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
Programme Associate
Organizational Context
- In north-east Nigeria, WFP is scaling up its program to assist up to 2 million people. While the food security situation is alarming in some newly liberated areas, recent assessments by WFP and others Organizations have shown improvements. So far, humanitarian food assistance has mainly targeted IDPs and returnees.
- However, recent evidence-based assessments have shown that food insecurity has also affected host communities. Consequently, the WFP Nigeria CO has decided to set-up a targeting system to ensure food assistance is reaching the needy people regardless their status.
Key Accountabilities (not all-inclusive)
- Under the overall supervision of the Head of VAM and M&E Unit, the VAM Associate will be responsible for supporting the implementation of the roll-out of the targeting strategy in Borno State and Yobe States.
- She/He will assist in the implementation of targeting related activities.
Specifically, the VAM Associate will:
- Provide technical support and assist in the implementation and roll-out of the targeting strategy, ensuring core functional areas of WFP are incorporated into the process;
- Provide support to specific and/or defined programmes (such as Cash-Based Transfer/food assistance) to ensure that WFP’s targeting approach is in line with humanitarian principles, and takes into consideration gender and protection mainstreaming.
- Support the implementation of targeting criteria for both rural and urban areas and validate those criteria with communities leaders;
- Ensure that households and beneficiaries list provided by CPs are in line with WFP registration standards (SCOPE);
- Within the specific area of responsibility, prepare a range of reports and data analysis (e.g. food assistance needs, resource utilization, programme status, performance) and highlight trends/issues ensuring deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control.
- Ensure and/or perform accurate, timely recording of data within the specific technical area of work (targeting of households based on food security and vulnerability assessments) and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
- Liaise with cooperating counterparts to support effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of ongoing project activities.
- Coordinate and communicate with local partners, agencies, NGOs and government institutions to perform accurate food security and market analysis and to ensure efficient delivery of food assistance.
- Act as a point of contact for resolution of a range of operational queries and problems within the specific area of targeting.
- Support the implementation of needs assessments, market assessment, market monitoring and, monitoring and evaluation related activities.
4Ps Core Organizational 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.
Standard Minimum Qualifications
Education:
- University degree in Economics, Food Security, Statistics, Data Science, Public Health/Nutrition, Geography or other related field.
Language:
- Fluency in both oral and written communication in English is a requirement. Fluency in Hausa and Kanuri is desirable
Experience:
- At least 5 (five) years work experience. At least two years experience in in programme related activities – specifically targeting and beneficiary selection for food assistance, cash transfer or livelihoods programming.
Skills & Knowledge:
- Good understanding of targeting approaches in emergency, early recovery and resilience settings
- Proven knowledge and ability to effectively use basic software packages and commonly used office equipment.
- Good understanding of food security assessments and market assessment
- Ability to conduct training for a wide range of stakeholders
Functional Capabilities
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, Voucher):
- 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 (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.):
- 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.
Desired Experiences for Entry into the Role:
- Good understanding of targeting approaches in emergency, early recovery and resilience settings
- Proven knowledge and ability to effectively use basic software packages and commonly used office equipment.
- Good understanding of food security assessments and market assessment
- Ability to conduct training for a wide range of stakeholders
Terms and Conditions
- Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
- Only candidates who are short-listed will be contacted
- Applications must be submitted online (use English language)
- Nationality and Residency: The applicant should be either a Nigerian national or have a valid Nigeria Residence/ work permit at the time of application.
More Information
- Job City Borno State
