BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

ABOUT WFP

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) 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. In emergencies, WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After an emergency, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their lives. On average, WFP reaches more than 80 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year. The organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to food and contribute to lasting solutions, especially in many of the world’s most remote and fragile areas.

Brief description of WFP in Uganda

WFP delivers food assistance in emergencies and works with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. WFP provides life-saving food assistance and livelihood opportunities to refugees in Uganda. In addition, WFP assists the most vulnerable people in Karamoja with food and nutrition assistance. Finally, WFP works with smallholder farmers and links them to markets.

As Uganda strives to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030 and become a middle-income country by 2040, WFP is also assessing its relevance and repositioning its role in Uganda.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

The job is found at the Area Office and reports to the Head of Programme or any delegated. The job holder is expected to Provide support to policy and programme design and monitoring implementation of activities that effectively meet the food assistance needs of Refugees and other crisis-affected people under the South-West Area Office in line with Strategic Outcome 1 of the Uganda Country Strategic Plan.

JOB PURPOSE

Take lead and manage policy and programme implementation that effectively meet cash assistance needs including through cash-based transfer programming, Cooperating partner funds management and Programme Anticipatory Action activities in the Southwest to ensuring uninterrupted activity implementation and compliance with WFP procedures.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

• Coordinate Partner partner selection process, onboarding, Field Level Agreements (FLA) management, reviews, and invoice processing.
• Provide project management support to General Food Assistance programs ensuring compliance with WFP standards and procedures and alignment with the wider programs of the Country Office.
• Efficiently manage planning of resources including food and (Cash Based Transfer (CBT), and programme non-food items and ensure effective utilization in a timely manner and according to WFP procedures.
• Enhance the capacity of staff and partners to strengthen the skills, competencies and abilities of the team involved in general food assistance, through stakeholder/ community engagements.
• Efficiently manage planning of resources including food and Cash Based Transfers (CBT), and programme non-food items and ensure effective utilization in a timely manner and according to WFP procedures. populations in South-Western Uganda, in collaboration with UNHCR, OPM, District Local Governments or other stakeholders involved in the intervention.
• Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration; monitor ongoing projects and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
• Coordinate the Southwest Inter-Agency Cash Working Group
• Work with WFP-contracted Cooperating Partners and Financial Service Providers (FSPs) to ensure efficient and accountable cash distributions and transfers at the field level.
• Ensure evidence-based and market-oriented scale-up of cash-based transfers across the settlements.
• Expand digital cash transfer mechanisms including the agent banking model and mobile money with the objective of promoting financial inclusion for the people we serve.
• Assist in reviewing, dissemination, and implementation of CBT Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), to identify and document impacts on underlying processes, systems, people and the organizational structure.
• Facilitate the establishment and/or strengthen programmatic partnerships with government entities, UN agencies, NGOs, and other operational partners for building of synergies, coherence, and complementarity of programs.
• Ensure strong collaboration, coordination, and networking in order to identify opportunities, avoid duplication of activities and create innovations to improve, complement and supplement WFP assistance programs for the overall realization of self- reliance and resilience.
• 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 through monthly, quarterly, annual, operational, and ad-hoc reports.
• Contribute to preparedness actions, such as early warning, risk analysis and contingency plan make necessary recommendations; prepare periodic and ad-hoc reports on the progress of operational projects in the South-West and make recommendations and/or proposals for improvements in operations.
• Coordinate WFP responses to crisis-affected persons in the region including assessments and capacity building of the AO team to respond to crisis.
• Provide regular feedback to the CBT Coordinator at the Country Office level regarding the progress of distributions, including achievements and constraints as well as suggested improvement actions.
• Provide hands-on guidance to Financial Service Providers (FSPs) in the engagement with bank agents, CBT beneficiaries as part of the on-going expansion of cash transfers.
• In collaboration with Assessment Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (AMEL) unit, Support in monitoring and evaluation of CBT across the target settlements under the Area Office Cost category IA.
• Take lead in the follow up of the timely submission, review and processing of the CP invoices ensuring compliance to guidelines and set standards.
• Together with the department of Relief, disaster Preparedness and management (DRDPM) of the Prime Minister (OPM), Districts and Partners implement Pro- Resilience Action (PRO-ACT):
• Strengthen Shock Responsive Systems in Southwest by Strengthening existing Early warning systems and capacities of sub national and local actors to predict, reduce and respond to shocks.

 QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: