UN World Food Programme Policy Officer ((School Feed Programme) Jobs in Uganda

UN World Food Programme Policy Officer ((School Feed Programme) Jobs in Uganda

About WFP

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) 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.

In emergencies, WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After an emergency, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their lives.

On average, WFP reaches more than 80 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year. The organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to food and contribute to lasting solutions, especially in many of the world’s most remote and fragile areas.

Brief Description of WFP in Uganda

WFP delivers food assistance in emergencies and work with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. WFP provides life-saving food assistance and livelihood opportunities to refugees in Uganda. In addition, WFP assists the most vulnerable people in Karamoja with food and nutrition assistance. Finally, WFP works with smallholder farmers and links them to markets.

As Uganda strives to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030 and become a middle-income country by 2040, WFP is also assessing its relevance and repositioning its role in Uganda.

Organizational Context

The UN World Food Programme (WFP), 2020 Noble Peace Prize winner, is the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against hunger. It is the largest and longest serving humanitarian agency in Uganda.

Karamoja sub-region where WFP has presence since 1964 is the poorest region in Uganda with over 80% population living under the poverty line. The region is prone to increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, especially droughts, pests, and diseases (humans, crops, and livestock) in part because of climate change.

WFP interventions in Karamoja involve working closely with the nine District Local Governments (DLGs) in joint design and programming, evidence gathering, knowledge sharing, strengthening sub-national capacities and establishing partnerships with other development partners.

WFP in Karamoja focuses on the following areas: Nutrition specific and nutrition-sensitive programmes to treat and prevent malnutrition and reduce stunting; Building resilience to shocks and climate change in anticipation of increased food insecurity and limited livelihood opportunities; Ensuring school children receive nutritious meals to meet their basic food, nutrition and health needs and including increasing enrolment and attendance;

Working with the government and partners to reduce crop losses, improve household food security and increase a marketable surplus; Deploying targeted relief assistance to crises-affected populations or households as informed by food security and nutrition assessments; and Strengthening government’s shock-responsive systems to improve food security and nutrition in Karamoja.

WFP programmes in Karamoja use food and cash to build assets, spread knowledge and nurture stronger, more dynamic communities that are food secure.

On average, WFP aims to bring food assistance to more than 1 million people in Karamoja sub region.

Job Purpose

WFP has been working with Government of Uganda (GoU) for nearly 40 years to implement school feeding programme in Karamoja through the provision of hot, nutritious meals in schools.

This social assistance programme has benefited thousands of school children with initial engagements with GoU already ongoing to transition the school feeding to a government managed and funded programme. School feeding in Karamoja currently reaches over 200,000.

The Programme Policy Officer (School Feeding Programme) will play a key role to modernise implementation of the school feeding programme in Karamoja and facilitate accelerated transition to Home Grown Feeding Programme (HGSF) that is integrated with the other activities in the WFP Karamoja programme portfolio.

Key Accountabilities (not all-inclusive)

Plan and coordinate the transition to Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) including leading capacity assessment, preparing District Local Governments (DLG), Programme Monitoring Unit (PMU) and schools capacity strengthening and technical assistance roadmap, supporting budgetary planning process, and supporting the set-up of coordination mechanism with relevant stakeholders.

Participate in research and evidence generation initiatives linked to building the school feeding system in Karamoja, including studies, research, assessments and other work related to the policy framework of the HGSF programme.

Support regular risk analysis and programme adjustments linked to programme operations and handover of school-based food and nutrition programmes in the context of recurrent shocks and other risks in Karamoja.

Contribute to building and maintaining relationships with external partners including DLGs, UN, NGOs and other development partners in support of programme strategy, implementation, enhanced coordination and resource mobilization.

Key Accountabilities 2

Represent WFP in district and sub-regional coordination and partnership fora related to school-based programme themes, ensuring that Karamoja school feeding programmes, policies and frameworks are well elaborated and represented.

Ensure gender is considered throughout all areas of school feeding programme activities.

Contribute towards the development of a wide variety of projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidance.

Provide project management support to specific and defined school feeding programme activities and projects of considerable size and complexity, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.

Develop and coordinate data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.

Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on school feeding programme activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders

Key Accountabilities 3

Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing activities and projects and highlight potential risks to project delivery.

Support the identification, development and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to improved school feeding assistance packages.

Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and national government to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, e.g. through providing inputs into training materials.

Perform other duties as required.

Standard Minimum Qualifications

Education:

University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or another field relevant to development assistance.

Experience:

Proven relevant work experience in one or more of the following areas: programme management, public policy/administration, country capacity strengthening, coordination, school-based programmes, food security.

Possession of deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams in one or more of the areas of experience.

Demonstrated leadership in implementation of programmes in one or more of WFP’s programme areas (e.g. food security, nutrition, agriculture, education or similar) ideally with a focus on government handover and/or systems building.

Proven engagement in strategic programme/policy processes to inform programme design and implementation.

Experience with providing input into policy discussions and decisions across sectors and working with different types of stakeholders (government, UN, research bodies, external experts) at national and sub-national level.

Language:

Fluency in written and oral English language. Ability to communicate in basic Ngakarimojong, Lebthur and/or Swahili languages will be an added advantage.

How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; UN World Food Programme Policy Officer ((School Feed Programme) Jobs in Uganda

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