Programme Policy Officer (Roster)

The World Food Programmes (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 in pre- and post-independence, the regions of South Sudan have had different 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.

To achieve this vision, WFP has been layering, sequencing, and integrating its programmes to increase their efficiency, quality and impact on targeted communities to provide relief in crisis situations, restore livelihoods, strengthen resilience to shocks, and rebuild social cohesion and self-reliance increasingly in hard-to-reach areas. Currently, WFP operation is guided by the 2023 to 2026 Country Strategic Plan (CSP) with five strategic outcomes: 1) access to food, 2) access to social services, 3) resilience and sustainable food systems, 4) strengthened country capacity, and 5) enhanced humanitarian services. While continuing to deliver assistance directly to communities, WFP is also engaging the government to enhance the coverage and quality of social services, design and implement food security programmes, develop infrastructure, and stimulate economic activities for country ownership and sustainability   

In order to maintain agility to respond to crises and strengthen head and field office programme teams for new and ongoing initiatives and projects to transition from humanitarian assistance to resilience building and advance country capacity strengthening, WFP South Sudan is establishing a Programme Policy Officer roster at NOB level. This roster is meant to prequalify South Sudanese nationals who believe in WFP’s mission in the country, possess specific experience, knowledge, and skillsets, and can be called on to take up a short- or long-term assignment at any WFP office.

This roster will also serve as a roster for national positions at lower grade levels and short-term contract modalities (e.g., NOA level or Service Contract SC8/SC9) to meet potential future operational needs. In addition, it may be used to fill vacancies in Juba or field locations as required. Candidates selected for this roster will remain valid for a period of two years from the date of placement. Appointments from the roster will be made subject to operational requirements and the confirmed availability and interest of the selected candidates.

When assigned to a programme or project, the Programme Policy Officer, will be supervised by the Head of Programme or thematic lead in the designated WFP office. S/he may be responsible for the following tasks:  

• Contribute to the development of projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with WFP corporate and South Sudan programme policies and guidance.
• Lead, or provide support, project coordination and management for a specific programme/s or project/s that is implemented by WFP only, multiple UN partners, or WFP together with government partners or in a UN and non-UN consortium.
• Ensure coordination and collaboration in programme or project implementation across WFP units and offices.
• Conduct or update stakeholder mapping for programme and project implementation and build partnerships for aligning approaches, complementing interventions, and avoiding duplication.
• Ensure that monitoring systems are established and strengthened for assigned programmes and projects and that information and data are collected, analysed, and discussed for adapting programming, reporting, and knowledge sharing.
• Conduct programme or project supervisory or monitoring missions, including joint missions with government and non-government partners, to verify progress, interact with beneficiaries and other stakeholders, discuss good practices and improvement areas, agree on action points, and follow up on the action points through an action tracker.  
• Lead in drafting, or provide input into, accurate and timely WFP and donor reports on assigned programmes and projects, consolidating contributions from various WFP units and offices and partners.  
• Contribute to WFP communications and donor engagement and visibility by feeding into communication plans, providing programme information for communication products, compiling human interest stories, and participating in meetings, missions, and publicity events.         
• Ensure the budgets for assigned programmes and projects are managed as per approved plans, proactively identify the need for adjustments, and trigger a process for budget alignment or revision.    
• Take part in WFP programme and project planning and review activities and contribute to organization-wide knowledge management.  
• Participate, or represent WFP, in government and partner coordination fora, including for thematic policy and strategy planning and review.   
• Support the capacity building of WFP staff and government and non-government partners to strengthen the quality of programmes and projects, which may include the development and update of training materials. 
• Guide or supervise a team for programme or project implementation. 
• Mission travels to/from Juba Head Office and Field Offices based on operational requirements.
• Other as required.

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or higher) in agriculture, economics, rural development, health and nutrition, social sciences, international affairs, environmental science, or another related field. Or first university degree (bachelor’s) in the above field with additional years of related work experience.

For master's degree holder or higher: three years of progressively responsible work experience in programme or project implementation with humanitarian and development organizations.

For a candidate with a first university degree, at least five years of the above experience is required.

Experience in leading and managing programmes and projects in humanitarian assistance, livelihoods, climate resilience, or institutional capacity building, and social safety nets in UN agencies or non-government experience is essential.

• Evidence-based programme and project design, implementation, and adaptive programming.
• Programme and project coordination, supervising a team, leading a technical area and or managing a budget.  
• Programme and project implementation, promoting inclusion, women and youth economic empowerment, and partnerships.
• Monitoring and supervising field-level activities, including beneficiary feedback mechanisms is considered a strong asset.

• Ability to communicate effectively in a diverse workplace environment
• Demonstrated experience in coordination with stakeholders including government counterparts, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, donor-funded project, and the private sector in implementing field activities.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Fluency in English is required