WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

ABOUT WFP

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.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A university degree in International Relations, Business Administration, Information Management and Communication, or an equivalent combination of training and experience in a related field will be an asset.
Experience: A minimum of 3 (three) year of professional experience in information management, data collection and events organization

Knowledge & Skills: 

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Expertise in principles and communication techniques in accordance with corporate standards.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Excellent analytical and written presentation skills, ability to communicate with a number of internal and external stakeholders.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

These jobs are found in Country Offices (COs), Regional Bureaux (RBs), and Headquarters (HQ). Job holders performing front office management functions typically report to the Division Director or Country Directors. In cases where these positions support a specific business stream, the reporting line may be to the Head of Unit or Chief.
At this level job holders are expected to demonstrate responsibility and initiative to respond independently to queries with only general guidance. They have responsibility for undertaking specialised business support work, such as organisation and coordination of work. There is a requirement to use judgment in dealing with unforeseen problems on a daily basis. Job holders are expected to manage resources, and coach and/or coordinate a team of support staff.

JOB PURPOSE

The United Nations World Food Programme is a solution provider in the challenge to end hunger and malnutrition and focuses on reaching the most food insecure, and the malnourished all over the world.

WFP’s dual mandate allows it to use a development lens in its humanitarian responses, and to align early recovery and development interventions accordingly. In Mozambique, WFP has a five-year Country Strategic Plan (2017-2021), which aims to strengthen resilience, emergency preparedness and response while continuing to address the underlying causes of hunger in the country.

In order to implement the planned activities, WFP seeks the support of a multi-tasking, enthusiastic and hard-working individual to commit to supporting the WFP Mozambique Representative and Country Director as a Special Assistant.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the overall guidance of the Country Director, the special assistant will undertake the following tasks:

1. Coordination of Workflow

• Provide high level operational, planning, managerial and coordination support to the CD, working closely with the Business Support Associate in the CD’s office.
• Coordinate activities led by the CD’s office including the preparation of agenda items, collation of presentations materials and overall execution and follow up of decisions and agreements emerging from Senior Management Team meetings.
• Prepare the CD for meetings with donors and other relevant stakeholders, work in close collaboration with the functional units and field offices to frame, coordinate, and implement cross-functional tasks, follow up on briefing documents, talking points, updates on the operational context, activity implementation and funding needs.

• Facilitate the preparation of background papers/briefing documents, statements and presentations for the CD.
• Collate, analyze and provide reports on relevant issues from internal and external stakeholders to provide operational awareness and understanding of events that may have humanitarian and/or operational impact.
• Attend meetings as decided by the CD.

2. Information & Communication Management

• Work closely with the Communications team, assist the CD in coordinating the sharing of relevant briefings within WFP Mozambique Country Office.
• Support with CD’s input into communications including internal messages to staff in the CO and external messages with partners.

• Support with UN-related weekly updates.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Coaches team in the most effective ways to communicate WFP’s Strategic Objectives to WFP team and partners in the field.
•  Be a force for positive change: Implements new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.
•  Make the mission inspiring to our team: Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in beneficiary communities to showcase positive impact.
•  Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Explains to teammates how each unit contributes to the overall WFP mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people’s skills: Identifies skill development opportunities such as training modules or on-the-job experiences for self, colleagues and direct reports.
•  Create an inclusive culture: Facilitates team building activities to build rapport in own unit.
•  Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Facilitates the pairing of junior colleagues with coaches within own team.
•  Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Proactively anticipates potential challenges and develops mitigation plans to ensure that team meets goals and targets.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Identifies opportunities to be creative in own work and to help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work.
•  Focus on getting results: Monitors team’s deliverables and provides feedback to ensure outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately.
•  Make commitments and make good on commitments: Provides accurate guidance to team on expected responsibilities and tasks, whilst also upholding own commitment to the team.
•  Be Decisive: Sets an example and provides guidance to junior team members on when to escalate issues when faced with challenging issues in the workplace or in the field.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Facilitates partnerships with other WFP units to accomplish missions in the field.
•  Build strong external partnerships: Sets an example and provides guidance to team on how to build relationships with external partners.
•  Be politically agile & adaptable: Articulates to colleagues or direct reports the value of contributing to other WFP teams and agency partnerships in fulfilling WFP’s goals and objectives.
•  Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Organizes, monitors, and prioritizes own and team’s efforts to ensure that they will fulfill the needs of internal and external partners.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

1. A wide range of high level technical, professional and managerial support in a range of strategic and operational areas to ensure that the CD is fully prepared to engage in substantive issues related to her portfolio.
2. Tasks are completed in a qualitative manner within stipulated deadlines set by Senior Management and supervisor.
3. Correspondences with external stakeholders produced and accurately filed.
4. External Stakeholders’ contact list regularly updated.
5. Notes for the Records of various meetings prepared and filed.
6. Management of expenses in the CD’s office and invoices settled within Finance

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

3. Secretarial Support:

• Screen, assess and refer telephone calls and enquiries to appropriate staff; provide information on a variety of questions such as the office’s programme and activities as well as sensitive information; co-ordinate and expedite office-wide responses to sensitive telephone and written enquiries on behalf of the Director.
• Maintain the Country Director Calendar and schedule appointments and meetings and make tentative appointments on her behalf; brief the CD on matters to be considered prior to scheduled meetings.
• Prepare informal translations.
• Maintain policy, confidential and general management files.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

N/A

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Type of contract: Service Contract (SC6)

Duration: 12 months (With possibilities of renewal)

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

14.03.2021

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.