Regional Programme Policy Officer (Social Protection)

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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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).

JOB TITLE: Regional Programme Policy Officer (Social Protection)
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultancy Contract (International Consultant, Level II)
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme Unit – Social Protection and School Meals team
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Bangkok, Thailand
DURATION: 11 months (extension depends upon performance and funding)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

To effectively address the challenge of food and nutrition insecurity and the impact of large scale shocks and stressors, while contributing to long-term efforts to end hunger, WFP supports national social protection systems by working with host governments and development partners to strengthen their strategies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, particularly those focused on zero hunger and malnutrition.

Since 2017, WFP has been increasing the attention it devotes to capacity strengthening of Government agencies and stepping up its work as an enabler of national hunger and nutrition solutions, beyond direct implementation. In Asia Pacific, WFP provides strategic and technical advice and operational support to governments’ social protection, aligns and/or integrates its operations to national systems and supports governments in policy, systems, programming and finance around two principal global and regional objectives: helping people meet their food security, nutrition and associated essential needs and; building social protection systems and programmes that help people manage risks and shocks.

The Asia and the Pacific Programme hub, through the Social Protection and School Meals team, provides a wide range of technical and strategic cross functional support and capacity strengthening to 16 WFP Country Offices in the region around social protection, aligned to WFP’s global Strategy for Support to Social Protection 2021 and its regional Social Protection Implementation Plan (SPIP). Country Offices are partnering with Governments and a range of United Nations partners, donors and other stakeholders
to strengthen national capacities to better design, coordinate, adapt and implement social protection programmes, including in response to large-scale shocks.

To advance this critical agenda and ensure continued excellence in technical and strategic support, WFP APARO is seeking a highly qualified Programme Policy Officer with expertise in social protection, disaster risk financing, cliamte action and shock-responsiveness. This role will play a key role in enhancing WFP's contributions to strengthening national systems, advancing regional initiatives and supporting countries in implementing effective, evidence based social protection programmes.

Note: Qualified candidates shortlisted and who proceed through the selection process but are not
ultimately selected for this position, yet are deemed suitable for similar roles in the region, will be
included in a regional roster for future consultancy opportunities.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting to the APARO regional Adviser for Social Protection and School Meals Programme, the Bangkok-based Regional Programme Policy Officer (Social Protection) will provide strategic advice and operational guidance and support to WFP country offices on their social protection work. Specifically, the consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Provide strategic guidance and technical assistance to WFP Country Offices (CO) to conceptualize social protection system support based on country contexts and identify country office’s roles, key priorities, areas of engagement and approach on social protection. Identify and provide advice on how on-going WFP activities can be adjusted to ensure better alignment with national policies and priorities
2. Support the implementation of the APARO regional SPIP at regional and country office level (supporting management response plans, action plans and roadmaps, team structuring, partnership development, piloting, etc.).
3. Support APARO efforts to enhance understanding of social protection concepts, strengthen use of evidence-based analysis to inform strategy.
4. Drive forward the Social Protection and Climate and Disaster Risk Financing agenda in light with the multi-year funding received in the Trustfund. Provide thought leadership to country offices. Carry out the research agenda and related briefing notes, workshops or synthesis paper development.
5. Manage conceptual thinking around shock responsive social protection for WFP’s activities in Asia Pacific, in coordination with WFP’s GHQ social protection team, other APARO teams and COs.
6. Translate corporate and regional policies and strategies pertinent to social protection into country level practices.
7. Maintain strategic and operational partnerships for social protection, and support country offices on the same upon request, working in collaboration with the Partnerships team and other relevant APARO and GHQ teams.
8. Contribute to advocacy and resource mobilization efforts for WFP social protection activities,
including by articulating a business case for WFP’s contributions to social protection and exploring new potential resource channels.
9. Represent and enhance WFP’s leadership status in different forums pertinent to social protection
10.Manage or oversee the generation, documentation, and dissemination of knowledge and learning management products and initiatives, such as reports, publications, and operational research for internal or external use. Advise on and support initiatives that enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partners to engage in social protection policy design and delivery.
11. Support the team’s growing nutrition sensitive social protection portfolio, working closely with the nutrition and school feeding teams and select country offices on case studies, policy positioning, knowledge and learning management, and guidance.
12. Other tasks as required and assigned by the supervisor or the senior management.

QUALIFICATIONS & DESIRED EXPERIENCE:

EDUCATION:
Advanced University degree in Social Sciences, International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Public Administration, Public Policy or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with two additional years of relevant work experience from the minimum experience requirement stated below.

LANGUAGE:
Fluency (level C) in oral and written English. Any other UN languages, a plus.

EXPERIENCE:
- Minimum 5 years (of which at least three international) of progressively responsible professional experience in the international humanitarian and development fields
- At least 3 years of in-depth experience with national social protection systems policy design, analysis, guidance and implementation.
- Relevant strategic and operational experience in social protection and safety nets implementation in low- and middle-income countries, preferably in Asia Pacific, including experience in adaptive and shock responsive social protection, climate action, disaster risk financing, food security and nutrition, linking humanitarian assistance to national social protection and safety nets, cash-based transfers and digital innovations and solutions (G2P, management information systems)
- Proven capacity to establish and manage complex research agendas in the areas of social protection and its interface with thematic areas including climate action, disaster risk financing, shock-responsiveness
- Experience in the development of interagency networks, partnerships, strategies, resource mobilisation and communications initiatives

- International Financial Institution (IFI) and donor experience are considered an asset
- Recent experience in Asia-Pacific is considered an asset
- Willingness to be based in Bangkok, with frequent travel throughout the region

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills to effectively convey complex technical concepts to a variety of audiences, including policymakers, donors, and operational teams

- Advanced understanding of the latest policy debates, theory, design and implementation issues of social protection and safety nets
- Knowledge of major humanitarian and development challenges and issues, specifically strategies for poverty and hunger reduction

- Knowledge of policy making processes and the ability to distil operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for governments and other partners
- Understanding of donor policies, strategies and programme priorities in relation to humanitarian and development assistance, social protection and safety nets

- Strong capacity for analysis, programme budgeting and forecasting, learning, research and innovation
- Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

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REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact:  global.inclusion@wfp.org

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REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.

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• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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.