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.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
In July 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP) Zambia commenced a new five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP), informed by, and aligned with national and United Nations priorities and global commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It embraces the Government’s long-term Vision 2030, aligns with 16 key strategic areas of the 8th National Development Plan (NDP8); and contributes to the joint Zambia-United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

WFP Zambia’s integrated and pragmatic CSP shifts away from unsustainable localized and micro-level interventions, to embrace more effective advocacy and engagement with national policies, systems, and programmes to achieve national impact on SDG2. Given the Government’s commitment to budgetary support for nutrition, social protection, and agriculture, despite the constraints in the country’s fiscal position, WFP’s overarching strategy seeks to strengthen the government’s capacities to meet its national priorities through stronger systems, expertise, and resources for implementation. This means a decisive shift of WFP’s country positioning towards the provision of innovative, sustainable, upstream technical assistance to support nationally owned solutions.

Advancing the global WFP Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the CSP addresses both SDG2 and SDG17, and WFP’s Strategic Results 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. WFP will implement seven activities to achieve five Strategic Outcomes (SO) under the CSP.  These SOs include: (SO1) responding to crises and shocks ensuring that crisis-affected people, including refugees, are able to meet their urgent food and nutrition needs; (SO2) addressing the root causes of malnutrition; (SO3) building the resilience, enabling environment and market access for smallholder farmers, especially women; (SO4) supporting government institutions to provide social protection systems (including home grown school meals) and disaster preparedness and response; and (SO5) improving access to supply chain services for humanitarian and development actors.

REPORTING

The Programme Policy Officer (Activity 3 Manager – Resilience) will report to the Programme Policy Officer (SO3 Manager – Smallholder Farmer Support).

JOB PURPOSE
To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

The Programme Policy Officer (Activity 3 Manager – Resilience) will (1) lead the strategic and programmatic engagement with key partners, including the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS), Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE), among other ministries; the private sector; and United Nations agencies and other development partners; and (2) manage the planning and provision of technical assistance on the implementation of relevant activities

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Lead development of e-extension content and materials that are appropriate for targeted beneficiaries, and other secondary partners.
2. Support rollout digital innovation platforms to facilitate access to e-extension services and information on sustainable farming practices, financial literacy, and post-harvest loss management, focusing on logistics and supply chain engagement with the private sector.
3. Lead analysis of the impact of the information delivered on the e-extension platform and recommend measures that will enhance use of such platforms.
4. Provide complementary technical support to the Zambia Meteorological Department in training to Government (e.g., MOA – Block and Camp Extension Staff) and NGO partners in participatory climate services for Agrometeorology.
5. Lead WFP’s effort to strengthen capacity and systems for early warning, including producing and disseminating customized weather forecasts and climate services that integrate indigenous knowledge systems to enhance uptake and utilization by local communities.
6. Lead WFP’s capacity strengthening of national systems with partners, including Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, multi-governmental organisations, NGOs, and other implementing agencies, to improve adoption of conservation farming, regenerative agricultural solutions and practices.
7. Provide technical support to WFP’s implementing partners and Ministry of Agriculture extension workers on overseeing smallholders increased adoption and practice of conservation agriculture by smallholders, an approach that sustainably increases Agroecosystems, decreases crop loss, and increases productivity.
8. Support the implementation of sustainable green agriculture and increased investment in value chains in areas such as horticulture.
9. Promote mechanisation models including land preparation, food processing and irrigation technologies for enhanced productivity and value chain development.
10. Provide technical support to Government (e.g., MoA) and partners at the field level in training smallholders in the management of PHL and appropriate utilization of hermetic storage technologies.
11. Lead the identification of capacity needs for partners, e.g., NGOs as implementing partners and Government at national, provincial, district and field levels.
12. Represent WFP during donor meetings and missions to field sites around climate resilience interventions.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Advanced University degree in one or more of the following disciplines: Agriculture/Agronomy, Horticulture, Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness, Agricultural Extension, Agricultural Education Range management, and equivalent qualification from a recognized institution or first University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/ or trainings/courses.
Experience: 5 years working experience in comparable and/or relevant positions in the public service, private sector or with an international organization. Additionally, experience in project management, with proven results in achieving programme milestones.
Language: Fluency in English language both written and spoken.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Significant professional experience in smallholder farmer support, climate change adaptation and/or resilience programming.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing teams, designing programmes, and implementing and monitoring technical assistance activities.
• Able to build and sustain effective collaborative relationships and coordinate with Government institutions, cooperating partners and other stakeholders.
• Experience with organization, coordination and facilitation of meetings, trainings and workshops.
• Experience with designing and delivering capacity strengthening activities with Government institutions and cooperating partners, including through different modalities, such as training/workshops and distance learning.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including presentations and report writing, and ability to communicate complex messages with stakeholders.
• Advanced computer skills including MS Office applications.