Programme Policy Officer - Food Systems & Market Access, CST II

Job Requisition ID: JR115639

About WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

Why Join WFP?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

Purpose of the Assignment

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme and the general guidance of the Deputy Country Director, the incumbent will be responsible to lead WFP Tanzania Strategic Outcome 3 (SO3) and manage its portfolio, coordinating and overseeing the implementation of resilience, livelihood and value chain activities, and develop and foster internal and external partnerships. He/she will coordinate projects and teams implementing Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS), the Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA) and Climate Resilience (CR) projects. In addition, the incumbent will supervise the work of implementing partners and provide technical advice on agribusiness, agriculture extension and post-harvest management, agriculture marketing and agriculture policy engagement, and support to the field teams in the areas of Climate Resilient Agriculture, Livelihoods and its linkages and integrations to nutrition and supply chain outcomes. In addition, the incumbent will be expected to engage with different line ministries and other strategic stakeholders to advocate for policy alignment to the needs of the smallholder farmers.

This position will also build and strengthen partnerships between WFP and local and international, public, and private organizations and institutions working in market-focused agricultural development, post-harvest handling, good agricultural practices for the overall goal to improve access to resilient livelihood and markets for smallholder farmers/farmers’ organizations.

The staff member will be based in Dar es Salaam, with frequent travel to Dodoma and other regions of implementation in Tanzania.

Key Accountabilities

• Oversee the SO3 unit, coordinating across smallholder agricultural market support (SAMS), including Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA), and climate resilience activities, providing strategic leadership, technical oversight and strong project and management of a specialized team.
• Ensure the implementation of all projects are on track as per donor requirements, providing technical guidance and support to the team, and identifying and addressing any challenges, building capacity of WFP staff and partners in the process, utilizing M&E data to inform and improve programming.
• Engage with current and potential donors to ensure that technical updates and reports are provided in a timely manner and contribute to WFP’s fundraising efforts by leading and supporting proposal development, developing key messages and talking points, and preparing internal and external reports.
• Maintain a strong profile for WFP’s work through active engagement in the agriculture policy space in Tanzania, and through participation in the main meetings and coordination groups, including the Agricultural Sector Working Group, and ensuring linkages with relevant line ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Support the government to strengthen and advance national initiatives, including the development and review of national government policies, action plans, protocols, and guidelines
• Collaborate closely with key partners (such as UN, IFIs, private sector) in the implementation of all activities.
• Develop and lead the finalization and implementation of a Climate Resilience and Smallholder Agriculture Market Support strategy in coordination with CO units and partners.
• Work with supply chain to support the development of business linkages amongst targeted smallholders, farmers organizations, cooperatives, low-income farmers, aggregators, off-takers and other potential markets beyond WFP.
• Develop the capacity of supported households and smallholder farmers through targeted trainings and workshops to ensure they gain valuable skills in production, marketing, and business development, and support local food procurement policies for surplus producing smallholder farmers.
• Support integration of nutrition sensitivity and enhanced gender, youth and protection mainstreaming within the SO3 portfolio.
• Provide strategic guidance on knowledge and adoption of climate services, climate smart and regenerative agriculture practices, mechanization and innovative technologies among smallholders and nutritious food value chain actors to build resilience against climate change and other shocks.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Key Deliverables

• Results for relevant projects are achieved in line with plans.
• Project implementation is aligned with the approved workplans and budgets.
• Project staffing structure is in place to meet the expected results, and staff are supported and capacitated to fulfil their responsibilities.
• Projects incorporate elements of nutrition, social protection, gender, youth, supply chain capacity and innovation in line with the objectives of the Country Strategic Plan.
• Relevant reporting requirements have been met.
• WFP local procurement agreements and partnership opportunities are aligned with smallholder farmer activities and approaches.

Required Experience

• At least 8 to 10 years of post-graduate work experience in agri-business or agriculture economics and agriculture value chains development.
• Proven experience in planning and implementing smallholder farmer projects, including support and capacity building of partners at national or sub-national levels.
• Proven experience in donor liaison and proposal writing for resource mobilization.
• Ability to lead, coach and motivate teams for efficient and effective delivery of results.
• Demonstrated knowledge of small and medium enterprises, smallholder procurement and commercial agriculture.
• Strong oral and written communication skills to ensure WFP strategies and projects are well articulated to all stakeholders including beneficiaries, partners, local governments, ministries, and donors.
• Ability to assimilate and analyze complex issues using independent judgment.
• Negotiation skills with the ability to influence at senior levels within and beyond the organization.
• Tact and ability to work harmoniously with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Resourcefulness, initiative and problem-solving skills, strong client orientation for value chain stakeholders.
• Knowledge of various aspects of financial services and modelling.
• Strong analytical and writing capacity, including the ability to produce high quality reports, presentations, and knowledge products.

Standard Minimum Academic Qualifications

Education

Master’s degree in international Affairs, Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness Management, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture Science, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, Agronomy, Business Administration, or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Language

Fluency (level C) in English language. Knowledge of Kiswahili language would be an advantage.