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Programme Associate SSA-G6 (Climate Risk Management)

Harare

  • Organization: WFP - World Food Programme
  • Location: Harare
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Accounting (Audit, Controlling)
    • Administrative support
    • Environment
    • Meteorology, Geology and Geography
    • Internal audit, Investigation and Inspection
    • Disaster Management (Preparedness, Resilience, Response and Recovery)
    • Climate Change
    • Project and Programme Management
  • Closing Date: Closed

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WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

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

Over a billion people in the world living on less than a dollar a day depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. For them, vulnerability to climate-related shocks is a constant threat to food security and well-being, trapping them into poverty in the long term. As climate change drives an increase in the frequency and intensity of these shocks, the challenges faced by food-insecure farmers will also increase. Thus, providing them with strategies to reduce and mitigate such risks becomes essential for overcoming hunger, achieving food security and increasing resilience. 

In Zimbabwe, WFP employs a collaborative, multi-year approach to provide an integrated package of services to smallholder communities to maximize their resilience and provide a pathway from food insecurity and vulnerability to sustainable food production. This package includes Food Assistance for Assets, improvement of agricultural practices, weather index-based insurance, financial services, and market access. There are plans to add climate services and set-up a forecast based finance mechanism to further enhance the value of the integrated package.

WFP has received funds from IFAD’s Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme - II (ASAP II) programme as well as NORAD to strengthen national capacities, systems, and partnerships with public and private sectors in Zimbabwe for climate risk financing mechanisms such as Forecast-based Finance (FbF). WFP Zimbabwe is also currently piloting the Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) Replica instrument to provide additional financial and operational capacity to implement and scale up national responses following successful ARC insurance pay-outs. The approved Green Climate Fund project is also expected to kick-start this year.

JOB PURPOSE

WFP Zimbabwe is in need of services of a Climate Risk Management Officer with expertise in developing contingency plans for anticipatory and early actions as well as climate services to ensure these interventions are successfully implemented.

The Programme Associate will report to the Resilience and Climate Risk Management Advisor, and work closely with the Resilience team based in Harare as well as relevant teams at Regional and Global level.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Forecast-based Finance

Support the Climate Risk Management Advisor on updating the road-map for FbF which will guide the design of the system and complement other Forecast-based Action/Finance initiatives in the country;
• Support development of contingency plans for anticipatory actions contributing to food security which are aligned with selected thresholds for the FbF intervention. This will be done in close collaboration with the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) and other relevant government ministries at national and provincial/district level, as needed;
• Liaise and build critical networks with experts and field officers in national, provincial and districts governments to ensure proper ownership of FbF within them;
• Support formulation of technical working groups at national and district levels and regularly engage with them;
• Liaise with technical service providers once procured to provide Zimbabwe-specific information for proper design and implementation of each FbF element including downscaled forecasts;
• Provide technical and operation support to ensure all partnership (e.g. MoUs) and procurement processes are done in a timely manner;
• Provide technical support for integration and layering of FbF with other risk financing tools;
• Support administrative matters for contingency plan development including travel plans, meetings, and workshop organization, amongst others;
• Provide ad hoc support for reporting, advocacy, and administrative matters, as requested.

ARC Replica
  1. Support the Climate Risk Management Advisor on effective implementation of the Final Implementation Plan as well as the After Action Reviw;
    • Support update of 2020/21 Operational Plan (OP) for early response actions contributing to food security in case payouts are triggered for the ARC replica intervention. The plan must be aligned with Government of Zimbabwe’s Operational Plan and complement its activities to the extent feasible. This will be done in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and other relevant government ministries at national and provincial/district level, as needed;
    • Liaise and build networks with key governmental departments and other relevant stakeholders for ARC replica;
    • Act as a technical source of Zimbabwe-specific context information to feed into the integration of ARC replica with other risk financing tools;
    • Support provision of technical assistance to the government on ARV customization, as requested;
    • Support administrative matters for OP and FIP simulation and/or development including travel plans, meetings, and workshop organization, amongst others;
    • Provide ad hoc support for reporting, advocacy, and administrative matters, as requested.
Climate Services
  • Support the inception phase for the approved Green Climate Fund project with regards to climate services and FbF components;
    • Provide support for baseline and technical assessments for climate services in collaboration with MSD, University of Reading and other relevant actors;
    • Support provision of technical assistance to MSD to roll out the Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach within targeted communities, including downscaling of regional/national forecasts;
    • Support administrative matters for climate services including travel plans, meetings, and workshop organization, amongst others, as requested;
    • Provide ad hoc support for reporting, advocacy, and administrative matters, as requested.


 

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES
Capability Name Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level
Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance Demonstrates ability to identify key variables and contextual factors that affect food assistance problems and programmes throughout the lifecycle to inform quality programme design or re-design.
Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Vouchers) Demonstrates ability to implement, under guidance, food assistance programmes deploying the full range of transfer modalities with an understanding of basic principles guiding modality selection and implementation.
Broad Knowledge of Specialized Areas Understands basic technical concepts and data and their relevance to food assistance programmes.
Emergency Programming Displays capacity to provide inputs into the development, implementation and realignment of high quality emergency programmes.
Strategic Policy Engagement w/Government Understands and applies basic principles of engagement with government counterparts at the national or local level.
DELIVERABLES
  • Assistance in developing a Contingency plan with anticipatory actions linked to thresholds for FbF (supporting role)
  • Support to the development of downscaled forecasts and thresholds for FbF (supporting role)
    • Implementation of ARC Replica payout and After Action Review (supporting role)
    • Support to the development of a Baseline/technical assessment for climate services (supporting role)
    • Support to the development of a Drought Risk Financing Integration note (supporting role)
    • Assist in organizing the inception or validation workshops for the 3 interventions as per workplan (supporting role)
    • Ad hoc admin, reporting, and advocacy matters, as requested (supporting role)
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Completion of secondary education. An advanced university degree in one or more of the following disciplines: economics, finance, agriculture, geography and environmental sciences, agriculture, disaster risk management or a relevant discipline, will be a distinct advantage.

Experience:

At least 5 years of postgraduate experience.

At least 3 years must be in designing/implementing resilience building or climate change adaptation or improved livelihoods interventions are a must.

Experience in developing contingency plans is a distinct advantage.

Knowledge of climate services and other climate risk financing tools is desired.

Must have experience in the establishment of partnerships with public and private sector actors.

Technical knowledge of weather and seasonal forecasts is a requirement.

Language:Fluency in both oral and written communication in English language

 

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

Knowledge & Skills:

  • Excellent work planning and project management skills, ideally demonstrated in a humanitarian or development context.
  • Good communication skills, and excellent ability to coordinate across multiple units and organizations.
  • Understanding of food security vulnerability and ability to link analysis to programme design, in the context of WFP programmes.
  • Ability to facilitate workshops, negotiate agreements and contracts, and write publishable reports.
  • Excellent skills in word processing, power point, excel and data analysis software.
  • General knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations and procedures governing administration, is considered an advantage.  
  • Understanding of food security vulnerability and ability to link analysis to programme design, in the context of WFP programmes.
  • Has contributed to implementation of programmes.
  • Has observed or assisted with policy discussions.
  • General knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations and procedures governing administration, is considered an advantage.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This vacancy is open to nationals of Zimbabwe only.

Qualified candidates are requested to submit their application via E- Recruitment withsigned application letter, Curriculum Vitae and a signed Personal History Form (P11) available at http://www.unon.org/docs/P11 Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the recruitment processes.

WFP DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING)

 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Applicants are requested to submit their applications on or before the closing date of 16 August 2020. 

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Female applicants who are qualified are especially encouraged to apply

 

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

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.

This vacancy is now closed.
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