Special Assistant CST II

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

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.

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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).

WHY TO WORK AT WFP?

Join us to make a difference!

SAVING & CHANGING LIVES ❤ Make a difference, the world will notice. We are driven by our mission to fight world hunger and feed people’s dreams of a brighter future.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY 🌍 Build bridges that unite people across the world. Being part of a global, diverse and multicultural community like WFP, will continuously expose you to new ideas and perspectives.

UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES 💡 Unlock possibilities you never thought you'd find. WFP goes anywhere it is needed and does whatever it takes to get the job done.

JOB TITLE: Special Assistant
TYPE OF CONTRACT/GRADE: CST II
UNIT/DIVISION: Front Office/Management
DUTY STATION: Amman, Jordan
DURATION: 11 months

Open to NON-Jordanian Nationality only.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

As the nature of work is evolving and new opportunities for collaboration with UN agencies, international organizations, and donors are emerging, the workload of the Management Office has increased significantly. To ensure optimal benefits of these efforts, it has become necessary to establish an efficient mechanism for tracking and following up on various activities. Therefore, there is the need to hire a qualified individual to support the Country Director and Deputy Country Director in delivering WFP programs and activities in Jordan CO.

The primary responsibility of this position is to assist the Management Office in managing multiple engagements and preparing high-quality correspondences, documents and reports with high-level stakeholders (Government Officials, Donors and WFP Senior Leadership).

The role requires a high level of coordination, communication, and organizational skills to ensure that all activities are aligned with our objectives and deliverables.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Job holder is likely to be working under the supervision of the Country Director or his delegate. With minimum supervision, the holder will provide direct and substantive support to the CO Senior Management (CD and DCD) to effectively deliver WFP programs and activities in Jordan CO. The role will facilitate smooth operations for the Country Director’s daily work and broader projects.

DELIVERABLES: Within the delegated authority, the Special Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Respond to, review, or draft appropriate correspondence, documents, and management reports on behalf of the Country Director and filter matters that need decisions to his/her attention. Ensure that internal messaging to staff from the Country director is disseminated thoroughly and consistently, in coordination with DCD, human resources and communication colleagues as necessary.
• Draft high-quality background documents, talking points, speeches and prepare briefs for the Country Director and Deputy Country Director, coordinate inputs from across all country office units and field offices as needed. Arrange and coordinate high level visits and country office retreats in line with the Country Director’s wishes.
• In close collaboration with Management, Partnership, Reporting, Communication and Programme units, contribute to addressing donors’ requests on WFP programs. Support bilateral meetings and field missions. Ensure high quality of corporate and donor reports, correspondence, briefings and proposals, and other documents, prior to DCD’s review and clearance.
• Support the CD and DCD in meetings, workshops, events and conference for both Powerpoint presentations, talking points and notes for the record development as required.
• Analyze and engage in various emerging concepts/systems/policies related to the Jordan operation and coordinate/consolidate feedback as appropriate. Stay abreast of WFP Jordan operations, public policy trends and issues in relation to WFP mandate, conducting research where necessary, to contribute to horizon scanning of important socio-economic, environmental and political developments.
• Attend interagency, governmental, and internal meetings with the Country Director and Deputy Country Director as required, ensuring consistency and clarity in NFR and coordinating follow up actions as required.
• Liaise with other relevant actors in the CO, RB, and HQ on a regular basis with regards to follow up on issues, priorities and decisions concerning CO Management.
• Liaise with other UN and (I)NGO agency focal points, to ensure smooth and strong relations, information sharing, and coordination of meetings as necessary.
• Ensure that confidentiality on all subject matters is maintained.
• Perform other related duties and assignments as and when required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: Advanced university degree in Political Science, International Development, Economic Development, Marketing Communication or other relevant field.

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of postgraduate professional experience related to relief or development environment.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Excellent strategic thinking, formulation and writing skills.
• Excellent listening skills and capacity to translate oral inputs into compelling written rationale.
• Knowledge of resource mobilization work and delivery of activities.
• Good analytical skills. Ability to compile, compare and analyze data.
• Demonstrated capacity to draft high-quality proposals and reports.
• Good synthesis skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to draft comprehensive and actionable minutes.
• Experience in negotiation with donors, Government, and external counterparts in line with internal policies and context-specific considerations.
• Experience collaborating with different CO units to elaborate accurate and timely briefs and reports for internal and external audiences.
• Good command of project management and capacity to organize multiple office activities under tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, ability to give and receive information, and work with a variety of individuals.
• Dynamic, versatile, and flexible working behavior.

Languages: Fluency (level C) in English language (read and write). Arabic (duty station’s language) is a plus.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

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.