Jobs at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), 2019

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Information Technology Officer (Business Transformation Officer), P3 

Ref Id: 105366
Location: Maiduguri, Borno

Organizational Context

• The World Food Programme is the largest humanitarian organization in the world, using smart technology and tools every day to save lives and build a better future for those left furthest behind.
• Digital solutions are rapidly reaching some of the most vulnerable people and places affected by crisis. As one of the main humanitarian actors, WFP has the opportunity and the obligation to leverage data and technology to better know and serve those in need by digitally transforming the way it works. Such ambition led to a plan aimed at establishing, integrating, and mainstreaming the core elements of an end-to-end digital business process.
• Persistent inequality and poverty impact more than half the population of Nigeria and is most severe in the Northeast (NE) and northwest, characterized by marginalization, chronic under-development, illiteracy and youth unemployment. Since 2009, Non-State Armed Groups have caused devastation in NE Nigeria with conflict-induced displacements and destruction of vital infrastructure leading to significant loss of livelihoods. In 2016, food insecurity reached extremely high levels in NE Nigeria with an alert of famine-like conditions in Borno state. In August 2016, the World Food Programme (WFP) activated a Level 3 corporate emergency response to NE Nigeria. While a scaled-up and fast response by aid groups and the government helped avert the threat of famine in 2017, food insecurity and malnutrition remain high.
• The International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) tracking of the displacement in NE Nigeria started in late 2014. The number of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) rose to a peak of 1.65 million by June 2015 in Borno State alone. By May 2016, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, was home to an estimated 1.4 million IDPs, with most living among host communities. Others have fled northern Nigeria into Cameroon, Chad and Niger, albeit in relatively low numbers.

Job Purpose/Description

• WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.
• Under the overall responsibility of the Head of Area Office, the incumbent will be focused on improving the value of technology in the Country Office. Through working with our internal clients, building strong relationships with senior management and key stakeholders, continual service improvements and mainstreaming of innovations, the shift to a new digital landscape supports our operational requirements.

Key Accountabilities (not all-inclusive)

• Support the development of functional work plans, ensuring compliance with wider WFP policies, standards and strategies;
• Develop and maintain technical expertise and knowledge of external industry developments to provide guidance in specific technical areas of competence;
• Build and nurture relationships with the business counterparts to understand and anticipate the direction of the business and ensure alignment of provider’s solutions with changing business requirements and priorities;
• Propose change and continuous operational improvement that supports business capabilities, by defining needs, modeling the business and recommending solutions that deliver value for business priorities;
• Represent WFP at international meetings and conferences, to gather and share best practice, and propose new approaches to improve IT/TC service delivery;
• Participate in emergency preparedness and contingency planning, providing technical recommendations and monitoring the management of risks, so that WFP can maintain basic IT services and/or quickly respond and deploy resources to affected areas at the onset of a crisis;
• Manage and motivate a team of staff, monitoring performance, providing coaching, training and guidance to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance;
• Set standards for Country Office assistance strategy through effective application of Digital Assistance Services (DAS)/ SCOPE (see the video for further information: https://tiny.cc/wfpscope);
• Review Country Office programme documents (e.g. submitted for Strategic Programme Review and Country Strategic Plans process), providing inputs to incorporate and strengthen DAS components;
• Implementation and continuous upgrades of Cybersecurity systems
• Beneficiaries data and transfer management
• Perform any other duties as required.

Deliverables at the end of the Contract

• Support the budgeting, planning and deployment of IT and Telecommunications systems to support digital assistance, particularly cash-based transfers, in accordance with WFP corporate standards;
• Assist and advice in the development of programme operational plans and deliver resource requirements to facilitate achievement of overall CBT programme objectives;
• Provide data and documentation to support the procurement of ICT/SCOPE equipment and services in line with WFP rules and regulations;
• Play an active role in beneficiary registration activities such as systems configuration, on-site support, data storage and synchronization as well as beneficiary services;
• Support BTOs in maintaining IT Macro and Micro Assessments guidelines including Beneficiary Information Assessments standards to ensure IT contribution in transfer modality choice decisions;
• Support capacity building aimed at enhancing DAS expertise within the CO, Cooperating Partners and Government counterparts as and when required;
• Collate data and contribute to the preparation of accurate reports (Dashboards, weekly, monthly and on-Demand reports) on SCOPE and CBT activities to inform decision making;
• SCOPE/DAS implemented and fully leveraged to enable delivery of WFP assistance in a cost-efficient manner in the prioritized countries in the CO;
• On-going direct support to CO SCOPE/DAS operations is provided as required
• Full biometric data for all beneficiaries receiving assistance in Nigeria are accurately captured in SCOPE;
• Relevant CO staff and humanitarian/Government partners are properly trained and assisted in the use of SCOPE;
• Organized, accurate and well documented results
• Ability to work under own initiative and minimal supervision
• Effective use and compliance with WFP corporate guidelines/SOPs on IT, SCOPE and CBT activities

Qualifications & Experience Required
Education:

• Advanced university degree in Computer Science, Engineering or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience or trainings/course.

Experience:

• Five years or more (of which three international) of post-graduate progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian aid operations and/or business systems analysis, design and development.
• Has aligned IT strategies with business strategies and requirements.
• Has managed, coordinated and actively executed emergency response operations;
• Has managed large projects requiring innovative recommendations and approaches, at Headquarters and field.
• Has built strong relationships with internal and external partners to identify key business issues and identify new/improved IT solutions and services.
• Understanding of poverty dynamics, social protection principles and their application to current national economic and development issues.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Possession of a combination of broad business skills and IT experience including: general management skills in business and/or public sector, excellent business communications skills, business analysis including creation and review of functional and non-functional business requirements for IT solution, research and analysis, market analysis, benchmarking, industry best practices, etc.
• Ability to think strategically and create points-of-view, propositions and solutions to help clients gain value and solve complex,
• Creative thinking and conceptualizing of technology-based solutions;
• A proven record of delivering complex projects whilst working under pressure, managing stakeholder expectations throughout;
• Ability to manage and advice teams in how to maximise value from agile delivery, and how an organisation needs to change to consume digital platforms effectively;
• Positive and resilient, passionate about change and driven to exceeding your client’s expectations through exceptional delivery.
• Knowledge of cash-based transfers (CBT) programming in humanitarian context would be an asset.

Languages:

• International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese.

Terms and Conditions

• The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year. He/she will be required to travel abroad sometime to remote and difficult locations.
• WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, pension plan and medical insurance.

Application Closing Date
7th July, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.
• Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply
• WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
• No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.