BACKGROUND

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.

In Uganda WFP delivers food assistance in emergencies and work with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. WFP also provides life-saving food assistance and livelihood opportunities to refugees. WFP also works with smallholder farmers and links them to markets.

Through the school feeding programme that is implemented in Karamoja region WFP is reaching 315 school with school meals.  The goal of the programme is to provide food and nutrition security for children throughout their primary and secondary school period, toward long-term benefits to recipients, and achieve measurable progress toward the sustainable transfer to the Ugandan Government of direct implementation of a nationally led HGSF approach to school feeding in Karamoja that will continue to benefit the education, attendance, and graduation of primary and secondary school children in the region.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Under the supervision of Head of Unit (Social Protection & School Feeding), the school feeding officer will provide effective technical and operational support to the school feeding programme that meets the WFP food assistance needs objectives. She/he will be responsible for any school feeding-related issue implemented by the Uganda Country Office.   In addition, the officer will be the primary interface with the Ministry of Education, ensuring coordination in WFP between the area and country offices, and integration with other strategic outcomes like AMS, ACL and Nutrition and supply chain. The officer will provide linkages between WFP and other partners.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Provide overall strategic direction guidance on the implementation of Home-Grown School Feeding programme to the Area Offices.
2. Lead the effort and discussion on mainstreaming school feeding in Uganda, including strengthening capacity and the system in all aspects of school feeding.
3. Provide technical support to the DLG and facilitate community engagement to enhance school feeding implementation and results.
4. As activity manager for the school feeding activity, solve problems or challenges that present a risk to WFP, its partners, and the project by providing innovative and forward-looking solutions, including digitizing the school feeding process.
5. Provide technical guidance and backstopping to staff and focal points designated for the School Feeding Programme in area offices, ensuring that the operational and implementation plan is organized, reporting is effective, and engagement with partners and relevant stakeholders is supportive.
6. Follow data gathering and monitoring systems and liaise with the RAM nutrition focal point to maintain rigorous quality standards. Ensure that monitoring and evaluation recommendations are implemented to improve the quality and efficiency of the nutrition activities
7. Undertake regular oversight missions to the selected programme areas for higher-level engagement with relevant internal and external stakeholders encouraging joint oversight missions and coordination with relevant WFP staff from other departments.
8. Liaise with the Food Systems/Resilience and supply chain units to ensure the activity implementation is in line with WFP’s corporate guidelines and feeds into policy and strategic discussions.
9. Liaise with relevant internal operational units for follow-up on tasks related to finance, supply chain, procurement, reporting, external engagements, partnerships, and relevant regional and HQ engagements.
10. Spear head the compilation of reports that encompass all programmatic aspects of school feeding and proposal development.
11. Lead the effective internal and external coordination with relevant stakeholders and cooperating partners on school feeding in Uganda.
12. Representation of WFP and school feeding at any UN or humanitarian/development coordination meeting and working groups and engagement with other UN or NGO bodies that are implementing complimentary or related programming in responsibility.
13. Contribute to the development of strategic and innovate solutions for the scale up and diversification of future school feeding mechanism.
14. Other duties as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

1. Timely annual and biannual reports
2. Evidence of increased scale, performance quality and sustainability through key performance indicators.
3. Coordination of school feeding internally and externally.
4. Organise and/or attend consultations and technical coordination meetings.

QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: