Program Associate – Livelihoods and Gender

 

Overview
Contribute to generating positive impact on livelihoods and gender.

You have:

Specific experience in designing and coordinating projects to promote the livelihoods of vulnerable populations.
Fluency in Spanish (oral and written) or Spanish as a native language.
Intermediate level of English (oral and written) desirable, capable of preparing reports and technical reports.
Knowledge and skills in managing projects to promote entrepreneurship in agriculture and rural development.
Knowledge of international cooperation policies and procedures on gender issues.
Type B driver’s license and availability to travel to the countryside at least 20% of the time.

Details
TERMS OF REFERENCE

Position:

Program Associate – Livelihoods and Gender

Contract type:

Service Contract

Level:

L6

Unit

OE 3 Programs

Locality:

Quito, Ecuador

The vacant position is open to Ecuadorian citizens and foreigners with a work permit in Ecuador. Applications may be submitted until March 26, 2024, at 11:59 PM (Ecuador time). All applications will be treated confidentially. We will only contact those shortlisted after reviewing and evaluating their resumes.

The contract will be subject to availability of funds.

The World Food Programme is committed to equal opportunities and achieving diversity in its workforce in terms of gender, ethnicity, and culture. We value inclusion and encourage women, people belonging to minority groups, and people with disabilities to join our organization.

To improve the accessibility and inclusion of the World Food Programme’s recruitment processes, we encourage individuals who require disability-related accommodations or other accessibility assistance to contact us. Please email your requests to [email protected] . Upon receiving your email, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team will contact you to confidentially discuss your needs and provide support. WFP is committed to providing a recruitment experience that respects and responds to the unique needs of each candidate.

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BACKGROUND
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the humanitarian organization that saves and changes lives by providing food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

For its efforts to combat hunger, its contribution to improving peace in conflict-affected areas, and its driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.

WFP has been present in Ecuador since 1964, as an innovative partner supporting government policies to promote food and nutrition security, gender equality, and food sovereignty, focusing its actions on the most vulnerable populations.

WFP’s Country Strategic Plan 2023-2027 focuses on ensuring access to food before, during, and immediately after emergencies, disasters, and protracted crises; ending malnutrition, especially chronic child malnutrition; achieving food security and advancing sustainable, equitable, and inclusive food systems, while enhancing resilience to the effects of climate change; and providing services that support the operations of government institutions and humanitarian partners (More information at https://es.wfp.org/paises/ecuador).

In detail, Strategic Objective 3 states:

Vulnerable communities, family farmers, and key stakeholders in food value chains in Ecuador benefit from more sustainable, inclusive, and healthy food systems and strengthened resilience to climate change and other year-round shocks and stressors.

Within this framework, it is necessary to form a team of professionals who will contribute to positioning the WFP as a benchmark in Food Systems and Climate Change and as a strategic partner of the national and local governments for the development and strengthening of public policies to benefit vulnerable communities, family farmers, and other relevant stakeholders in Ecuador’s food value chains.

CONTEXT AND ROLE IN THE ORGANIZATION
The Program Associate – Livelihoods and Gender will be responsible for designing and coordinating projects and initiatives to generate a positive impact on the livelihoods of communities in vulnerable territories and contexts, family farmers, and other relevant actors in food value chains in Ecuador, especially women, who benefit from WFP programs.

He or she will serve under the direct supervision of the Program Officer managing Strategic Objective 3 and the general supervision of the WFP Ecuador Deputy Country Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Contribute to the development of proposals and concept notes for projects to be submitted to bilateral (cooperation between countries), multilateral (GCF, AF, GEF, among others), private, and philanthropic funds.
Manage, implement, monitor, and systematize the Program’s projects and initiatives, in coordination with other WFP units and external counterparts, issuing early warnings and preparing reports, including the complaints and feedback system.
Plan and budget the initiatives required to implement projects so that they have resources, in coordination with their line of supervision.
Maintain adequate archiving and documentation of the methodologies, plans, and reports generated, and manage information repositories for the projects in which you participate, using the corporate SharePoint tool; to contribute to the systematization and management of knowledge, ensuring that key information is organized, documented, disseminated, and available in a timely manner.
Propose and design actions that promote improved livelihoods for the beneficiaries of WFP Strategic Objective 3 projects (especially women) through equal opportunity strategies, partnerships, capacity building, and support in developing business models, commercial engagement, and market access.
Coordinate and support the development of technical studies, such as socioeconomic, socioenvironmental, and market analyses, among others, that contribute to improving the livelihoods of the beneficiary population, maintaining an appropriate knowledge management strategy for disseminating the possibilities for innovation, replication, scaling, and sustainability of the implemented actions, aimed at developing public policies on food systems and climate change in the country.
Supervise and/or review the work of other support staff, providing practical advice and guidance to help achieve objectives in accordance with agreed standards and timelines.
Drive the WFP vehicle, if assigned one, to perform their duties, in compliance with established legal and safety regulations.
Perform any other activities required by the office necessary to achieve WFP’s objectives and mission.
REQUIRED PROFILE
Education
Those with a university degree in economics, local development, marketing, or related fields will be highly valued.
Applicants with advanced academic standing (master’s degree, specialization, etc.) or additional studies in gender, climate change, rural development, or related fields will be highly valued.
Experience
Have at least six years of specific experience in designing and coordinating projects to promote the livelihoods of vulnerable populations, especially women, resulting in improved food and nutritional security.
Experience (at least two) in designing, monitoring, and analyzing indicators, including qualitative and quantitative research methods and results tracking, to promote gender equality, food security, and climate change resilience.
Experience in the United Nations system or international organizations is desirable.
Languages
Fluency in Spanish (oral and written) or Spanish as a native language
Intermediate level of English (oral and written) with the ability to prepare reports and technical reports is desirable.
Required skills and knowledge
Minimum:

Knowledge and skills in managing projects promoting entrepreneurship in agriculture, agricultural and rural development, family farming, sustainable agri-food systems, or similar.
Knowledge of international cooperation policies and procedures related to gender issues and awareness of international best practices for mainstreaming transformative gender approaches into environmental/conservation and/or development projects/programs in the agri-food sector.
Excellent communication and negotiation skills with government agencies, local communities, indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and Montuvia communities, civil society, and other stakeholders.
Ability to communicate, excellent oral and written expression.
Desirable:

Strong knowledge of gender-transformative approaches and participatory methodologies for data collection, participatory design, such as Social Norms Studies (SNET), as well as the application of KAP (Knowledge, Skills, and Practices) and SBCC (Social and Behavior Change Communication) methodologies.
Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, including the ability to build relationships in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment.
Ability to work independently and with low levels of supervision, as part of a team and under pressure to meet short deadlines.
Type B driver’s license and availability to travel to the countryside at least 20% of the time.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
It establishes common standards of behavior that guide how we should work together to fulfill our mission and contribute to an optimal culture , incorporating WFP values .

Lead by example and with integrity: Incorporate WFP values ​​into your daily life and demonstrate humanity and integrity by exemplifying caring for others.

Demonstrates WFP’s values, principles and standards, and encourages others to do so.

Respect others, value diversity by using respectful and inclusive language, and encourage others to do the same.

He stays focused and calm under pressure, and encourages others to do the same.

Show humility and a willingness to learn and share knowledge, ask for feedback often and act on it, and take advantage of development opportunities.

Generates results and meets commitments : Meets commitments and easily adapts to changes
Generates high-impact results: takes ownership of achieving results and holds others accountable for them.

Delegate appropriately: Produce results based on delegated tasks and seek guidance and assistance when necessary.

Responds quickly to changes and adjusts work as needed.

Promote inclusive and collaborative teamwork : Practice inclusion and collaboration , and contribute to a culture of learning and personal growth.
Promotes inclusive teamwork and psychological safety by sharing ideas and raising issues openly.

Support the development of others by providing constructive and timely feedback.

Listen carefully to others with the goal of capturing, understanding, building, and sharing new perspectives.

Applies strategic thinking : Demonstrates commitment to gathering feedback, analyzing options and risks, and proposing new working methods.
Meets WFP’s vision and is able to explain how its own objectives support that vision.

Show curiosity and propose new working methods when appropriate.

Collect data and share knowledge to guide team decision-making.

Implements decisions and asks questions to understand the potential impact on longer-range goals.

Establishes and maintains sustainable partnerships : Establishes and nurtures external partnerships, and collaborates with partners to achieve common goals
Build partnerships by seeking out collaboration opportunities

Collaborate with partners by sharing information and working together to achieve common goals
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