WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply.

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourage qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity, and disability.

Job Title:   Programme Associate, Food Systems and Resilience

Grade:                                 GS6
Type of contract:                Fixed Term            
Duration:                            12 months extendable 
Duty Station:                      Thimphu
Vacancy Number:               832682
Date of Publication:            25 April 2024
Deadline of Application:     9 May 2024

This vacancy announcement is for Nationals from Bhutan Only

JOB PURPOSE

Under the Bhutan country strategic plan 2024–2028, WFP will strengthen and support the Government’s efforts to deliver equitable and inclusive economic growth and advance human capital development. A prominent feature of the country strategic plan will be the expansion of WFP’s capacity-strengthening efforts for government institutions and the engagement of private sector partners, with a focus on gender issues.

WFP focuses on a food system and resilience approach in its strategic partnerships with the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB), supporting Bhutan in enhancing food security and nutrition, and a transformative food system that is sustainable and economically viable. WFP has a strategic system approach to developing climate-resilient food systems and supports the RGoB across the food system and agriculture value chain – from production in the field to final consumption. WFP support is provided through various programmes and activities that aim to increase demand for locally available nutrient-dense foods while supporting smallholder farmers and the RGoB in strengthening production capacity, post-harvest management, marketing, knowledge management, cost efficiency, and coordination and policy.

WFP is introducing a new capacity-strengthening portfolio under CSP outcome 1 that will enable the Government to provide smallholder farmers with gender-transformative support for improving the production, aggregation, transformation, and marketing of nutritious food. To support this programme. WFP seeks to recruit a programme associate to strengthen the WFP food system and resilience unit to enhance internal capacity. This would result in improving its programmatic and capacity-strengthening services, targeted at government partners, other relevant stakeholders, and beneficiaries.

Reports to: Head, Food System and Resilience Unit.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Provide technical support and assist in the development and implementation of various activities and processes within food systems and resilience, supporting alignment with wider WFP programme policies and guidelines.
2. Provide specialized project management support to the technical assistance component of the “Building Resilient Commercial Smallholder Agriculture” (BRECSA) project and/or other food system and resilience programmes to ensure that the various activities are performed within the established targets following WFP’s policies and procedures.
3. Within the specific area of food systems and resilience, support preparation of a range of reports and data analysis, e.g., technical assistance needs, resource utilization, programme status, performance and highlight trends/issues ensuring programme deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control.
4. Ensure and/or perform accurate, timely recording of data within the specific technical area of food systems and resilience and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
5. Liaise with internal counterparts to support effective collaboration, implementation, and monitoring of ongoing BRECSA and other project activities.
6. Coordinate and communicate with RGoB counterparts, local partners, agencies, CSOs and government institutions to carry out programme analyses and to ensure efficient delivery of WFP technical assistance.
7. Support the capacity strengthening of WFP staff, implementing partners and national government within the specific technical area of food systems and resilience.
8. Act as a point of contact for the resolution of a range of operational queries and problems within food systems and resilience.
9. Collaborate with support staff to contribute to delivering objectives to agreed standards and deadlines.
10. In the event of a crisis, follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP can quickly respond and deploy needed support to affected areas.
11. Others as required.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS 
1. Review budget plans, monitor and analyse project financial performance and make recommendations in compliance with WFP financial policies and procedures and best practices, to support financial analysis and optimisation of resources.
2. Maintain communication with a number of stakeholders regarding project funds management matters and related processes, to clarify any discrepancies and optimise use of funds.
3. Enter project budget plans and revisions in the corporate systems, to ensure data is timely and accurately captured enabling easy access to information and supporting planning and decision-making.
 

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in a relevant area such as agriculture, nutrition, food security, project management, or related field.

Experience: Six or more years of progressively responsible work experience in a related functional area.

Knowledge & Skills:
• Good knowledge and skills in implementing and managing technical programmes, supporting and providing capacity-strengthening services.
• Experience working in collaboration with a diverse array of development stakeholders, including government, UN, development partners, civil society, etc.
• Experience working with technical teams, e.g., agriculture, nutrition, food security, school feeding would be an asset.
• Skills in capacity strengthening of farmer groups and cooperatives in agriculture marketing and rural business development would be an asset.
• Experience in procurement and budgeting processes would be an asset.
• Good communication skills in order to provide specialized business support services to a wide range of individuals.
• Ability to analyze and interpret financial data and monitor budgets.
• Ability to build relationships with a variety of individuals across functions.
• Experience in coordinating the work of others and self and training and supporting others.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.

Languages:
Fluency in both oral and written communication in English (Level C) and Dzongkha

All WFP employees are expected to demonstrate the competencies and standards of behavior aligned with our core values and defined in the WFP leadership framework, namely: 

1. Leading by example with integrity
2. Driving results and delivering on commitment 
3. Fostering inclusive and collaborative teamwork 
4. Applying strategic thinking
5. Building and maintaining sustainable partnerships

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action. 

Request for Disability-related Reasonable Accommodations: 

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.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, and 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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

WFP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand oversees operations in 17 country offices including the Pacific, reaching 30 million people with assistance. The portfolio of our work ranges from humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, to school meals in Cambodia and Laos, supporting government, social protection schemes in India and Pakistan, climate change adaptation in Nepal and Sri Lanka, nutrition for mothers in Bangladesh and Timor-Leste, to emergency preparedness in Indonesia and the Pacific.

WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce. WFP has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, abuse of authority or discrimination. 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.