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.

Job Title: Programme Policy Officer (Nutrition-Sensitive School Feeding Coordinator)

Type of Contract & Level: Service Contract (SC); level_9

Reporting to: School Feeding Project Manager

Duty Station: Kigali Office          

Duration: 1 year renewable

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. WFP Rwanda works in partnership with the Government and other stakeholders through the direct implementation of integrated programmes targeting the most vulnerable people and will progressively shift towards building national capacity to formulate, manage and implement programmes for achieving zero hunger. In implementing its activities, WFP will bridge the humanitarian–development nexus and leverage its extensive experience and the contributions it has made in Rwanda over many decades in order to achieve four strategic outcomes outlined in the WFP Country Strategic Plan (CSP). Strategic Outcome 2 focuses on ensuring that vulnerable populations in food-insecure communities and areas have improved access to adequate and nutritious food all year. This Outcome encompasses capacity strengthening and direct programme implementation in the areas of school feeding, social protection, disaster risk management, food security and vulnerability analysis, and climate-resilient livelihoods programming.

Under Strategic Outcome 2, WFP provides home-grown school feeding in food insecure areas in Rwanda and acts as a key technical partner of the Government of Rwanda in developing and expanding the national school feeding programme. This position of the Programme Policy Officer- Nutrition-Sensitive School Feeding will be part of the school feeding team based in WFP’s Country Office in Kigali, and contributes to the effective and efficient design and operational implementation of innovative technical assistance and capacity strengthening activities in the area of innovations in nutrition-sensitive school feeding. This position will provide project management and coordination for multi-sectoral between the school feeding team and other technical teams, particularly nutrition, supply chain and smallholder farmer market support teams. These entail delivery of complex technical assistance to various line ministries that include The Ministry of Education, National Child Development Authority, Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Rwanda Standards Board, Food and Drugs Authority and others. The focus will be on projects funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and Novo Nordisk Foundation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

In Rwanda there has been a growing demand for WFP to support the Government of Rwanda in delivering the National School Feeding Programme in a way that is as nutrition-sensitive and multi-sectoral as possible. This requires extensive coordination, bringing together national policies and investment across value chain support, nutrition guidelines and education, food standards, fortification policy, and school feeding policy and programme design and implementation in a cross-sectoral manner. Internally, this requires coordination of complex projects that include inter-connected capacity strengthening activities involving multiple teams or functional areas (e.g. nutrition, smallholder farmer support team, M&E, and supply chain). The projects also entail extensive coordination with WFP HQ and regional bureau technical and partnership teams.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive):

The WFP Rwanda Country Office is seeking to recruit a Programme Policy Officer – Nutrition-Sensitive School Feeding Coordinator. The incumbent will operate under the direct supervision of the School Feeding Project Manager. The incumbent will be responsible for carrying out the following tasks and responsibilities:

1.  Provide project management for nutrition-sensitive school feeding projects (Rockefeller Foundation and Novo Nordisk Foundation in particular), plans and processes, ensuring high-quality and timely delivery, and alignment with corporate policies and guidance.
   2.    Coordinate the management of donor partnerships for these projects, particularly with the Foundation partners. Coordinate donor communication and timely and accurate reporting for these projects.
   3.    Develop new design innovations and contribute to the development of innovative donor proposals and new partnership and project concept notes in nutrition-sensitive school feeding.
   4.    Provide internal coordination across functional units and Strategic Outcomes to contribute to implementation of project activities. Ensure timely information sharing across teams.
   5.    Research and analyse policy issues to inform the development of nutrition-sensitive school feeding policies, strategies, programmes and activities.
   6.    Coordinate studies and assessments, surveys and research activities and their effective utilization by Government and partners in this technical area and under the Foundation projects.
   7.    Support technical units’ liaison and partnership management with Government counterparts, particularly MINEDUC, MINICOM and RSB, NCDA and FDA to ensure effective collaboration, monitoring of activities and highlight potentials risks to programme delivery.
   8.    Support the capacity strengthening of WFP staff, partners and national government to identify and address in-country school feeding needs, e.g. by providing inputs into specific school feeding guidance materials and/or learning initiatives.
   9.    Other tasks as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: Advanced University degree in Education, Nutrition, Public Health, Project Management, Agriculture, International Development, or other related field, or a First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
Experience:  Three or more years of relevant post graduate professional experience in some or all of the following areas:

• School feeding
• Nutrition/Public Health
• Capacity strengthening and policy dialogue

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: French.

OTHER SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS REQUIREMENTS:

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Understands WFP’s Strategic Objectives and the link to own work objectives.
• Be a force for positive change: Flexibly adapts individual contributions to accommodate changes in direction from supervisors and internal/external changes (such as evolving needs of beneficiaries, new requirements of partners).
•  Make the mission inspiring to our team: Recognizes and shares with team members the ways in which individual contributions relate to WFP’s mission.
•  Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Sets own goals in alignment with WFP’s overall operations, and is able to communicate this link to others.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people’s skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses to increase self-awareness, and includes these in conversations on own developmental needs.
•  Create an inclusive culture: Participates in open dialogue, and values the diverse opinion of others, regardless of background, culture, experience, or country assignment.
•  Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Proactively seeks feedback and coaching to build confidence, and develop and improve individual skills.
•  Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Participates in accomplishing team activities and goals in the face of challenging circumstances.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Shows willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.
•  Focus on getting results: Consistently delivers results within individual scope of work on time, on budget and without errors.
•  Make commitments and make good on commitments: Commits to upholding individual accountabilities and responsibilities in the face of ever-changing country or functional priorities.
•  Be Decisive: Makes rational decisions about individual activities when faced with uncertain circumstances, including in times of ambiguity regarding information or manager direction.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Seeks to understand and adapt to internal or cross-unit teams’ priorities and preferred working styles.
•  Build strong external partnerships: Demonstrates ability to understand and appropriately respond to and/or escalate needs of external partners.
•  Be politically agile & adaptable: Portrays an informed and professional demeanor toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
•  Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Provides operational support on analyses and assessments that quantifies and demonstrates WFP’s unique value as a partner.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• This position is open for one year with possibility of renewal, depending on fund availability and satisfactory performance.
• WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.
• Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP. http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.