Job Title: Programme Policy Officer: Bamenda, Maroua and
Kousseri (3 Positions)
Organization: United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
Assignment country: Cameroon
Expected start date: 01/09/2023
Sustainable Development Goal: 2. Zero hunger
Volunteer category: International UN Volunteer Specialist
Host entity: WFP
Type: Onsite
Duration: 24 months (with possibility of extension)
Number of assignments: 3
Duty stations: Maroua, Kousseri, Bamenda
Details
Mission and objectives
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. Created in 1961 as an experiment to
provide food aid through the UN system, WFP is enshrined in 1965 as a
fully-fledged UN Programme. Powered by the passion, dedication and
professionalism of our 20,000 staff worldwide, the World Food Programme (WFP)
works in over 80 countries to bring life-saving food to people displaced by
conflict and made destitute by disasters, and help individuals and communities
find life-changing solutions to the multiple challenges they face in building
better futures. Social protection is an increasingly prominent strategy for
governments to reduce extreme poverty, hunger, and inequalities and promote
access to essential needs. As a global leader in fighting hunger and malnutrition
worldwide, often in very difficult contexts, the World Food Programme (WFP) is
increasingly called upon by governments to support national social protection
systems. WFP is partnering with governments across over 75 countries to
strengthen their national social protection systems, making support in social
protection an integral part of its activities in most of the countries where it
operates. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, lives and livelihoods of the most
vulnerable are put at risk across the globe, undermining decades of progress
towards the SDGs. In response to this, many governments are currently adapting
and/or putting in place new social protection policies, systems and schemes.
Context
Cameroon is a lower-middle-income country with a population
of 23.3 million people of diverse ethnic and two linguistic groups. Ranked
153rd of 188 countries in the 2016 Human Development Index, the average life
expectancy is 58 years; 24% live on less than USD 2 per day and poverty is
concentrated in the Northern and Eastern regions, where 90 percent of people
requiring humanitarian support reside. At least 75 percent of the people over
15 years of age are illiterate, with wide disparity between men and boys (78
percent) and women and girls (65 percent). Cameroon is confronted with three
major complex crises: the crisis in the Lake Chad basin impacting the Far North
region; the consequences of the influx Central African refugees in the east and
the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest (SW/NW). More than one million people
are displaced, and 4.5 million people have humanitarian needs. These challenges
are reinforced by structural factors and chronic vulnerabilities that aggravate
the impact of crises and affect people's resilience capacity. The World Food Programme
(WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
WFP’s current Country Strategy Programme (2018-2021) contributes to all four
United Nations Development Assistance Framework pillars: (i) increase
employment opportunities and measures to protect women, young people, children
and socially vulnerable people in target areas; (ii) improve the health of
target populations and prevent child malnutrition in all its forms; (iii)
improve access to education and quality vocational training; and (iv)
strengthen the resilience of target populations addressing food insecurity and
environmental, social and economic shocks. WFP Cameroon is currently seeking
for International UN Volunteers to provide support and technical expertise to
the Field Offices with the design and management of programmes of moderate size
or complexity that effectively meet food assistance needs or contribute to
policy formulation and / or provide technical advice or oversight on programme
strategy and implementation.
Task description
Under the general supervision of the Head of Field Office,
and the technical supervision of the CO Head of Policy, the incumbent UN
Volunteer will perform the following tasks: 1. Contribute to formulation of
WFP-wide programme policies in line with both organisational strategy and the
practical realities of operating in the field; or translate programme policy
into Regional/Country level practices. Developing programme guidance and
implementation modalities and operations, to ensure a clear and strong connection
between HQ and field operations. 2. Provide advice and support to COs on
moderately complex issues to clarify ambiguities and ensure that policy and
programme operations are consistent with WFP policies, Executive Board
decisions, and other relevant guidance. 3. Provide technical advice or mobilise
technical expertise on programme and policy issues including assessment and
analysis, the choice of objectives, activities, transfer modalities and
appropriate food products, the deployment and testing of innovative approaches
and the development of strategies to support government efforts to reduce
hunger and malnutrition. 4. Assist counterparts in governments and other
partners in identifying where food assistance can be usefully employed and
provide support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation, and
implementation of moderately complex food assistance programmes to strengthen
government and community ownership and effectiveness of food security and
nutrition programmes at national and sub-national levels. 5. Establish and
maintain operational partnerships to identify opportunities for collaborative
approaches and initiatives that improve assistance packages and support
advocacy work. 6. Enhance WFP’s leadership status in forums relating to area of
specialism, for example food security, nutrition, livelihoods, resilience or
engagement in humanitarian, transition and development contexts through direct
participation, briefings, information products and other materials. 7. Manage
operational research and evidence building on issues relevant to food
assistance. 8. Manage the preparation and dissemination of timely analytical
and critical reports, publications, and a variety of information products or
proposals for internal or external use. 9. Contribute to resources
mobilisations efforts for WFP projects, including clearly articulating the need
for food assistance and related programme opportunities, and follow up on the
resource situation of projects including commodity and cash availability, seeking
advice from senior colleagues where necessary. 10. 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 effective food
assistance programmes. 11. Lead, motivate and develop a team of staff to enable
high performance. 12. Ensure the best use of assigned financial resources for
achievement of set objectives within a moderate budget. 13. Contribute to
Country Office Emergency Preparedness i.e. early warning, risk analysis, and
contingency planning in order to respond to humanitarian crises and needs. 14.
Other as required.
Eligibility criteria
Age
27 - 80
Nationality
Candidate must be a national of a country other than the
country of assignment.
Requirements
Required experience
3 years of experience in • Has experience working across the
program portfolio including VAM/Nutrition. • Has led a sub-office or small
country/ area of office programme team or a component of a country office
programme portfolio. • Has engaged in policy discussions and provided input
into policy decisions. • Proficiency in Windows MS Office (Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Outlook). • Strong analytical skills to conduct independent
research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of
various research sources and statistics. • Advanced skills using database,
statistical analysis, and data visualization software, such as SPSS, Stata, R,
Tableau, etc. Experience with data collection using ODK/ONA a plus. •
Behavioral competencies such as Action Management, Client Orientation,
Cognitive Capacity, Innovation, Partnering and Teamwork. • Experience in
humanitarian context as well as relevant experience within the UN system is
desirable. • Ability to quickly establish and maintain effective working
relations with people of different cultural backgrounds and languages,
willingness to strengthen capacities of partners and colleagues, share best
practices and lessons learned.
Area(s) of expertise
Economics and finance, Agriculture, Development programmes
Driving license
-
Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Required French, Level: Fluent,
Required
Required education level
Master degree or equivalent in International Affairs,
Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social
Sciences, or other field relevant to international development assistance, or
First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or
trainings/courses.
Competencies and values
• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations
relevant to WFP; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable
to WFP procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and
tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise
and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior
positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and
ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide
responsibilities and ability to work independently under established
procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and
confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the
values and ethical standards of the UN and WFP in daily activities and behaviours
while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political
pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s
interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of
unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority. •
Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across
organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish
and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a
multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and
respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender,
religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender
equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and
men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and
provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous
learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of
new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work
environment. • Planning and organizing effective organizational and
problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient
and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and
monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines,
and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven
interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including
ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations,
articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend
recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including
national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local
interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer
information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility:
adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote
conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate
independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to
travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations
within the area of operations as necessary. • Genuine commitment towards the
principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion,
reciprocity and self-reliance, and commitment towards WFP’s mission and vision,
as well as to the UN Core Values.
Other information
Living conditions and remarks
These positions are located within the WFP field Offices of
Bamenda, Maroua and Kousseri. Bamenda: is the capital city of the North-West
region of Cameroon, one the two regions affected by the anglophone crisis since
2017. Bamenda is located 366 km north-west of the capital city Yaounde. Before
the crisis, Bamenda was a vibrant buzzing city of around 2 million people. The
crisis has caused massive movements of Internally Displaced People. Bamenda
enjoys a cool climate and scenic hilly location, and the main industries are
the processing of agricultural produce such as coffee, elementary food
processing, handicraft, cottage industry, education (schools),
tourism/hospitality, construction works and transport, which used to flourish
thanks to proximity and trade with neighboring Nigeria. Many of the city's
inhabitants are English-speaking, and Cameroonian Pidgin English is the main
language spoken in the shops and on the streets of Bamenda. WFP has field
office in Bamenda which provides life-saving food assistance to populations
affected by the crisis including IDPs, returnees and other vulnerable
populations through General Food Assistance, Cash Based Transfers and
resilience-focused activities Food For Assets. Maroua: is the capital city of
the the Far-North region of Cameroon, located at 1,300km from Yaounde, Maroua
is accessible by air with weekly national flights, or with a combination of
train to Ngaoundéré and then drive for 480km. With a population of 364,000
people in 2023, Maroua, is host to a major state university and has a semi-arid
to dry climate most of the year. It is a very dynamic city attracting many
tourists and is famous for its handcrafting and offers most of the amenities of
a modern city. WFP has a Field Office in Maroua, which oversees two antenna
offices in Kousseri and Garoua and implements emergency and development
programmes using General Food Assistance (GFA), Cash Based Transfers (CBT)and
resilience-focused activities, Food for Assets (FFA) to support refugees from
Nigeria, host communities and communities at large that are affected by natural
disasters. Kousseri: Located 150 km from the Waza Natural Park on the left bank
of the Logone River, Kousseri is a bustling city in the Logone-et-chari
division of the For-North region of Cameroon. As an ancient city dating back to
the Sao civilisation (XI – XVI centuries), Kousseri is steeped in rich history
and cultural significance. It is known for its blend of traditional and modern
elements and offers a unique experience for residents and visitors alike. With
a population of over 200,000 people, Kousseri is a melting pot of ethnic
diversity and a major economic and commercial center for Cameroon, Chad and
Nigeria (10km from Ndjamena, Chad’s capital and 60 km from Nigeria). Kousseri
has a sahelian climate with high temperatures most of the year and heavy rains
(63 – 75% of yearly rains) falling between July and August, causing recurrent
floods. WFP has an antenna office in Kousseri which support with the
implementation of emergency and development programmes using GFA, CBT and
resilience-focused activities (FFA) in favour of refugees from Nigeria, host
communities and communities at large that are affected by natural disasters.
Cameroon is a unique country with a mix of Development-Humanitarian unique
operation. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also
requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and
commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. Therefore,
flexibility and the ability and willingness to live, work and travel in harsh
and potentially hazardous conditions, involving physical hardship and little
comfort, are essential.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme
that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to
achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part
of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to
combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights
and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender
identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability,
pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be
subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2
(Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy
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