Myanmar: Programme Policy Officer (Stocktaking, Planning and Equity) REACH (NOB) Naypyitaw

World Food Programme Myanmar – Vacancy Announcement

Contract type : Special Service Agreement (SSA)

Post title : Programme Policy Officer (Stocktaking, Planning and Equity), REACH

Number of Post : One

Duty Station : Nay Pyi Taw

Report To : REACH International Facilitator

Period of Service : 11 months

Deadline for application : 9 October 2016

Qualified women are especially encouraged to apply

Background:

The UN REACH (Renewed Efforts for Ending Child Hunger and Undernutrition) Partnership was jointly established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in 2010. REACH is a global, multistakeholder partnership committed to meeting the nutrition needs of the world's most vulnerable children and women, through evidenced-based analysis and innovative programming, and REACH-supported activities and tools to strengthen specific functional capacities such as policy and action planning, multi-sectoral coordination and management, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy and resource mobilization with an explicit focus on strengthening national capacity. The REACH global team provides technical expertise, program, managerial and administrative support from its headquarters in Rome, hosted via a cooperative agreement with WFP (more at: www.reach-partnership.org)).

REACH supports countries with a high burden of malnutrition to define and prioritize their capacity needs and then tailor a roadmap of. A small core team, consisting of Facilitators and consultants, supports the UN system’s work at the country level to strengthen institutional capacity building for improved nutrition and food security governance, strategic planning and analysis, coordination, and monitoring. This core team works in close collaboration with UN agency Heads/Representatives and their Deputies, and the agency nutrition technical leads. There is also close collaboration with technical staff from relevant ministries, donors, civil society and other relevant stakeholders, including the private sector and Parliament.

In Myanmar, REACH catalyzed the formation of the UN Network for Nutrition and Food Security in January 2016. The UN Network is a partnership of 7 agencies (FAO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNOPS, UN Women, WFP, WHO), with a rotating Chair (for 2016, Country Representative of WFP). The REACH Facilitator supports the convening of Heads of Agencies meetings every quarter, monthly Technical Leads meetings, and regular meetings of Yangon-based donors, civil society and UN stakeholders. The partnership also acts as the UN Network for SUN, with a work plan based on the REACH Country Implementation Plan as agreed with government, and the SUN Movement Road Map (2016-2020) launched at the UN General Assembly in September 2016 (more at: www.scalingupnutrition.org)).

The UN Network’s work plan aligns its activities to the SUN Road Map’s 4 objectives which are to:

1. Continuously improve country planning and implementation to end malnutrition

2. Mobilise advocacy and communicate for impact

3. Strengthen capacity for multisectoral and multistakeholder collaboration at all levels

4. Ensure equity and non-discrimination for all, with girls and women at the centre of all efforts.

To contribute to achieving this, REACH Myanmar is embarking on a period of intensive support to the government’s nutrition stock taking exercise, development of a common results framework and multisectoral coordination and planning process for nutrition, requiring the deployment of a suitably qualified Programme Officer (Stocktaking, Planning and Equity) for REACH based in Nay Pyi Taw.

Responsibilities:

The Programme Policy Officer (Stocktaking, Planning and Equity) for REACH will work in close partnership with the REACH Facilitator, and in close collaboration with all partner agency technical leads. S/he will provide intensive support to the UN’s efforts to support government on a national stock taking exercise, ensuring that data for analysis, presentation and its interpretation is accurate and up-to-date, reflects government thinking and consensus, and highlights an equity focus. The work will involve close linkages with the designated nutrition and food security focal points in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Ministry of Health and Sports, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, and other relevant ministries for the completion of the stocktaking exercise, Common Results Framework and improving capacity for nutrition information systems across government data systems and departments. The Programme Policy Officer (Stocktaking, Planning and Equity) for REACH will facilitate the development of close working relationships with the nominated national counterparts in Government, and other partner organizations.

Tasks fall under three of the four SUN Road Map objectives as described above, specifically:

SUN Objective. 1: Continuously improve country planning and implementation to end malnutrition

(i) National nutrition stock taking exercise:

· Working under the guidance of the REACH Facilitator and UN Network for Nutrition and Food Security echnical leads and consultants, support various sectors of government complete the national stocktaking exercise with the following components:

a) Nutrition Situation Analysis and Dashboard

b) Policy/Plans/Legal Framework Review

c) Stakeholder and Coverage Mapping of Core Nutrition Actions (also referred to as the SUN Planning and Monitoring Tool, SUN PMT).

· Support the production of the stocktaking, and other analysis products, in readiness for a national knowledge sharing event in 2017

· Support the design of similar stocktaking process for sub-national level.

(i)Common Results Framework:

· Contribute to the incorporation of agreed Core Nutrition Actions into multisectoral and sectoral plans and their operational budgets at different levels

· Contribute to the development of an agreed Common Results Framework for nutrition across all relevant dimensions (food, health, care, enabling environment)

(ii)Information system for multisectoral nutrition:

· Support the development and strengthening of the health information system and other information systems to include nutrition, and the integration of nutrition-specific or nutrition-sensitive indicators, and inclusion of nutrition governance

· Support the development of joint, integrated data system and joint metrics for M&E to track progress in the implementation of the multisectoral action plan

· In close consultation with government, identify areas of capacity needs and work out interventions required for addressing the needs Identify capacity gaps within government make recommendations for addressing them.

SUN Objective. 2:Strengthen capacity for multisectoral and multistakeholder collaboration at all levels

· Contribute to promoting effective collaboration between the nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive sectors to complete the national stock taking exercise

· Contribute to promoting thinking on nutrition governance and appropriate indicators with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, particularly the Central Statistical Office, and other relevant sectors at the national level, and possibly, in several States or Regions.

SUN Objective. 4: Ensure equity and non-discrimination for all, with girls/women at the centre

· Support the national stock taking exercise to ensure that, where available, the data for analysis, presentation and its interpretation highlights equity issues in nutrition and food security

· Support the national stocktaking exercise to ensure that data for analysis, presentation and its interpretation highlights equity issues in nutrition and food security.

Other support functions:

· Translation of official and unofficial documents relating to nutrition and food security

· Interpretation when required

· Any other tasks as required.

Reporting:

The Programme Policy Officer (Stocktaking, Planning and Equity) will report to the REACH Facilitator, and when necessary, to the concerned officers of the agencies, and the Chair of the UN Network for Nutrition and Food Security.

Duty station:

The Programme Policy Officer (Stocktaking, Planning and Equity) will be based full-time in Nay Pyi Taw (with occasional travel to Yangon, not more than 15% of work time).

Competencies and qualifications:

· Strong skills in financial and planning management, management information systems

· Strong analytical skills, including collating and presenting data, monitoring and evaluation, progress reporting

· Strong personal organization: ability to follow up deadlines; accuracy and attention to details and high quality deliverables

· Have good knowledge of government structures

· Ability to interact with senior level decision makers across different organizations and cultures and to act with credibility, tact and diplomacy in order to resolve issues

· Ability to travel periodically for trainings, workshops, and field missions;

· Advanced skills in Excel, PowerPoint, GIS.

Qualificatn

Education: A Masters Degree, or equivalent, in economics, socio-economic development, public policy or administration or management, quantitative research methods, monitoring and evaluation, planning, or related field.

Experience:

At least five years hands-on experience in the use of data and indicators in large development programmes, preferably in government structures or in organisations or programmes working closely with government

Demonstrated professional track record in handling and interpreting statistics, involvement in management information systems, and/or Monitoring and Evaluation

Experience in management and coordination

Experience in institutional capacity development

Knowledge of equity analysis

Knowledge of the UN System is an asset but not required.

Other desirable skills:

· Good communication skills, particularly with government stakeholders

· Ability to work productively and independently

· Be familiar with the nutrition and food security stakeholders in Myanmar.

Languages:

· Fluency in spoken and written Myanmar and English is required

Expected deliverables:

· Completion of the national nutrition stock taking exercise (all components) to printed production, with full government ownership and endorsement, and reflecting all the dimensions (food, health, care) of the determinants of nutrition and the enabling environment (nutrition governance)

· Completion of a Common Results Framework for multisectoral nutrition agreed with government, showing how nutrition is included in different plans and programmes

· Submit timely, succinct and well-structured monthly activity reports from Nay Pyi Taw, documenting meetings and action points related to the Terms of Reference.

Please send applications to: Human Resources Unit

Programme Policy Officer (Stocktaking, Equity, Planning for UN REACH), NO-B, Nay Pyi Taw**

United Nations World Food Programme

No. 5, Kanbawza Street, Shwe Taung Kyar 2 Ward

Bahan Township

Yangon, Myanmar

Email to: wfpmyanmar.vacancy@wfp.org

(This post is opened for Myanmar Nationals only)

Note:Applications are invited from interested Myanmar nationals. Interested candidates should submit their application with updated UN P-11 Form, relevant educational certificates showing highest level of educational attainment and the names and contact information of three references.Please mention in the applications if there is, blood/marriage relationships with the existing WFP employees. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. Please do not send original documents as they will not be returned.