Outcome 1 of WFP’s Country Strategic Plan (CSP) for 2023–2025 in Lebanon focuses on ensuring vulnerable and food-insecure populations in Lebanon can meet their essential food and basic needs. In partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), WFP provides unconditional cash assistance for food and basic needs to Syrian refugees. Simultaneously, WFP supports vulnerable Lebanese households impacted by the economic crisis and armed conflict through a combination of in-kind food assistance and targeted cash transfers leveraging existing national shock-responsive social safety nets.  The Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Unit is the main entity in the Country Office responsible for ensuring proper coordination and operational planning of emergency preparedness measures and assistance implementation, while improving the delivery of assistance by considering recommendations from evaluations/missions and consultation with beneficiaries on different matters of concern.  Moreover, EPR Unit oversees the effective resource utilization and distribution cycle management according to WFP rules and procedures, while ensuring close monitoring of operational risks, potentially requiring revision of the Activity One Implementation Plans (e.g. CBT transfer values and caseload adjustments, food basket composition, modality choice etc.).

Contract Duration: 12 Months, (Renewable based on availability of funds, business needs and performance)

Job Purpose: To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs of vulnerable populations in Lebanon. The post is based in Beirut Country Office (CO) and the incumbent is to report to the Head of EPR Unit / International Programme Policy Officer, under the overall supervision of the Head of Programmes. The position de-facto serves as the Deputy Head of EPR Unit, overseeing all day-to-day operational activities, including distribution cycle management and emergency preparedness and response planning, requiring close coordination with field offices and other functional units involved in programme implementation. The incumbent will be expected to contribute to strengthening programmatic and strategic partnerships with relevant government ministries (e.g. the Disaster Risk Management Unit), other UN agencies (especially UNHCR) and key sector partners (through coordination with the Food Security and Agricultural Cluster) to ensure that the food and other basic needs of vulnerable women, men, girls and boys in in Lebanon are met. The incumbent will be expected to operate with a high degree of independence, manage more junior staff to ensure that programme and policy objectives are achieved in full. The selected candidate will be involved in a wide variety of programme and policy activities and analytical work, some of which may be of a considerable complexity. At this level job holders are expected to contribute to performance improvement

Key Responsibilities (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

Within delegated authority and under the direct supervision of the Head of EPR Unit, the Programme Policy Officer (NOB) will be responsible for the following duties:

• Contribute towards the development of a wide variety of projects, plans and processes, 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.
• Research and analyse a range of policy and operational issues to inform the development of policies, programmes and activities.
• Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
• 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 improved food assistance packages.
• 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.
• Other as required.

Skills

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience: At least three (3) or more years of postgraduate professional experience (after completion of Advanced University degree) or, five (5) years or more after completion of First University degree in humanitarian or development organizations (e.g. United Nations, Non-Governmental Organizations, Governmental Institutions etc.), working on emergency relief assistance programme implementation, coordination, strategy and design, demonstrating high performance.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Arabic. Knowledge of French language is an advantage.

Required Experiences for entry into the role:

• Proven experience in emergency preparedness and response programme management, including in-kind food and cash programming.
• Proven experience in implementing projects addressing food security of vulnerable populations; with experience in implementing technical programmes, including in-kind food and cash-based transfers.
• Proven ability to analyse and consolidate quantitative and qualitative information from different sources (e.g., market studies) to inform transfer modality selection and programme development.
• Proven experience leading small to medium sized teams.
• Has prepared briefs to raise resources for operations and collaborated for timely registration, maintenance and update of contributions and forecasts.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient computer skills.

Desired Experiences for entry into the role:

• Deepened technical knowledge through exposure to technical teams in the area of humanitarian needs assessments and adoption of different targeting approaches for prioritization of food or cash assistance to vulnerable populations.
• Has developed effective relationships with partners and explored new areas to scale-up existing activities and researched new opportunities.
• Able to formulate thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes.
• Proven ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools.
• Proven ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches.
• Proven ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring.
• Proven ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches.
• Proven capacity to manage sensitive strategic partnerships for the design and set- up of a joint project.