Programme Policy Officer (SO 2 Manager) CST II

JOB TITLE :

Programme Policy Officer (SO2 Manager)

TYPE OF CONTRACT :

International Consultancy Level II

UNIT/DIVISION

Programme Unit / Country Office Gambia

DUTY STATION (City, Country)

Banjul, The Gambia

Duration:

11 months

BACKGROUND

With a population of approximately 2 million and a high percentage of households living below the poverty line, the Gambia still faces significant challenges in relation to malnutrition, food insecurity and education.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) interventions in the country include supporting food assistance programs, school feeding initiatives, nutrition programs, and resilience-building efforts to help communities adapt to changing environmental conditions. The organization collaborates closely with the Gambian government, local partners, and other stakeholders to achieve its objectives in the country.

Strategic Outcome (SO2) (People have better nutrition, health & education outcomes) of the newly approved Country Strategic Portfolio (CSP) contributes to UNSDCF outcome 2.2 and is aligned with outcomes 4.1 and 4.3 of the national development plan, education policy priority 4.2 and education sector strategy outcome 9. Under SO2,WFP has two components of which, Activity 2 (provide nutritious school meals and foster complementary health and nutrition interventions for improved health, nutrition and education outcomes) and Activity

3 (provide a nutrition prevention package for population groups that are at risk of malnutrition and strengthen community nutrition services).

Over the years, School Feeding has evolved from the provision of basic food assistance to school children to a fully-fledge Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme using a sustainable model sourcing food locally, with education, nutrition and agriculture outcomes. Nutrition is also a key component of WFP’s intervention throught the provision of comprehensive nutrition services for populations at risk of malnutrition and of community nutrition services focusing on prevention and social and behaviour change.

The key components of the HGSF programme (CSP activity 2) include:

• A long-standing partnership established with the Government of The Gambia, adapting over time to meet the changing needs.
• The inclusion of a local food procurement component shifting the programme towards sourcing food from local smallholder farmers, creating a market for local produce, in turn,

  contributing to rural economic development while children receive nutritionally balanced school meals. Significant achievements include the procurement locally of thousands of metric tons of food, financial gains for farmer associations, and the direct involvement of the community in school feeding management.

  • By targeting vulnerable communities in food insecure regions and districts of the country, which also have education challenges, the programme aims to enhance education outcomes (enrollment, attendance, retention and others), especially for girls, by addressing short-term hunger and nutritional deficiencies.
  • The existing HGSF strategy (2020-2030), focusing on a multisectoral approach that aligns with The Gambia’s National Development Plan, including modernizing agriculture, investing in education and health, and empowering youth.
  • The programme has a multisectoral approach involving multiple stakeholders (Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Ministry Of Agriculture and the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare), alongside WFP, emphasizing an integrated approach to education, nutrition and agriculture.

    The key components of the nutrition intervention (CSP activity 3) include:

    • An established partnership with the country nutrition stakeholders including the Ministry of Health, the national nutrition agency (NaNa) and other devlopemnt partners involved in nutrition.
    • Existing country nutrition policies and strategies aligning with The Gambia’s National Development Plan, including in health and nutrition.
    • Infant and young child feeding activities promoting breastfeeding and adequate complementary food, social and behaviour change initiatives and food and cash assistance to ensure healthy diets and prevent malnutrition among children aged 6–23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls.
    • Promotion of good hygiene practices and bio-fortification for diversified diets using local commodities.
    • Nutrition surveillance, food safety, deworming and vaccination campaigns in schools and in communities where there are WFP interventions.

      PURPOSE

      The purpose of the job is to coordinate and lead implementation of Strategic Outcome (SO2), supervising the staff working under this pillar (refer to the line of sight of the CSP) and also act as the direct Activity Manager of activity 2 / Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP).

      As such, the SO2 Manager will lead to deliver results ensuring programmatic coherence under this pillar as well as effective cross-cutting integration with other CSP strategic outcomes (1, 3 and 4) and activities (1, 4 and 5). S/he will also ensure that (1) SO2 activities are well-integrated with other portfolio activities; (2) capacity strengthening activities are intentionally designed and implemented to facilitate handover of programe to the Government; (3) intentional planning of nutrition-sensitive and gender-sensitive activities; (4) creation of an enabling environment through partnerships and policy engagement to achieve programme goals.
      Job holders will work with minimum supervision, in the Programme Unit to effectively deliver WFP activities in the Gambia CO. S/he will ensure that WFP’s activities contribute to achieving the CSP objectives as well as UNDCSF and NDP goals (refer to the CSP line of sight attached).

      
      ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

      
      Under the direct supervision of Deputy Country Director and Head of Programme, the Programme Officer will undertake the following tasks:

      
      1. S/he will act as the Activity Manager of activity 2 (HGSFP). As such, he is responsible for the overall management of the HGSFP.
      2. The consultant will ensure that there is a common goal and coordinated and clear communication with the stakeholders internally (WFP field office, CO support units and WFP Management) and externally (Government line ministries, government agencies, UN agencies, Catholic Relief Services – CRS - and other actors).
      3. S/he leads WFP’s school feeding operational and strategic coordination/partnerships with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and other partners to ensure cohesive and coordinated support to the Government School Feeding strategy.
      4. In coordination with various stakeholders, design and/or review the HGSFP handover strategy ensuring intentional planning and implementation of capacity strengthening activities; The consultant will collaborate fully support country level initiatives or exercises (such as SABER, refining CBT use, formulation of new proposals, advocacy for School feeding, etc).
      5. Coordinate and participate in regular joint field missions with the appropriate national entities to oversee school feeding operations.
      6. Monitor programme quality and progress, including the implementation of oversight and evaluation recommendations, engaging with WFP’s Regional Bureau and HQ to ensure that activities benefit from new learning, tools and models.
      7. Ensure compliance with corporate and donors requirements relating to reporting and communication.
      8. Ensure the best use of assigned financial resources for achievement of set objectives within a moderate budget.
      9. Advice and support the development of functional training in areas of expertise to enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partner to design and deliver effectively on the programmes.
      10. Lead, motivate and develop a team of staff to enable high performance.
      11. Other as required.

      SKILLS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

      
      Education: University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Education, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance; or First University Degree with several years of related work experience.
      Experience: Minimum 5 years experience with the Advanced University Degree (or minimum 7 years experience with the First University Degree).
      Languages: International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language is an asset.

      
      Desired Experiences and skills:

      
      • Has deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams.
      • Has taken leadership roles in programme implementation.
      • Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.

      QUALIFIED FEMALES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

      • • Applications are to be submitted and received online and in English language only.
        • WFP will apply a rigorous and transparent selection process including thorough assessment of technical skills to ensure the best candidates are selected for the job. Please ensure that your application contains accurate and complete information on academic qualifications, employment record and language skills.