Senior Programme Associate

 The United Nations World Food Programme

Senior Programme Associate - Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM), 

SB3, Jaipur, Rajasthan (137448)

 

Requisition ID 137448 - Posted 29/01/2021 - Short Term-SC WFP - Asia, Southern - India - Jaipur - Working Job Language (2) - PROGRAMME & POLICY

 

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

VACANCY DETAILS

Type of Contract: Service Contract (SB-3) 
Location: Jaipur, Planning Department, Goverment of Rajasthan
Duration of Contract: One year (Renewable, depending upon availbility of funds)
Reporting to: Head, Evidence and Results Unit, WFP India Country Office and direct supervision of the Principal Secretary/OSD, Planning Department, Government of Rajasthan
 

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. We are seeking to fill the position of VAM (Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping) Associate based in the Planning Department, Government of Rajasthan, in Jaipur. 
World Food Programme (WFP) has been working in India since 1963, contributing to food and nutrition security of the people in general and vulnerable population and communities such as women and children, in particular. WFP conducts the food and nutrition security analysis using its Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) tools which immensely helps in planning and targeting of WFP’s and governmental resources for food based interventions. During 2018-19, in collaboration with the Social Statistics Division (SSD) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, WFP has prepared a Food and Nutrition Security Analysis, India, 2019 report. 
WFP has recently signed an MoU with Government of Rajasthan to support the government’s efforts towards achievement of their targets under Sustainable Development Goal 2 by providing technical assistance and transfer and exchange of knowledge, skills and expertise to concretely strengthen the existing systems. Together with MoU, WFP has separately signed a Letter of Understanding (LoU) with Planning Department, Government of Rajasthan to: 1) share the best practices and learnings from global, national and states experiences for strengthening institutional capacities of Planning Department; 2) support Government of Rajasthan in preparing a Food and Nutrition Security Analysis based on available data and mapping the indicators for districts of Rajasthan; 3) develop a technology-based system in the form of a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) dashboard to visualize the indicators and data for SDG 2 monitoring and enable evidence-based policy making.
In fulfilment of the above agreed LoU, WFP intends to recruit a Senior Programme Associate (VAM) as per the following duties and responsibilities.
 

JOB PURPOSE

In coordination with the WFP India Country Office and Planning Department, Government of Rajasthan, the post holder will be responsible to carry out the jointly agreed activities of the LoU with support from the WFP India Country Office. 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

The  Senior Programme  Associate (VAM)  will work  under the overall guidance of the Head, Evidence and Results Unit, WFP India Country Office and direct supervision of the Principal Secretary/OSD, Planning Department, Government of Rajasthan.  S/he will be responsible for the following key functions:
•    Provide technical expertise and contribute towards the development of the project activities, plans and processes for food security analysis and preparation of SDG 2 monitoring dashboard ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidelines. 
•    Provide efficient coordination and specialized project management support to the defined programmes to ensure that the various activities are performed within the established targets following WFP’s policies and procedures. 
•    Within the specific area of responsibility, prepare a food security analysis report which involves substantial data analysis (NSSO, NFHS, Census and others) which includes exploring state level data sources and data gap analysis and geospatial mapping and make recommendations to supervisors, ensuring deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control. 
•    Lead and ensure accurate and timely collation and analysis of data within the specific technical area of work (e.g. food security and vulnerability assessments) and consistency of information presented to stakeholders. 
•    Coordinate and liaise with internal and external counterparts on a range of complex matters to enable effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of ongoing project activities. In particular, liaise with other departments in Government of Rajasthan and facilitate the well functioning of TAG.  
•    Foster relationships and support partnership-building with local academic institutions, local partners, agencies, NGOs and government institutions to perform accurate food security analyses for the state. 

•    Support the capacity strengthening of cooperating partners and state government in the areas of food security and vulnerability analysis and highlight gaps and opportunities for WFP’s engagement and support in achieving SDG-2. 
•    Act as an escalation point for complex query resolution on all matters within the area of responsibility. 
•    Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

·         Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Coaches team in the most effective ways to communicate WFP’s Strategic Objectives to WFP team and partners in the field.

·          Be a force for positive change: Implements new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.

·          Make the mission inspiring to our team: Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in beneficiary communities to showcase positive impact.

·          Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Explains to teammates how each unit contributes to the overall WFP mission.

People

·         Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Identifies skill development opportunities such as training modules or on-the-job experiences for self, colleagues and direct reports.

·          Create an inclusive culture: Facilitates team building activities to build rapport in own unit.

·          Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Facilitates the pairing of junior colleagues with coaches within own team.

·          Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Proactively anticipates potential challenges and develops mitigation plans to ensure that team meets goals and targets.

Performance

·         Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Identifies opportunities to be creative in own work and to help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work.

·          Focus on getting results: Monitors team’s deliverables and provides feedback to ensure outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately.

·          Make commitments and make good on commitments: Provides accurate guidance to team on expected responsibilities and tasks, whilst also upholding own commitment to the team.

·          Be Decisive: Sets an example and provides guidance to junior team members on when to escalate issues when faced with challenging issues in the workplace or in the field.

Partnership

·         Connect and share across WFP units: Facilitates partnerships with other WFP units to accomplish missions in the field.

·          Build strong external partnerships: Sets an example and provides guidance to team on how to build relationships with external partners.

·          Be politically agile & adaptable: Articulates to colleagues or direct reports the value of contributing to other WFP teams and agency partnerships in fulfilling WFP’s goals and objectives.

·          Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Organizes, monitors, and prioritizes own and team’s efforts to ensure that they will fulfil the needs of internal and external partners.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: First level university degree (Graduation) in the area of Food security / Social Science /Development Economics / Applied economics / Geography / Rural Development / Rural Management / Statistics / Demography or related disciplines. 

Experience & Knowledge :

•    At least  6 years’ of experience in undertaking studies on poverty, food security and related issues.
•    Published research work as reports, papers in refereed journals and chapters in books, books to demonstrate analytical and writing skills. 
•    Experience of working or interacting with government and international agencies. Cultivated sustainable relationships with government authorities, NGOs, research agencies, academia and other partners. 
•    Exposure to handling and analysing large databases such as those published by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), NFHS, Census etc. will be given preference.
•    Knowledge and hands-on experience on data analysis in STATA/R/SPSS/Python, Atlas.ti, and geospatial analysis in ArcGIS, QGIS and related softwares and a working knowledge of econometric modelling, quantitative and qualitative research methods. Basic IT skills will also be essential. 
•    Experience in working independently with minimum supervision, often in fluid and ambiguous situations will be required. 

Language : Fluent oral and written communication skills in English and Hindi. 

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

The post holder should have strong technical, analytical and problems solving skills; ability to think through complex issues to conceptualize, design and execute action plans. Demonstrate passion and motivation with the ability to manage complexities, multiple tasks with commitment to deliver against multiple, tight deadlines at work. Excellent team player with an ability to work collaboratively, share information and build strong working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds while focusing on impact and results. Excellent oral and written communication skills, presentation and documentation skills with a focus on effective procedural documentation. Knowledge of the Indian Government bureaucracy and SDG 2 are also crucial for this position. Maturity required to effectively participate and contribute in meetings with senior government officials. 

For more information and online application click here