4, ensuring alignment with WFP’s strategic objectives and operational requirements. This includes coordinating with relevant stakeholders to secure necessary funding and resources for project initiation and implementation.

19.     Oversee the initiation and programmatic implementation of specific new project activities, ensuring that all operational, logistical, and programmatic aspects are effectively managed. This includes establishing frameworks for monitoring and evaluation to ensure project goals are met and reporting on progress to senior management and donors.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Has gained experience in implementing or overseeing technical programs related to food systems, agriculture, nutrition-sensitive social protection and community engagement, ideally with understanding of value chain enhancement and farm-to-school approaches in school meals, delivering technical assistance and capacity-strengthening to national partners.
• Has implemented programmes and provided input into designing operations related to food systems, in coordination with national or international partners, national or sub-national government entities.
• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions in the area of Value Chain and social behaviour change communication at community level.

Functional Capabilities (Knowledge & Skills):

• Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance: Displays ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools.
• Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Voucher, Knowledge): Demonstrates the ability to design, implement, monitor and provide oversight over effective and efficient programmes deploying different transfer modalities.  • Broad Knowledge of Specialized Areas: Demonstrates the ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring.
• Emergency Programming: Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches.
•  Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government: Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes.

Experience:  Minimum five years of relevant post-graduate professional general experience related to Climate-smart Agriculture or other Social Sciences background relevant for home-grown school feeding, with additional value chain, public-private partnerships and other innovative finance background considered desirable, a research background an asset.

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 years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Language: Fluency (level C) in both oral and written communication in English and knowledge of any of the duty station’s languages (Russian or Kyrgyz) is an asset.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

 

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Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

 

WFP is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

 

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

 

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.