Job Description

VACANCY DETAILS

Job Title: Programme Policy Officer (PMU)

Type of Contract: Third Party Contract

Duration: 1 Year (with possible renewable)

Reporting To: Partnership Officer (Govt.)

Duty Station: New Delhi

Date of Publication: 15 Dec 2023

Deadline of Application: 29 December 2023

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This vacancy is open to Indian National only.
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
A Written test will be used for Screening Candidates.
Only recommended candidates will be retained on roaster for a period of two years and may be considered for similar positions from roaster.

JOB PURPOSE:

The candidate will work with WFP and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare (MOAFW) while seconded to the Ministry , with a special focus on International Cooperation and other such areas as jointly identified by MoAFW and WFP.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (Not all inclusive)

Under the direct supervision of Joint Secretary, MoAFW and under the guidance of Head of Partnership (Govt.) with overall supervision of the Country Director, WFP India, the Programme Policy Officer will inter alia undertake the following responsibilities.

• Support the International Cooperation Division (Technical Cell) at MoA&FW for activities related to Rome based agencies and other partners working in the area of food and nutrition security.
• Follow up on the priorities of 2023 G20 Presidency of India and its way forward.
• Provide technical support to conduct studies in areas selected by the Ministry and support advocacy, communications, and capacity building on International Cooperation and Coordination.
• Leverage resources, collaborate and coordinate with different institutions like Public Systems Lab (PSL), a joint collaboration between WFP India and IIT Delhi for technological innovations, system strengthening, data analytics, research and other such areas.
• Provide Support to enable cross learning, facilitate convergence, and help in plugging data gaps by collating and coordinating information from different ministries and non-governmental stakeholders.
• Collate information from different stakeholders, prepare accurate and timely analysis to enable information flow through streamlined approach to enable informed decision-making.
• Support MoA&FW in different activities in organizing trainings, workshops, conferences whenever required.
• Coordination and support the work of WFP India with the different Government ministries/nodal ministry including to establish the linkages support with different State Governments
• Liaise closely with the WFP country office in New Delhi through bimonthly meetings to ensure alignment.
• Document and record key discussion with partners, preparing/coordinating talking points and briefs.
• Others as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Advance university degree (Master/PhD) in development studies, public policy, agriculture, having exposure in the agriculture sector with adequate knowledge of primary production systems and strategies for sustainable food systems, agriculture value-chain and agri-business development, or first university degree with additional years of related work experience in above-mentioned sectors.

EXPERIENCE

A minimum 7 or above years of progressively responsible work experience is preferred, in Climate resilient/agri and alternative livelihood strategies, substantial experience of on ground implementation of sustainable livelihood options and working at the national/ state level in partnership with the government/UN agency/INGO is required. Experience of working on rural financing, understanding community actions and providing training in the related field as well as working on climate change adaptation is desirable.

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

Excellent interpersonal skills required, including strong professional communication abilities.

• Advocacy and networking skills with a broad range of stakeholders including government, civil society, academia and NGOs.
• An up-to date understanding climate issues and its impact on resilient livelihoods, various relevant programmes, global frameworks and policies, climate adaptation and resilience strategies, potential use of renewable energy and other technological advances.
• Demonstrated understanding of food and nutrition security and learning ability and good knowledge about climate advisories & agriculture issues, and familiarity with government policies and data sets agriculture and climate.
• Knowledge of Global frameworks and updates in the field of climate change, soil conservation and agronomic/agro-tech practices, and national priorities.
• Advanced computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office and other software analytical software.
• Knowledge of UN and the Government system would be an asset.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse team of supply chain and food security, environment and climate resilience, livelihoods, gender and nutrition experts across India.
• Tact and diplomacy.

LANGUAGE

Fluency in spoken and written English and Hindi; ability to speak in other Indian languages is a plus.

Critical success factors

• Ability to engage effectively with a wide range of actors from governments, research institutions, private sector and civil society.
• Very strong communications skills, both in writing and speaking.
• Solid planning and problem-solving skills and action orientation.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines and simultaneously manage multiple tasks in an independent but consultative manner.
• Maturity, initiative, courtesy, tact and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to handle any other additional tasks as requested by the supervisor.

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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

WFP has been working in India for more than six decades and contributing to the Government of India\'s efforts towards achieving sustainable food security. The work in India has evolved over the past 50 years from providing food aid to providing technical assistance to the Government to help the Country achieve its food and nutrition targets by 2030.

Aligned to India\'s national policies and programmes, improving food and nutrition security, enhance effectiveness of government food-based safety-nets, adaptation to climate change, building resilient food systems and livelihoods and strengthening disaster risk reduction are key priorities of WFP India\'s CSP (2023-27). WFP will focus on building the resilience of smallholder farmers and vulnerable rural communities in the face of the climate crisis by supporting the entire food system. Initiatives will include promoting drought resilient seeds, crop diversification such as millet mainstreaming, reducing post-harvest losses, renewable energy for farmgate level processing and tailored climate services at the last mile.

Through the CSP, WFP in India is strengthening its partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare at central level based on a set of mutually identified priorities. With the objective of contributing to the Ministry\'s efforts towards achieving SDG 2, especially the targets 2.3 and 2.4, WFP proposes to establish a Programme Management Unit (PMU).

World Food Programme