Internal to UN - Programme Policy Officer (Naconek Climate), NOB at World Food Programme (WFP)

JOB PURPOSE

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

The candidate will be seconded on behalf of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK) to advise Government on climate action in the context of school feeding and government’s roadmap to scale up the national school feeding programme from 2.3 million children to 10 million children by 2030 and introduce a new climate-friendly approach to home-grown school feeding.

This new climate-friendly approach aims to enhance the number of learners in schools through access to school meals, while cushioning Kenya’s communities in arid and semi-arid lands from the adverse effects of climate change to build their resilience. It will promote local procurement of food for school meals from smallholder farmers, the uptake of drought-resistant crops and climate-smart agricultural practices, the adoption of green energy solutions for school infrastructure and school kitchens, among others.

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

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority)

• Provide advisory support to the Ministry of Education and NACONEK on climate-specific issues to inform Kenya’ climate-smart approach to school feeding, as part of the scale-up of Kenya’s national school meals programme, in coordination with WFP Kenya’s Coordinator on School Meals Programmes and guidance from WFP Kenya’s Head of Country Capacity Strengthening.
• Identify climate risks, as well as opportunities for integrating climate action into the design of Kenya’s programmes on school feeding. This will include consultations and advisory support in the areas of home-grown school feeding, local procurement, promotion of drought-resilient crops through menu selection, green energy solutions for school infrastructure and kitchens. Specific Climate-specific expertise will be needed in terms of climate mitigation, adaptation, and climate financing.
• Identify and explore opportunities for resource mobilization to support Kenya’s roll-out of their climate-friendly approach to school feeding through climate financing options.
• Contribute towards the development of Government’s projects, plans, and processes for the roll-out of the national school meals programme and climate-friendly approach to school feeding as a key pillar of that, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidance.
• Provide project management support to specific and defined programmes and projects of considerable size/complexity, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.
• Develop and coordinate data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained. This will include the integration of climate-sensitive indicators in the M&E toolkit to ensure that climate-related matters are tracked and taken into account for future programme steering decisions.
• Research and analyze a range of policy and operational issues to inform the  development of policies, programmes, and activities. This includes ensuring that policy analysis as well as operational issues in school feeding are sensitive to climate context in Kenya and appropriate measures are integrated into the reports, plans and programmes within the SF space.
• Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on Kenya’s school meals programmes and activities that enable informed decision making  and  consistency  of information presented to stakeholders. This includes making sure that agreed climate indicators and processes are tracked and reported on in various SF reports.
• Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing projects, and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
• Support the identification, development, and management  of  potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to enhanced support for Kenya’s scale-up of their national school feeding programme. This includes conducting a mapping of critical stakeholders in climate sector to enhance partnerships and synergies.
• Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners, and national government to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, e.g., through  providing inputs into training materials.
• Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with analysis and queries.
• Engagement in regular consultation meetings and task forces to inform Kenya’s roll-out of climate-friendly school feeding programme.
• Other as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

• Three (3) years post graduate relevant professional experience with Master’s degree in Environmental Management, Climate Change, Environment and Development, or International Development and Politics.

OR

• Five (5) years post graduate relevant professional experience with a first university degree in Environmental Management, Climate Change, Environment and Development, or International Development and Politics.
• Experience in working with governments and international development and humanitarian organizations in a technical advisor function.
• Demonstrated leadership in implementing programmes.
• Demonstrated experience in providing advisory support to governments or development partners on issues of climate action and climate mainstreaming in development policies and programmes, food systems and safety nets.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Has deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams.
• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.
• In-depth understanding on school feeding and safety nets and their impact on addressing vulnerabilities and issues of food security and nutrition.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written English.