Senior Programme Associate - Emergency/Livelihoods

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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

This job is found in Nicaragua Country Office, based in Managua and reports to the Activity Manager of Activity 5 (Crisis Response). Jobholder is required to carry out well-defined activities and straight forward analytical work. The incumbent will be working closely with a experienced professional staff member receiving guidance and regular feedback on work performed.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT

Nicaragua is a lower-middle-income country that ranks 126th in the 2019 human development index. Located in a hot spot for natural disasters, Nicaragua ranks as the 21st country at the highest risk in the United Nations World Risk Report due to its high exposure to hazards and its limited coping capacities. On November 3, Nicaragua was impacted by Hurricane Eta, which made its landfall as category 4, generating catastrophic and life-threatening floods and landslides. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Iota formed, hitting Nicaragua as category 5 on 16 November and bringing devastating effects countrywide. The heavy winds, flash flooding, landslides and raising rivers, left communities under water and destroyed houses, medical centres, education buildings and water and road infrastructure. Twenty-one lives were lost to Iota; and material damages add up to USD 743 million, 6.2% of the gross domestic product. According to government preliminary assessments, 3 million people were exposed to the destructive impacts of Eta and Iota and 56 out of 153 municipalities in the country were affected. This is in line with WFP’s 72-hour Emergency Food Security Assessment, which also indicates that 169,000 people need humanitarian assistance. The most affected areas were some of the poorest, including indigenous communities in RACCN. The Caribbean Coast comprises 322 indigenous communities, located alongside riverbanks, with high poverty rates, limited access to basic services and fragile infrastructure. About 40% live in poverty and many more can be easily thrown below the poverty line, being highly vulnerable to food insecurity. Their situation is dire, as they have lost their homes and livelihoods, leaving them in urgent need of food assistance and hindering their opportunities to recover in the medium and longer term.

In line with its mandate of saving lives, WFP has been on the frontline of the response, complementing Government efforts, under the leadership of the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Response (SINAPRED). Currently, WFP is responding to the needs generated by Hurricanes Eta and Iota through its Strategic Outcome 4, delivering a two-pronged approach, focused on both on shock responsive social protection programmes and livelihood support, as the response is now evolving into the recovery phase, with affected populations seeking assistance to resume their productive activities. The response lies at the intersection of the humanitarian-development nexus, therefore going beyond immediate food assistance and setting the basis for early recovery, so that affected populations can get back on track and transition towards self-reliance.

JOB PURPOSE

• Being an active member to the country office team strengthening operation with emphasis in the RACCN, working within the Strategic Objective 4 (activity 5: crisis response).
• Support the conceptualization and implementation of a range of integrated livelihood recuperation activities.
• Provide effective expert support and technical analysis to policy and program activities that effectively meet emergency response and recuperation needs.
• Functioning as a liaison with partnership unit for crisis response funding.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Contribute towards the development of a wide variety of food systems, agriculture and livelihoods-oriented programmes, plans and processes, as well as its operationalization ensuring alignment with global WFP guidance.
2. Ensure all emergency and livelihood interventions are efficiently documented, lessons are collected, analyzed, and disseminated, and good practices are embedded within the design and implementation of WFP’s programmes.
3. Provide specialized project management support to specific and/or defined programmes to ensure that technical support is provided or resourced following WFP’s policies and procedures.
4. Keep abreast of relevant studies, policy and operational issues to ensure WFP Nicaragua Emergency and Livelihood interventions are fully aligned with broader UN/WFP guidance.
5. Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor on-going programmes and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
6. Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely presentations, visualization products and reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
7. Support the Activity Manager 5 in the capacity building of WFP staff, cooperating partners and national government within a specific technical area.
8. Provide support to the Activity Manager for effective resource mobilization for WFP crisis response programmes and operations. This entails ensuring a coordinated approach with partnership unit by supporting in the systematization of data and lessons learned for preparation of donor proposals and reports, collection of data, analysis and write-up of documents.
9. Perform other related duties as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION: Advanced University degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Agronomy, Market Information Systems, Environmental Engineering, Rural Development, Food systems, Food Security or other related field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses.

EXPERIENCE: Minimum five years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in livelihoods, agriculture, food security, rural development.

LANGUAGES: Working knowledge of both English and Spanish (proficiency/level C). This is essential for the successful performance of functions.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Previous experience in humanitarian or development contexts.
• At least three or more years of professional experience in agriculture and livelihoods programmes.
• Knowledge and previous work in the RACCN, and extensive knowledge of the livelihoods in the Caribbean Cost.
• Experience in programmes and projects with indigenous populations and food security.
• Demonstrated ability to present information and ideas and to communicate effectively.
• Solid analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills and can communicate complex data in a simple manner.
• Effective and timely interaction with colleagues and concerned parties internally and externally; flexibility in accepting work assignments outside normal desk description.
• Track record of producing visualization products and reports and other communication materials.
• Proficiency in Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), knowledge of Canva/Prezi or other visualization tool.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Coaches team in the most effective ways to communicate WFP’s Strategic Objectives to WFP team and partners in the field.
•  Be a force for positive change: Implements new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.
•  Make the mission inspiring to our team: Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in beneficiary communities to showcase positive impact.
•  Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Explains to teammates how each unit contributes to the overall WFP mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Identifies skill development opportunities such as training modules or on-the-job experiences for self, colleagues and direct reports.
•  Create an inclusive culture: Facilitates team building activities to build rapport in own unit.
•  Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Facilitates the pairing of junior colleagues with coaches within own team.
•  Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Proactively anticipates potential challenges and develops mitigation plans to ensure that team meets goals and targets.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Identifies opportunities to be creative in own work and to help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work.
•  Focus on getting results: Monitors team’s deliverables and provides feedback to ensure outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately.
•  Make commitments and make good on commitments: Provides accurate guidance to team on expected responsibilities and tasks, whilst also upholding own commitment to the team.
•  Be Decisive: Sets an example and provides guidance to junior team members on when to escalate issues when faced with challenging issues in the workplace or in the field.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Facilitates partnerships with other WFP units to accomplish missions in the field.
•  Build strong external partnerships: Sets an example and provides guidance to team on how to build relationships with external partners.
•  Be politically agile & adaptable: Articulates to colleagues or direct reports the value of contributing to other WFP teams and agency partnerships in fulfilling WFP’s goals and objectives.
•  Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Organizes, monitors, and prioritizes own and team’s efforts to ensure that they will fulfil the needs of internal and external partners.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

POSITION: Senior Programme Associate - Emergency/Livelihoods

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Contract Service - SC7/1

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Managua, Nicaragua

DURATION: Six (6) months. Renewal subject to funds and performance. 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for applications closes on 30 July de 2021 at 4:00 pm Nicaragua time.

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Female applicants are especially encouraged to apply.

Position open for Nicaraguan nationals only.

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.