WFP Nepal Vacancy for Programme Policy Officer (School Meals Programme Coordinator)

WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply.

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

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.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

WFP has been supporting the Government of Nepal to implement the school meals programme through food transfers since 1974 to improve education and nutritional outcomes in Nepal. In 2008, the GON have scaled up the programme into 5 districts using its own resources through a cash transfer approach. Currently, the school meals programme is among the largest social safety net programs in Nepal, reaching almost 3.3 million school children enrolled in lower basic education all over the country. 

Despite a massive expansion of the programme, quality programme implementation is yet to be realized as envisioned in the Government’s School Education Sector Plan (SESP). For the cash-based school meals programme, funds are channeled directly to municipalities, shifting responsibility to local authorities and the schools. In response to the government’s request for technical assistance to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of the national mid-day meals (MDM) programme, WFP Nepal has designed a project for capacity strengthening in managing the cash-based school meals in Karnali province adopting the home-grown school meals approach. 

The Programme will be implemented in all Municipalities of Jajarkot and Surkhet Districts of Karnali Province. Under this project, WFP will continue to support the Government in implementing a national MDM programme with a home-grown school feeding (HGSF) approach. Therefore, with the intent of strengthening the Provincial and Local Governments’ capacity to implement MDM, WFP is seeking to hire a committed, innovative, and dynamic Programme Policy Officer (SMP Coordinator) to join WFP Nepal, working under the direct supervision of the Head of Field office in Surkhet and through technical supervision and oversight from the School Meals Programme Unit in Kathmandu. 

The Programme Policy Officer (SMP Coordinator) will be responsible for the overall guidance and management of the School Meals Programme / projects implemented under Surkhet FO and in alignment with Activity 3 (School Meals) of WFP Nepal’s Country Strategic Plan (2024-2028). The SMP Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring an effective implementation of the Project, timely and quality delivery of expected outputs and outcomes as well as monitoring and reporting.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary plus a medical insurance (www.cignahealthbenefits.com)

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Project management support and coordination with SMP unit in order to ensure compliance of project implementation with WFP standards and procedures, and in line with donor requirements. 

2. Contributes towards the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on activities and lessons learned during the implementation of the SMP Project that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders. 

3. Together with the SMP Kathmandu team, support in organizing annual advocacy meetings at provincial level to lobby for adequate resource allocation, strengthen multi-sectoral linkages, and promoting best practices for sustainable home-grown school feeding approach to the school meals.

4. Support to assess needs and organize/facilitate program orientation, review workshop, training, and refresher courses to help strengthen the capacity of the Government staff at the provincial, district, Palika and schools’ level in coordination with the country office.

5. Participate as a resource person in training/orientation and/or consultative/advocacy meetings related to School Health and Nutrition (SHN) and SMP at provincial, district and local level as required.

6. Support capacity strengthening of project staff, provincial and local government personnel to recognize and address needs and opportunities to develop an efficient and sustainable home-grown school feeding model suitable to the Nepal context.

7. Contribute to the development of M&E system that strengthens local government monitoring and reporting of SMP, ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.

8. Undertake regular field visits for monitoring and oversight of programme activities and ensure effective coordination with stakeholders and that all planned activities are implemented through a multisectoral approach.

9. Support to resolve operational issues of programme activities implementation in the field.

10. Contribute to identify potential collaboration and partnerships opportunity for SMP and related programme activities at the provincial level, reinforcing the capacity of government.

11. Contribute to ensure that School meals program and broader school health and nutrition interventions are well reflected in the multisectoral provincial plans and policies.

12. Follow and ensure documentation of project progress, lessons learned and best practices.

13. Perform other duties as assigned by line manager and technical supervisor as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION: Advanced University (Masters) degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University (Bachelors) Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

EXPERIENCE:

1. At least one year of relevant postgraduate professional experience (after an advanced University degree/after a master’s degree). More years of relevant postgraduate professional experience is desirable.

2. Relevant experience in implementing technical programs at field level (i.e. agriculture, nutrition, School Meals etc.). 

3. Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.

4. Has experience in implementing technical programmes. 

5. Has contributed to implementation of programmes and provided input into designing operations. 

6. Experience and expertise in delivery of integrated programming.

7. Has deep technical knowledge and experience in Food Security, Nutrition and Education program. 

LANGUAGE: Excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English and Nepali languages.

Knowledge and skills:

1. Ability to develop and maintain networks with variety of stakeholders.

2. Facilitation skills to support workshops and group discussions.

3. Ability to convey an informed and professional demeanour towards partners and stakeholders.

4. Flexibility to adapt individual contributions to changing contexts and needs.

5. Ability to participate in open dialogue and value diverse opinions, regardless of background, culture, experience, or country assignment.

6. Willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.

7. Ability to work independently in a timely and organised manner.

8. Ability to work in a team and multi-task as needed.

9. Must be familiar with MS office package.

10. Competency in communication and reporting in English language.

11. Nepali Typing skill is an asset.