Programme Policy Officer (VAM and MEAL)

The World Food Programme’s (WFP) vision in South Sudan is to address entrenched inequity and isolation, with the goal of leaving no-one behind and fostering unified, interconnected, and peaceful communities. This builds on the recognition that different regions of South Sudan have had dissimilar access to social and economic opportunities, with much of the country having been left out from development or resilience-building assistance. As a result, inequity and isolation remain a threat to achieving zero hunger and lasting peace and stability in South Sudan.

WFP undertakes various types of data collection when planning and monitoring its operations, including needs assessments and situation analyses, programme design, targeting, monthly process and output monitoring and reporting, biannual post distribution outcome surveys, and as relevant, specialized monitoring or surveys. Through this process, WFP ensures the people we serve are the right ones for receiving assistance are being treated with dignity while receiving their assistance. 

The Programme Policy Officer, VAM/M&E, will report to Malakal Field Office Head of Programme. The incumbent will contribute significantly to generating evidence for development of food security and nutrition programmes and ensure effective implementation of WFP projects by serving as the main focal person for all research, analysis, and monitoring related activities in Malakal Field Office coverage areas, in line with WFP South Sudan’s strategic direction. 

Food security and vulnerability analysis:
1.    Represent WFP Malakal in relevant state-level technical working groups, such as the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG), Durable Solutions Pillar III (Livelihoods and Resilience) Working Group, and the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster (FSLC).
2.    Support coordination of data gathering and conduct regular food security and vulnerability assessments, including market assessments, emergency assessments, etc., preparing timely reports to enable effective decision-making.
3.    Support development of systems and tools for assessing food security in line with innovative methodologies and best practice, including the rollout of interagency tools.
4.    Lead field office efforts to build capacities of WFP staff, cooperating partners, and government counterparts to conduct food security and vulnerability analysis to effectively inform food security planning and responses, sharing of experience, lessons learned, and best practices.

Programme monitoring:
5.    Contribute to evidence-based decision-making on programme design and implementation, notably through conducting process and outcome monitoring and producing regular action-oriented monitoring reports. 
6.    Develop monitoring and review plans in compliance with WFP minimum monitoring requirements, country office norms, field office travel protocol, and operational requirements.
7.    Review back-to-office reports submitted by field monitors, providing feedback to improve quality and timeliness, and sharing key points with field office management team, highlighting trends and emerging issues.
8.    Build capacity of WFP and partners staff through training and information sharing, increasing awareness on the importance of monitoring and evaluation, and encouraging accountability.
9.    Serve as focal point for evaluations and reviews planned by the country office.

Cooperating Partner Coordination:
10.    Develop and implement field office standard operating procedures for outputs planning and reporting, including food requests, release notes, and receipt confirmations.
11.    Provide overall guidance and technical support to all WFP Malakal staff and cooperating partners in relation to outputs planning and reporting, including food requests, release notes, and receipt confirmations.
12.    Perform regular quality control checks on all outputs planning and reporting data, ensuring country office deadlines are met.
13.    Develop and maintain field office level dashboards for reporting outputs achievements, data entry status, and reconciliation status. 

Accountability: Community Feedback Mechanism:
14.    Ensure compliance with WFP corporate and country office guidance and norms for implementing a community complaint and feedback mechanism (CFM) in the field office.
15.    Consolidate and summarize feedback into anonymized reports, reflecting data trends and status of issues resolution.
16.    Spearhead and coordinate the implementation of the SugarCRM system for both Process Monitoring intake form and CFM intake and provide technical guidance to the cooperating partners. 

Leadership:
17.    Create an inclusive work environment through respectful and constructive communication, ensuring proper information sharing within the team and across units.
18.    Serve as direct supervisor and coach to monitoring staff and indirectly as technical support to programme colleagues.
19.    Hold staff accountable by actively managing underperformance through regular conversations, providing support/coaching, documenting as required, and proactively seeking supervisor and human resources advice.
20.    Ensure substantiated input and completion of all phases in PACE within established deadlines for all team members under direct supervision.

Key Deliverables
1.    Work plan for field office VAM/M&E Team.
2.    Timely and quality food security analysis reports.
3.    Monthly process monitoring and CFM reports.
4.    Monthly outputs reports.
5.    Monthly distribution plans, plans vs actuals, and partner distribution reports. 
6.    Adherence to country office deadlines for planning and reporting through corporate systems.

Advanced university degree in Sociology, Statistics, Data Science, Social Studies, Economics, Performance Management, or other relevant fields or first university degree with additional years of related work experience in complex settings.

• For master's degree holder or higher: At least one year post graduate professional experience with humanitarian organizations or government institutions in food security analysis and/or monitoring and evaluation of food assistance programmes.
  For a candidate with bachelor’s degree, at least three years of the above experience is required.
• Experience with a variety of quantitative and qualitative analytical tools and methods.
• Demonstrated proficiency in interpretation of data and statistics.
• Demonstrated experience in developing monitoring plans and implementing monitoring activities of humanitarian and development programmes.
• Demonstrated experience in report writing.

• Advanced expertise in the use of statistical software, including R and/or SPSS, is required. Python knowledge is an asset.
• Proficiency in at least one data visualization product (such as R, Tableau, or Power BI) is desirable.
• Computer skills, including word processing, spreadsheets, and other standard software packages and systems.
• Excellent analytical skills, high level of organization, rigor, and attention to detail.
• Resourcefulness, curiosity, initiative, maturity of judgments, and tact.
• Ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, in complex crises and challenging situations.
• Willingness to travel to remote field locations.

Fluency (level C) in English language and the duty station’s language.

The recruitment / VA will also serve as a roster for the same or lower grade level and for any other short-term contract modality, possible placement in different duty stations, in case of future operational need.

This position is open ONLY for qualified South Sudanese candidates. Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply)