Summary
Date Posted: Monday, June 17 2024, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
JOB TITLE: Community Engagement and Feedback-Mechanism Officer
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Fixed Term NOA
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme – Research, Assessment and Monitoring
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Kampala, Uganda
DURATION: 12 months
REPORTING LINE: Head of Research, Assessment and Monitoring

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
WFP’s Country Strategic Plan 2018-2022 has six strategic outcomes and is fully aligned with national policy objectives, including Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Third National Development Plan (NDP III). Through the CSP, WFP addresses the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition, supports the refugee response and strengthens social protection systems. WFP assistance is provided through direct implementation, evidence generation, knowledge sharing and capacity strengthening, while building strategic partnerships including through South-South and Triangular Co-operation.

In support of WFP Country Office in line with the Country strategic plan (CSP), the Research, Assessment and Monitoring unit undertakes regular large-scale surveys, monitoring activities, rapid assessments, and mapping services to inform with updated food security information including economic and price data. These helps programmatic, policy decisions and advocacy efforts.

The Research Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) portfolio includes activities to address national and local-level capacities with the potential to support the management of disasters and climate change risks, through the automatization of processes, and systems, promoting innovations and analysis of existing data, data collected using mobile technology, modelling, forecasting, and geospatial analysis. Under RAM, WFP Uganda ensures to reflect the concerns and needs of our beneficiaries, and the availability of high-quality data from the Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM), and Community engagement.

RAM is a core area for WFP and forms the basis for our operations' design and support. Prior to any intervention for Disaster Risk Management and Response, WFP in coordination with government and partners, undertakes an analysis of the food security situation and answers some critical questions: who is food insecure or vulnerable and why?; how many are they and where do they live?; what should be done to save their lives and livelihoods?; how is the situation likely to evolve and, what are the risks threatening them?

Related to changing lives activities, RAM provides geospatial and economic analysis, food security monitoring and assessments, and thematic analysis (related to climate change, resilience, markets and food systems). This contributes to effective targeting and defines the most appropriate type and scale of intervention (such as food distribution, school feeding, and cash-based transfer programmes).

Since 2023, WFP Uganda CO enrolled on the Gender Equality certification programme, which includes strengthening of analysis and accountability to affected populations; in addition, it was classified as a high-risk country due to evaluation and audit recommendations, triggering an assurance plan, with one of the key areas related to Community Engagement and Feedback Mechanisms (CEFM). The Country Office has prioritized the actions, considering the refinement of the prioritization model for General Food Assistance, the launch of the self-reliance model, the expansion of Cash Based Transfers, the strengthening of retailers monitoring, the strengthening of social protection systems, climate-sensitive approaches, the nutrition strategy and the continuous work to harmonize feedback channels with UNHCR and key stakeholders implementing in the areas of intervention.

Therefore, in this role, you will contribute to the enhancement of community engagement, feedback mechanisms, assessments, monitoring and any tool to ensure accountability to affected populations in Uganda CO.

KEY ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES:
The RAM Officer (Community Engagement and Feedback Mechanism) will act as a technical lead in implementing the strategy and action plan, supervise the helpline desk and operate with a high degree of independence. It will be involved in RAM activities. The RAM officer will report to the head of RAM, will work closely with VAM, M&E and the Protection, Gender and Disabilities Officer, and will undertake the following responsibilities:

1. Develop protocols and procedures to ensure Two-way Accountability (from implementers to beneficiaries) and Transparency of Food Security and Nutrition Assessments and Analysis
• Coordinate with the area and field offices to lead the preparation and implementation of the work plan for CEFM.
• Develop the CEFM protocols, including the qualitative assessment approach, as part of RAM SOPs.
• Provide technical guidance to the helpdesk, helpline, and any other CMF channel to ensure their development and enable them to perform at their best.
• Contribute to (or lead when requested) the development of assessment and monitoring exercises that will provide the most relevant and strategic information for reviewing WFP CEFM while complying with WFP needs assessment and monitoring requirements.
2. Ensure that the high standards of quality, reliability, and validity of the data and analysis are in line with WFP's privacy and protection guidelines.
• Incorporate accountability to the affected population, protection, gender, and age perspectives in all areas of work to ensure equal participation of women and men in analysis, reporting, presentations, protocols, tools, systems, and recommendations. All this will be done in coordination with outcome and activity managers, area and field offices.
• Designated focal point for Community Engagement and feedback Mechanisms to coordinate with key stakeholders (WFP, implementing partners and financial service providers, government), including government, to establish, harmonize, and align the CEFM. This includes co-leading with UNHCR on the mechanisms/model of AAP for prioritization of GFA.
• Contribute or lead to build the capacity of WFP staff, external organizations’ financial service providers, and national governments to conduct community engagement, qualitative research methods, and analysis on any related topic to food security and nutrition to effectively inform policies and programmes, especially for the joint prioritization on GFA, self-reliance model, the Digital Financial Inclusion initiative and the scale up of CBT.
3. Support data-driven, evidence-based decision-making processes in a timely manner according to programmatic and strategic needs.
• Lead and conduct analysis to provide timely reports complementing food security and nutrition assessments/monitoring exercises with CEFM information and to provide technical advice and support on communication strategies for activities implemented.
• Represent WFP with partners to contribute to technical discussions, exchange knowledge and experience, and seek appropriate interventions based on evidence and areas of potential collaboration.
• Document and support WFP staff and partners to enable the sharing of experiences, lessons learned and standard methodologies.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
• Master’s degree in agriculture, Nutrition, Sociology, Economics, Rural development or any related field.
• or bachelor’s degree in agriculture, Nutrition, Sociology, Economics, Rural development or any related field At least four years of relevant experience in the development of food security, nutrition or related fields.

Experience:
• Minimum of three years of relevant professional work experience in CFM, and community engagement, and/or monitoring and evaluation.
• Working knowledge in food security, nutrition, and related fields.
Knowledge & Skills:
• Extensive experience managing teams in complex contexts, promoting a highly collaborative and respectful workplace environment
• Coordinate and implement assessments/monitoring.
• Coordinate and implement CFM, community engagement, or communication for development with emphasis on refugees.
• Demonstrated proficiency in quantitative and qualitative methods, food security analysis, and data management software.
• Proficient communication and reporting writing skills.
• Working knowledge and experience in MS Office, Stata, or SPSS
Languages:
• Fluency (level C) in English language and the duty station’s language, if different

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 48

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

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