Regional Protection and Accountability at World Food Programme (WFP)

JOB PURPOSE

The Protection and AAP Advisor will report to the Senior Regional Emergencies Advisor and Head of EPR in RBN, with technical support from HQ.  The Protection and AAP Advisor will manage a small team (currently to include a JPO from early 2022 and cross-unit programme and administrative support). The Protection and AAP Advisor will also collaborate closely with the planned Senior Conflict and Access Advisor.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

The Protection and AAP Advisor will be responsible for coordinating a small team and the following key duties:

Technical Support to Country Offices

• Analysis: The Advisor will provide technical guidance, advice and in-country support to COs in undertaking an analysis of protection and of conflict / peace dynamics – including gender-based violence - impacting food insecurity and vice-versa and arising from WFP operations and presence. Analytical support to include work on data protection and privacy and privacy impact assessments (PIAs) as necessary, in accordance with corporate policy and guidance. Guidance on IHL implications for operations will also be required, including on cross-border assistance and application of Security Council Resolution 2417. Support on risk analysis as part of corporate risk management should also be provided.
• Response: Provide technical guidance and advice on the integration of protection, conflict sensitivity, and AAP to COs in the region through remote support as well as in-country missions. Based on the analysis of protection and conflict sensitivity issues, the Advisor will help COs and partners to develop risk mitigation responses including programme adjustments, advocacy measures, partnership building and coordination enhancement activities, etc. The Advisor shall work closely with WFP field staff; protection-mandated and non-mandated agencies; WFP Cooperating Partners; and other relevant interlocutors on the ground in this regard.
• Monitoring: The Advisor will work with the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) teams and the and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Units throughout the region in the region to integrate relevant protection and conflict sensitivity concerns into assessment and monitoring tools, and support the roll out of the updated monitoring mechanisms with WFP and partners at the field level.
• Research and conceptual development: Where appropriate, the advisor will support COs develop and assess potential theories of change of how WFP’s programming may contribute to peace, and engage / support research on the same through SIPRI or other mechanisms to better understand possible contributions to peace and how to measure this.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (2)

Global and Regional Collaboration

• Engagement with corporate policy and strategic framework: Provide feedback on the utility / effectiveness of existing corporate tools for protection, conflict sensitivity, inclusion and AAP, and provide input into the development of new corporate tools and policies, strategies and guidance as relevant.
• Integration into existing tools and processes: Provide advice and technical support to integrate protection and conflict sensitivity considerations into WFP’s existing tools and processes as relevant at the regional level.
• Cross-functional engagement: The advisor will work with all other regional units at the bureau as necessary, including: security, logistics, supply chain, and others, to ensure that any risks assessments for access and delivery take into account protection of beneficiaries and conflict sensitivity concerns.
• Inter-agency coordination and representation in regional fora: The Advisor will assist WFP to coordinate with other UN humanitarian agencies, NGO partners and other relevant interlocutors on assessments of current and emerging protection and conflict dynamics and response planning. In particular, the Advisor will assist WFP to strengthen its engagement with the relevant protection coordination mechanisms and individual protection actors to ensure complementarity with the overall strategy on protection.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (3)

Capacity Building and Partnership Engagement

• Training and Information Provision: Identify capacity strengthening needs and facilitate capacity building, including training, on protection, conflict sensitivity, peacebuilding and AAP for WFP and cooperating partner staff across the region. The Advisor will undertake training and building the capacity of staff on protection analysis, response development and integration in WFP’s work, including regular dissemination of new guidance, tools and approaches for this work, and link staff to available training and other opportunities in their country of operation and elsewhere.
• Partnership development: Build links and forge partnerships with peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity actors. Maintain and expand existing partnerships relevant to Protection and AAP and identify opportunities for collaboration with partner agencies and new partnership. The Advisor will represent WFP in relevant inter-agency protection fora, and will provide advice to WFP staff who participate in such meetings at the national or field levels

Community Feedback Management and PSEA

• Community Feedback and Complaints Management: In collaboration with M&E and CFM managers, ensure protection and conflict sensitivity issues can be captured through the Complaints and Feedback Mechanism (CFM) and responded to appropriately.  Provide advice, guidance and follow-up in relation to protection aspects of the CFM and ensure data protection and privacy are respected throughout the feedback cycle.
• Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: Provide policy advice, technical guidance and implementation support to all teams to prevent and address SEA and engage with regional and country level work on PSEA as necessary. Facilitate and support the work of PSEA Focal Points in COs.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Qualifications & Experience Required

Education:

• Advanced University degree in International Law, Development Studies, International Affairs, Agriculture, or Social Sciences, or a field relevant to international development and humanitarian assistance.

Experience & Knowledge:

• A least 10 years (5 of which at international and field level) of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in development projects or humanitarian assistance, including crisis and post-crisis contexts;  experience in the East Africa / Horn of Africa region is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience working on humanitarian protection and/or international humanitarian law, human rights law and programming in a field setting;
• Experience of managing teams and projects;
• Experience in the design and delivery of training and other learning initiatives related to accountability to affected populations, protection mainstreaming, and conflict sensitivity;   
• Experience working with WFP or a WFP cooperating partners in the field is a strong asset;
• Strong knowledge of food security and/or nutrition programme principles and practices in a variety of contexts.

Language: 

• Fluency in oral and written English mandatory. An intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is desirable

ADDITIONAL KEY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS 

• Able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders and external audience with maturity and tact
• Excellent communication/presentation skills, with the ability to write strategy documents, to develop business plans and to write and deliver presentations
• Collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy
• Sets high-level of ambition for the project and own work to achieve impact for the hungry people we serve
• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme
• Able to hire and grow a team of professionals