Career Opportunities: Programme Policy Officer (National Consultant)

JOB TITLE:	Programme Policy Officer – National Consultant
TYPE OF CONTRACT:	Short Term on Special Service Agreement/ Level 10
UNIT/DIVISION:	Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA)
DUTY STATION:	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
DURATION:   START DATE:   END DATE:	30 days Working Days 16th October 2022 15th December 2022

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

BACKGROUND OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

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.

Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA) is a consortium of six agri-focused organizations, with a mission of making markets work better for smallholder farmers since 2016.

The strategic aim of FtMA is to increase incomes and resilience of smallholders through providing them access to commercially sustainable value chains. This objective of directly linking smallholders into agricultural retail input networks increases their access to reliable, cost-effective productivity-enhancing services, inputs, and technologies, while at the same time opening direct access to markets and long term off-takers. FtMA’s vision is to enable sustainable food systems through strengthened markets that empower smallholders to increase their yields, incomes, and resilience, and to improve global food security.

In 2022, FtMA partnered with the two cooperating partners, Farm Africa and NAFAKA Kilimo to implement FtMA project interventions in six regions of Tanzania over the next 12 months, April 15th, 2022, to 14th April 2023 and target the sunflower, rice, beans and maize value chains. Farm Africa will support around 28,000 farmers in Manyara, Morogoro and Singida Regions. Nafaka Kilimo on the other hand, will support nearly 16,160 farmers in Iringa, Njombe, and Mbeya Regions. In total, 251 farmer service centres will be strengthened to provide last miles service delivery to approximately 44,000 farmers. With the revised FtMA Result Framework plus the indicators, and new geographical regions of Singida, Manyara and Morogoro that the project expanded into as well as widening of the crop portfolio for diversification, it is essential that a household baseline is conducted to establish the status quo to measure impact attribution.

To this end, FtMA through WFP as the host agency seeks to recruit an eligible consultant (individual) to conduct a household baseline survey in 6 regions (14 districts) of Iringa region (Iringa DC and Kilolo districts), Njombe region (Mufindi and Wanging’ombe districts), Mbeya region (Mbarali district); Manyara Region (Babati, Simanjiro, kiteto and Hanang districts) ,Morogoro Region (Kilombero and Mvomero districts) and Singida Region (Singida, Iramba, Mkalama districts) in the rice, maize, beans and sunflower value chains.

 

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:	A Bsc in Project planning and management, Bsc in Community development studies, Bsc in Statistics (MSc/PHD is an added advantage), with a proven track record in conducting a field assessment in the agriculture sector including baseline survey of the agricultural production and marketing and extension services;
Language:	Fluency (oral and written) in English and Kiswahili a must; proficiency in other languages spoken regionally is an asset.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The consultant will report to the Farm to Market Alliance Coordinator.

JOB PURPOSE

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The overall objective of the household baseline survey is to establish benchmarks for effective planning, monitoring and evaluation including measurements of outcomes and impacts of FtMA interventions. The baseline survey will focus particularly on farmers household level, to understand the situation of farmers’ yields, their income from agriculture activities, Climate smart agricultural (CSA) practices and knowledge, access to finance, inputs use, to mention a few.

The baseline will form the basis for progressive monitoring of achievements of the planned results, through the collection of quantitative and qualitative data, as a benchmark for comparison of the changes achieved annually and at the end of the project. The household baseline survey will also guide the design and refinement of evidence-based project strategies and approaches to be applied in the project for increasing farmers productivity, income, and resilience especially for women and youth.

 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

The short-term consultant is expected to:

1. Establish baseline levels of key indicators to enable the measurement of change by virtue of FtMA intervention strategies and the project log frame.
2. Analyse household livelihoods to determine social economic status and vulnerability of smallholder farmers (SHFs).
3. Conduct desk-review, research and analyse relevant literature and secondary data from multiple data sources on maize, rice, sunflower and beans value chain Interventions in southern highlands (Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe regions), northern highlands (Manyara region), Central region ( Singida), coast region (Morogoro) and undertake a profitability analysis of the different value chains taking into consideration product cost analysis based on the realities of sampled Smallholder farmers (SHFs).
4. Assess food security situation to determine surplus potential for sale.
5. Study or assess business/income streams for SHFs In the FtMA project areas from both agriculture and non-agriculture income activities.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES CONTINUED:

6. Scope existence of small holder farmers through the network of FSCs (spread/clustering)
7. Determine the existing linkages to markets and other related marketing parameters such as types and sources of inputs used, mechanization, aggregators currently in the cluster, output pricing models and challenges facing farmers in selling their outputs.
8. Assess skills and knowledge of SHFs on post-harvest management (PHM), CSA, inputs, financial services, etc and identify capacity strengthening and skills-development needs of small holders’ farmers.
9. Examine existing CSA practices and approaches of small holder farmers that build their resilience to climate changein the project areas.
10. Scope existence of service offering and different commercial/ non-commercial models to offer last mile.
11. Establish the availability / accessibility business support services to SHFs and Farmer Service Centers (FSCs) in the project locations that will enhance their business competencies, capacities, and competitiveness to become commercially viable entities.
12. Engage with SHFs in the project locations to understand their production systems, inputs and output markets, the obstacles they face to achieving sustainable productivity for commercial viability as well as generate knowledge of existing initiatives and solutions to low agricultural productivity to the small holder farmers.
13. Identify challenges, lessons, risks and opportunities that are likely to impact on the project and propose some recommendations to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of the project.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives : Utilizes understanding of WFP’s Strategic Objectives to communicate linkages to team objectives and work.
• Be a force for positive change : Proactively identifies and develops new methods or improvements for self and immediate team to address work challenges within own work area.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team : Identifies opportunities to further align individual contributions with WFP’s mission of making an impact on local communities.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions : Helps colleagues to see the link between their individual tasks and the contributions of their unit’s goals to the broader context of WFP’s mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people’s skills : Is able to identify, support and encourage focused on-the-job learning opportunities to address gaps between current skillsets and needed future skillsets for WFP.
• Create an inclusive culture : Recognizes the contributions of teammates, and encourages contributions from culturally different team mates to recognise the value of diversity above and beyond just including it in programming for beneficiaries.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback : Provides and solicits ongoing constructive feedback on strengths and development opportunities to help develop individual skills, whilst also helping others identify areas for improvement.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit : Sets clear targets for self and others to focus team efforts in ambiguous situations (e.g., unprecedented issues and/or scenarios)

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions : Thinks beyond team’s conventional approaches to formulate creative methods for delivering food aid and assistance to beneficiaries.
• Focus on getting results : Maintains focus on achieving individual results in the face of obstacles such as volatile or fragile environments and/or organizational roadblocks.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments : Takes personal accountability for upholding and delivering upon team’s commitments and provides assurance to stakeholders.
• Be Decisive : Demonstrates ability to adjust to team’s plans and priorities to optimize outcomes in light of evolving directives, while also responding quickly in high-pressure environments, such as in emergency settings.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units : Demonstrates an understanding of when and how to tactfully engage other units in conversations on impact, timing, or planning
• Build strong external partnerships : Networks regularly with key external partners using formal and informal opportunities to understand each partner’s unique value proposition, and to build and strengthen relationships
• Be politically agile & adaptable : Demonstrates ability to adapt engagement approach in the context of evolving partner circumstances and expectations
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships : Demonstrates ability to articulate to internal and external audiences the value that individual contributions and immediate teams bring to partnerships.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Capability Name	Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level
Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance	Displays ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools.
Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Voucher)	Demonstrates the ability to design, implement, monitor and provide oversight over effective and efficient programmes deploying different transfer modalities.
Broad Knowledge of Specialized areas (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.)	Demonstrates the ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring.
Emergency Programming	Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches
Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government	Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes..

SCOPE OF WORK:

The baseline survey is expected to be conducted in the six regions (Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya, Singida, Manyara and Morogoro). The short-term consultant is expected to undertake the following roles to fulfil the assignment:

1. Inception report:

• Develop a detailed Inception report which clearly outlines the design of the baseline survey and includes definition of key terms, detailed approach and methodology, sampling method, workplan and deliverables, timeline, budget, etc.
• Conduct desk review and analysis of secondary data related to the project overall goal, objectives, Theory of Change (TOC), and Result Framework (RF) etc.
• Review relevant literature from multiple data sources on maize, rice, beans and sunflower value chain Interventions in southern highlands and northern regions of Singida, Morogoro and Manyara.

SCOPE OF WORK CONTINUES 1:

1. Develop Data collection tools:

• Design baseline questions and questionnaires to collect data from the SHFs level in line with the project indicators, objectives, and the agreed sample frame.
• Ensure that data collected is accurate, relevant to and aligns with the key indicators in the RF and based on available evidence.
• Training selected enumerators and assistants to conduct the survey. The survey team should include women to ensure access to both male and female respondents.

SCOPE OF WORK CONTINUES 2:

1. Conduct interviews/collect data from SHFs:

• Field pre-testing the baseline survey tools
• Implementing and supervising field data collection in14 districts using MoDA Tool.
• Entering collected data into appropriate software.
• Data cleaning and validation before generating the analysis.

1. Prepare a final report:

• Upon completion of the survey, a detailed list of all interviewed SHFs should be submitted to FtMA.
• Compile and share draft of baseline report for review.
• Final baseline report, inclusive of analysis and strategic recommendations.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

 

Experience:

At least eight years of experience in agribusiness, either in private sector enterprises or in profit value chain related projects, with a strong exposure to the private sector. Experience in conducting baseline surveys or evaluations for development programmes in Tanzania context. Proven track record on designing quantitative and qualitative data collection tools, data collection and analysis, and use of participatory approaches both in the field and through digital platforms (phone, online).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Application procedures:

Qualified Tanzanians (Individual Consultants) are invited to submit their Technical and Financial proposal by email through (tanzania.hr@wfp.org) together with the following documents before 27th September 2022: Cover letter. CV of proposed consultant teams including reference details of previous clients. References with detailed contact address of at least 3 organizations in which the individual consultant has provided similar services recently (at least 5 years), and. Samples of 3 similar previous work pieces (assessment/survey/baseline survey/evaluation).

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline for applications is 27th September 2022.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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.