Programme Policy Officer Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) NO-A at World Food Programme

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).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

Job holders are likely to be working under the close support and guidance of a more experienced professional staff member receiving guidance and regular feedback on work performed. They are typically involved in programme or policy activities or similar nature and analytical work of limited complexity. 

BACKGROUND AND COUNTRY CONTEXT:

The United Nations World Food Program is the world's largest humanitarian organization fighting hunger worldwide. Its mission is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger by 2030.

WFP Burundi country strategic plan (CSP 2024–2027) has been approved by the board in February 2024. WFP Burundi is supporting the Government in pursuing its vision of improving living conditions and reducing inequalities, with the aim of fostering sustainable and equitable economic growth based on well performing food systems, strong human capital and better management of the environment and disaster risk reduction activities. 

Work under the “changing lives” agenda will seek to contribute to better nutrition and human capital development for Burundians through the promotion of healthy diets, particularly targeting vulnerable groups such as children, women, adolescents, and malnourished and food-insecure individuals, including in hard-to-reach locations, through interventions that will support food systems transformation in a sustainable and equitable way.

WFP will address food system challenges with a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, to enhance their links to markets through home-grown school feeding and nutrition programmes, including support for supply chains for fortified foods. Resilience building activities will be gender transformative and sensitive to nutrition, climate and aiming at strengthening social cohesion. WFP will support capacity strengthening at all levels in the areas of systems development and coordination mechanisms.

WFP Burundi is seeking for a National Professional Program Policy Officer to support implementation of CSP following outcome, outputs and activities

Strategic Outcome 2 : People in Burundi have improved nutrition, health and education outcomes that contribute to human capital throughout the year. 

• Output 5.1: Pre-primary and primary schoolchildren benefit equitably from nutrition sensitive school-based programmes, resulting in healthy and nutritious diets and improved school outcomes. 
• Output 5.2: Targeted schools receive support to establish climate-friendly facilities, including for water, sanitation and hygiene, that can help mitigate the impact of climate change. 
• Activity 5: Promote safe and nutritious school meals to pre-primary and primary school-aged children in targeted areas

JOB PURPOSE:

To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet integrated home-grown school feeding in alignment with program purpose (“with people at the heart of integrated programming, we enable food systems transformation in Burundi and restoring hope and creating opportunities for self-reliance) and vision (schools and crisis response are focus of integrated programming that enables the self-reliance of households).

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the School Feeding Section, the job holder will undertake the following responsibilities:

1. Serve as a Technical Expert: Provide strategic guidance and data on school feeding and related issues, ensuring the effective implementation of WFP's Home-Grown School Feeding interventions

2. Support Programme Development: Contribute to the design and alignment of proposals, plans, and processes with WFP's policies and guidelines, promoting sustainable and impactful school feeding programs.

3. Coordinate Donor-Funded Initiatives: Oversee funding from multiple donors, ensuring a harmonized approach that aligns with WFP standards and integrates with broader programs.

4. Monitor and Evaluate Programs: Conduct programme reviews and evaluation missions, collaborating with WFP units, field offices, and stakeholders to uphold quality standards and ensure effective data gathering, monitoring systems

5. Support Policy /operational Research and Analysis: Research and evaluate policy and operational issues to assist in the formulation of policies, programs, and activities related to Home-Grown School Feeding.

6. Ensure Accurate Reporting: Prepare timely and quality reports for donors and stakeholders, enabling informed decision-making and consistency in communications.

7. Foster Collaboration: Liaise with internal counterparts to facilitate integration, monitor ongoing interventions, and enhance programme complementarity.

8. Develop Partnerships: Identify, cultivate, and manage partnerships that enhance collaboration and improve Integrated homegrown school feeding.

9. Build Capacity: Strengthen the capacities of WFP staff, partners, and national governments to effectively respond to Home-Grown School Feeding needs while providing technical guidance and support.

10. Facilitate Government Initiatives: Assist the government in implementing School Meal Coalition commitments, monitoring progress, and coordinating efforts, including chairing the East African School Meal Coalition.

11. Promote Communication and Coordination: Maintain robust communication with regional bureaus, headquarters, governments, United Nations agencies, donors, public/private institutions, and NGOs to advance education and school feeding objectives.

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