Consultant Programme Policy, EPR

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The WFP Regional Bureau in Cairo (RBC) oversees countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. It assists country offices in 15 countries. The RBC Programme division provides strategic guidance, support, and oversight to WFP programmes in the region.

WFP is known for its ability to respond to crises quickly and deliver assistance to people in need at scale. It anticipates, prepares for, and responds to crises, delivering food assistance to people in need. WFP is also an enabler of the broader humanitarian system, playing a lead role in the Food Security and Livelihood Cluster, the Logistics and Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), and hosting the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS).

WFP must also ensure that its programmes do not inadvertently harm affected populations while contributing to their safety, security, dignity, inclusive participation, and empowerment. All of these commitments need to be implemented in operational settings.

Regional EP officers may be called upon to deploy to corporate scale-up and other emergencies to support Country Offices with critical functions. In such cases regional ‘surge’ recruitment may be launched is required to ensure continuity of critical support to COs and regional EPR activities.

JOB PURPOSE:

The purpose of this position is to enhance and maintain WFP’s emergency preparedness and response in the region in the context of multiple corporate scale up emergencies, ongoing escalation of conflict and a high risk broadening and deepening of instability and humanitarian consequences across the region.

Activities will include direct support to country offices (in active corporate scale-up, as well as those preparing for instability or humanitarian needs lined to them) identifying and addressing emergency preparedness proprieties (including scenario development and contingency planning), early warning analysis, support to emergency response and after-action review activities, engagement of HQ EPR counterparts on corporate EPR tools and processes, cross-functional initiatives and capacity development.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Deployed PPO EPR roster staff may be called upon to fulfill the following responsibilities:

1.Leadership: As requested, leading and managing Regional Bureau or country office teams and providing direction, prioritization and support for the implementation of EPR activities, response planning and implementation, and engagements with HQ or inter-agency counterparts.

2.Strategy: Formulating regional or country-level approaches and guidance for emergency preparedness and response (EPR) in line with organizational strategy and the practical realities of operating in the field.

3.Early Warning & Analysis: Working in close coordination with CO and RB teams and HQ divisions, ensuring that WFP is continuously scanning the horizon for potential shocks and stressors that could lead to new emergencies in the region – both operational and oversight countries.

4.Response Planning: Working with COs and the RB to prepare for emergency responses, including identifying appropriate early warning, advanced preparedness, early action and transition to sustainable programming and exit. Supporting COs to plan and prepare for emergencies, including overseeing contingency planning exercises, developing Concepts of Operations and/or facilitating workshops or simulation exercises.

5.Preparedness: Supporting rollout of the WFP Emergency Preparedness Checklist (EPC) in coordination with other functional areas, including training EPR Focal Points and other relevant staff.

6.RBC Capacity Development: Ensuring COs and the RB have minimum capabilities for responding to emergencies within the region. This may for example include supporting, building or maintaining cross-functional rosters and ensuring readiness to deploy at short notice.

7.National Capacity Development: Leading or supporting WFP’s regional efforts to support national governments, NGOs and Civil Society Partners to better prepare for, and respond to, emergencies.

8.Coordination: Managing day-to-day coordination between with RBC, HQ and CO technical counterparts and ensuring an effective flow of information. This will include ensuring active and effective engagement in the Corporate Alert System (CAS), the corporate Early Warning Watch List and other related systems and processes.

9.Response: As necessary, deploying to emergencies in the region. This will include helping WFP to quickly design and scale-up new operations that respond to the urgent Food, nutrition and protection needs of crisis-affected populations, as well as to set up the necessary internal capacity and systems to make that happen.

10.Resourcing: Guiding support to COs and the RB on funding proposals linked to emergency preparedness and immediate response activations, such as WFP’s IRA funds and the CERF or extra-budgetary proposals in support of emergency preparedness and response activities.

11.Representation: Representing WFP in engagements with counterparts in headquarters and COs and in relevant interagency fora.

12.Any other duties as requested or delegated by line managers

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

Education:

Advanced university degree in political/social sciences, international development,

IHL, IHRL, development economics, or related fields, or First University Degree with additional years of related experience and/or trainings.

Experience:

•At least 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the humanitarian-development system.

•SAt least five (5) years of professional experience in low income settings.

•A demonstrable track record of responding to emergencies on behalf of a humanitarian agency

•Prior experience of working with the cluster system or interagency fora.

•Experience implementing protection, AAP and or gender programming is desirable.

•Prior experience of working on an emergency response for WFP, or a WFP cooperating partner is desirable.

•Demonstrable experience of supporting governments to prepare for

emergencies is desirable.

Knowledge & Skills:

•Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance: Can lead a technical team through the programme lifecycle in highly complex contexts to strengthen the Governments' capacity to address hunger through interventions that are fully integrated into long-term strategies.

•Cross-Cutting Priorities: In-depth knowledge and operations experience in risk identification and operationalization of mitigation measures, gender, gender- based violence, protection, humanitarian principles, access, and other humanitarian policy issues, and their linkages to humanitarian assistance

•Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Voucher): Demonstrate the ability to make well informed, strategic decisions surrounding every aspect of transfer modalities (e.g., modality type, strategic opportunities, and areas for change) to improve long term programme effectiveness.

•Specialized areas (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.): Demonstrate ability to engage and advocate for programmes in technical areas, and to build strategic partnerships in technical fields.

•Emergency Programming: Demonstrate ability to lead a technical team

through the development and implementation of strategic initiatives and operations in highly complex emergency situations.

•Strategic Policy Engagement with Governments: Position your agency as a

partner of choice with influence on a wide set of political dialogues that strengthen national government strategies.

Languages:

•Fluency in written and oral English is required. Working knowledge of an additional UN language is desirable.