International Advisor – Programme Policy Officer (Nutrition and Food Systems) CST II – Ivory Coast

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WHY JOIN WFP?

• The WFP is the winner of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal and professional development of its staff through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentoring and other programmes, as well as opportunities for internal mobility.
• A career at WFP offers exciting opportunities to work across country, regional and world offices around the world and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people around the world.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (see Terms and Conditions this job advertisement).

JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer (Nutrition and Food Systems)

DEGREE: International Consultant – CST II

ORG UNIT: Abidjan, Ivory Coast

POSITION NO.: 22405337

DURATION: August 2024 – July 2025 (11 months)

CONTEXT:

Côte d’Ivoire is classified as a lower-middle-income country, ranking 159th out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index. The country is affected by local food insecurity, malnutrition and gender inequality, which severely affects smallholder farmers as they struggle with access to land and frequent climate-related shocks. The nutritional situation remains problematic: according to the DHS 2021, 23% of children under 5 still suffer from chronic malnutrition, compared to 30% in 2012. In addition, 8% of children under 5 are emaciated or suffer from acute malnutrition, and 2% suffer from severe malnutrition. These trends are exacerbated by persistent inequalities, particularly in terms of place of residence and/or region. Stunting mainly affects the oldest children (24-59 months), i.e. 26% versus 12% for those aged 6-11 months, and children in rural areas (28% rural versus 18% urban). Regional disparities are also significant: children particularly affected by chronic malnutrition are found in five (5) regions of the country, namely Zanzan (31%), Woroba (30%), Montagnes (30%), Denguélé (29%) and Sassandra-Marahoué (29%). Côte d’Ivoire has a population of around 30 million people, of whom 47.8% are women and 34.8% live below the poverty line. It ranks 156th on the Gender Inequality Index with a score of 0.612.

WFP’s Strategic Plan for Côte d’Ivoire (2019-2025) focuses on capacity building with the aim of transferring WFP-led programmes into government and community ownership. Central to this strategic approach is the sustainability of the national school feeding programme as a platform to promote education, nutrition and gender equality, and to stimulate local food production and rural economies. The country strategic plan also provides WFP with an opportunity to support the government in the fight against malnutrition through its National Multisectoral Nutrition Plan (PNMN). In preparation for the new strategic plan, WFP has launched an evaluation to assess performance, identify bottlenecks and challenges, and make recommendations on focus areas for the development of the next strategic plan (2026-2030).

In recent years, WFP has positioned itself as a key technical partner of the Government of Côte d’Ivoire in developing a national rice fortification strategy and programme. Now that the strategy is almost ready, WFP is directing its activities towards implementing the strategy: WFP is implementing a project targeting breastfeeding women and children under 5 years of age in vulnerable areas and is exploring the potential for using locally fortified rice to feed school feeding programmes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE TASK:

The Country Office is looking for an experienced international consultant to oversee WFP’s nutrition-specific and sensitive activities, in particular to continue the work initiated on rice fortification and to strengthen WFP’s position as a key actor in the nutrition sector in Côte d’Ivoire.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES/ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, the Advisor will oversee the implementation of WFP CSP nutrition activities, focusing on the following priorities:

Provide technical advice on nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programming and policy issues, including evaluation and analysis, selection of objectives, activities, delivery modalities and commodity selection for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programming, in line with WFP standards and processes.

Support the strengthening of national nutrition initiatives, including the development of national government policies on nutrition, as well as nutrition strategies, action plans, protocols and guidelines in line with the SUN movement and international guidelines and current evidence.

Work with staff from procurement, logistics, finance and other programme units and other departments to ensure effective design and implementation of WFP nutrition programmes.

Support operational partnerships, including interagency collaboration, to ensure a strong, cross-sectoral response to nutrition challenges in both emergency and non-emergency situations.

Prepare accurate and timely reports and learning outcomes, contributing to a knowledge base that supports decision-making by WFP and other stakeholders.

Design, manage and communicate the nutrition situation clearly and effectively to nutrition stakeholders.

Represent WFP at regional, national and international meetings to participate in technical discussions, exchange experiences, advocate for nutrition interventions and identify areas of potential collaboration.

Build the capacity of WFP staff, partners and national governments to prepare for and respond to nutrition challenges.

Support the monitoring and evaluation of WFP activities and provide technical analysis and interpretation.

Lead and supervise junior employees, act as a point of contact and support them with more complex analyses and queries.

Contribute to emergency preparedness efforts by providing technical recommendations on emergency planning, risk analysis and early warning related to food-related risks.

Any other tasks as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education:

Advanced university degree in public health, nutrition, food technology, medicine or another relevant field.

Experience:

At least 5 years of relevant professional experience.

Knowledge and skills:

Experience and insight into the implementation of national/international development programs.

Experience working in public health/food safety/nutrition and nutritional fortification.

Experience in identifying and defining nutritional problems within a country

Languages:

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French

WFP GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK

The WFP Governance Framework contains common standards of conduct that determine HOW we work together to achieve our mission.

Click here to access the WFP Leadership Framework

Adequate accommodation

WFP is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. Our recruitment process is designed to be inclusive to welcome applicants from all backgrounds, celebrate diversity and ensure a respectful environment for all. We strive to have an accessible and fair recruitment process. Should you require reasonable accommodations or have any concerns about accessibility, please contact us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

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REMINDERS BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate and complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and your UN degree (if applicable).
• Once your profile is complete, please apply and submit your application.
• Please make sure to upload your professional CV in English
• Please note that the only documents you need to submit at this time are your resume and cover letter
• Additional documents such as passport, letters of recommendation, academic certificates, etc. may be requested at a later date.
• Please contact us at wfprecruitment@wfp.org if you encounter any problems submitting your application
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All hiring decisions are made based on organizational needs, job requirements, merit and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to creating an inclusive work environment that is free from sexual exploitation and abuse, any form of discrimination, any type of harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of power. Therefore, all selected candidates are subject to rigorous reference and background checks.

Members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the FAO Finance Committee, the WFP External Auditor, the WFP Audit Committee, the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibility for WFP shall not be offered employment under any contract during their term of service or for three years after termination of that service.