JOB DETAILS:
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Uganda faces an increasingly complex risk landscape with recurring threats from climate hazards such as drought and floods, which have devastating impacts on vulnerable populations and undermine development gains. Traditional emergency response mechanisms often struggle to cope with the scale and frequency of these disasters, highlighting the need for innovative approaches to disaster risk management.
Recognizing this challenge, the World Food Programme (WFP) in Uganda is scaling up innovative climate and disaster risk reduction services, such as disaster risk financing, early warning, and anticipatory action.

Within this area, WFP deploys a dual approach of strengthening Government shock-responsive social protection systems and capacities, while simultaneously integrating these services into WFP’s own implementation.

As climate and disaster risk reduction services involve and influence various programme teams within WFP, such as Crisis Response, Asset Creation and Livelihoods, Agricultural Market Support, Nutrition and Social Protection, an Anticipatory Action Coordinator is required to enable programmatic integration and coordination, as well as strengthening different teams’ capacities in implementing climate risk mitigation measures.

Job purpose
WFP is seeking a programme policy officer with experience in shock-responsive social protection and anticipatory action manage WFP’s disaster risk financing, early warning, and anticipatory action activities.
The incumbent will be responsible for carrying out the following tasks:

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Lead WFP’s support to strengthening government-led shock-responsive systems in Uganda.
• Provide technical oversight to WFP Uganda’s anticipatory action programmes.

• Set up and act as secretariat for the Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group.

• Lead the development of multi-hazard anticipatory action plans together with relevant WFP teams, Government, and partners.
• Work with the WFP RAM team, Uganda National Meteorological Authority, and partners to define impact-based triggers and thresholds for anticipatory action.
• Together with relevant teams, develop implementation plans for anticipatory actions.

• Provide technical backstopping support to field teams on implementation of anticipatory actions, ensuring goals and targets are reached in a timely manner.
• Work with the WFP M&E team and relevant partners to develop and implement a learning agenda for anticipatory action.

• Manage budgets and ensure funds are consumed in a timely manner and in accordance with signed contribution agreements.
• Ensure reporting requirements are met on a timely and quality manner.
• Lead engagements with Government and partners on shock-responsive social protection, disaster risk financing, early warning, and anticipatory action.
• Provide support to resource mobilization for the shock-responsive social protection and anticipatory action portfolio.
• Others as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
• Advanced University degree in climate adaptation, social sciences or international development field, or other fields relevant to social protection, or, a First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses.

Experience:
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience relevant to disaster risk reduction and mitigation, forecast based- and early warning systems, anticipatory actions, etc. Experience in practical implementation of anticipatory action programmes is a strong advantage.

Knowledge & Skills:
• Knowledge and experience with early warning and anticipatory actions.
• Knowledge and experience with climate risk financing.
• Ability to work with a high degree of independence.
• Excellent coordination skills and experiencing bringing together multiple stakeholders to achieve a common objective.
• Works in a results-oriented way, delivering in a timely and organized manner.
• Experience in budget planning, execution, and management.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.
• Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relationships with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds and multi-task as needed.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders, conveying an informed and professional demeanour toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
• Experience in insurance is an advantage.

Languages:
International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language.