Livelihoods, Resilience & SAMS Officer

This position is based in Maseru and reports to Deputy Country Director.

To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

• Provide specialized technical expertise and advisory support to all relevant partners, to ensure the highest possible quality and effectiveness of the CO integrated climate resilience and food systems efforts.
• Oversee Strategic Outcome 3, Activity 5 and Activity 6, coordinating smallholder agricultural market support (SAMS), and climate resilient livelihoods activities, providing strategic leadership, technical oversight and strong project and management of a specialized team.
• Support capacity strengthening and coaching on targeting, application of appropriate soil and water conservation techniques, context-relevant environmentally and socio-economically sustainable livelihood options, identifying viable business packages, potential impacts of climate change on ecosystem regeneration and agricultural activities, crop insurance.
• Ensure the implementation of all projects under Strategic Outcome 3 is on track as per donor requirements, providing technical guidance and support to the team, and identifying and addressing any challenges, building capacity of WFP staff and partners in the process, utilizing M&E data to inform and improve programming.
• Identify options and strategic partnerships for integration of digital/technological innovations to strengthen smallholder farmer livelihoods, market access, access to tools and information.
• Support the implementation of the CSP, Country Capacity Strengthening and Food for Asset Creation and all relevant evaluation recommendations and the management response plan aligning with Strategic Outcome 3 initiatives.
• Contribute to WFP’s fundraising efforts by leading and supporting proposal development, developing key messages and talking points, and preparing internal and external reports on climate change adaptation, resilience, livelihood, and food system interventions.
• Promote and advocate for the implementation of 3-Pronged Approach and action-oriented research in collaboration with the academic institutions to influence policy direction, documentation of lessons learned, good practices, success stories for replication and scaling, as required by the donors.
• Support the implementation of a sustainable exit strategy at project sites to ensure a smooth transition and handover to communities.
• Represent WFP in relevant forums and meetings related to livelihoods, resilience and food systems.
• Engage with current and potential donors to ensure that technical updates and reports are provided on time.
• Maintain a strong profile for WFP’s work through active engagement with national policies that align with Strategic Outcome 3 objectives through participation in the main meetings and coordination groups, including the Agricultural Sector Working Groups, and ensuring linkages with relevant line ministries, such as the Ministries of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Environment and Forestry and Education, Disaster Management Affairs and Lesotho Meteorological Services.
• Support the government to strengthen and advance national initiatives, including the development and review of national government policies, frameworks, strategies, action plans, protocols, and guidelines
• Collaborate closely with key partners (such as UN, IFIs, private sector) in the implementation of all activities, including the home-grown school feeding initiatives.
• Support implementation of an integrated Resilient Livelihoods and Smallholder Agriculture Market Support strategy in coordination with other units within WFP and strategic partners.
• Work with supply chain to support the development of business linkages amongst targeted smallholders, farmer organizations, cooperatives, low-income farmers, aggregators, off-takers and other potential markets beyond WFP to strengthen the Food System in Lesotho.
• Develop the capacity of supported households and smallholder farmers through targeted training and workshops to ensure they gain valuable skills in production, marketing, and business development, and support linkage to home grown school feeding for surplus producing smallholder farmers.
• Support integration of nutrition sensitive and enhanced gender, youth and protection mainstreaming within the SO3 portfolio, Livelihoods/Resilience and Smallholder Agriculture Market Support/ Food Systems.
• Provide strategic guidance on knowledge and adoption of climate services, anticipatory action, climate smart and regenerative agriculture practices, Soil and water conservation initiatives, mechanization and innovative technologies among smallholders and nutritious food value chain actors to build resilience against climate change and other shocks, and increase household food security, nutrition and income.
• Provide technical support on both recovery and livelihoods enhancement projects to the most vulnerable communities, also supported through crisis response.
• Provide technical support on implementation of Environmental and Social Safeguards, aligning with best practices, guided by the Environmental and Social Management Plans, and reviewing all relevant documents.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Education:

Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Natural Resources Management, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional 8 years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

• A minimum of five years of progressive experience in supporting design and implementation of Natural Resources Management, Climate Change Adaptation, Livelihoods, Food Systems and or Smallholder Agriculture Market Support programming with UN agencies, government entities, international non-governmental organisations and or civil society.

• Experience with community-based participatory planning approaches, stakeholder and community engagement, strategic partnerships, Smallholder Agriculture Market Support, Food Systems and collaboration UN Agencies and government institutions.

Those interested in the position should have the following behavioural competencies, which will ensure effective delivery of the responsibilities.

• action management,
• Result-orientation
• Client/people centred orientation, focusing on communities/individuals WFP serves
• cognitive capacity,
• innovation,
• good interpersonal skills
• networking, partnering and teamwork.
• Ability to prioritise and work under pressure.

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language and the duty station’s language, if different.