Social Protection Specialist, Reference

Closing date: Sunday, 26 April 2015

Social Protection Specialist

Location: Brasília, Brazil

Application Deadline: April 26 th , 2015, 7PM (Brasilia time)

Type of Contract: WFP Service

Contract Service Level: SC-8

Duration of contract: 12 months renewable

Background

Given Brazil's success in fighting hunger and poverty, there is an increasing demand to share its social protection and food security experiences and to provide capacity development and technical assistance to Low Income Countries. The Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger (MDS) has been at the centre of the Brazilian domestic and international actions to ensure food and nutrition security (FNS) and effective social protection policies. The WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger, a partnership between the government of Brazil and the World Food Programme, facilitates South-South cooperation to enable capacity development of LICs using Brazilian experience and expertise. The UK's innovative approach to partnership and leadership will enable the sharing of the Brazilian experience and successes by supporting horizontal/triangular cooperation mechanisms and enabling them to be appropriately adapted for LICs context. Through this partnership, the capacity to leverage Brazilian technical assistance, capacities and expertise within social protection systems and safety nets shall be expanded. There is a considerable demand from LICs to learn from Brazil and receive technical support in the areas of social protection, food security and poverty alleviation. The Brazilian government supports developing countries by providing technical cooperation through a South-South approach. Due to the increasing demand, Brazil, the UK and WFP has agreed to formalize the Partnership for National Social Development Initiatives (PNSDI), aiming to increase the impact of Brazil's development cooperation in LICs in the area of social protection. Sharing and adapting approaches in LICs that have proven successful in Brazil in reducing poverty, ending hunger, and improving social protection systems is the over-arching objective. The Social Protection Specialist will develop the learning products of the PNSDI and its monitoring and evaluation strategy and methodology. Under the overall supervision of the WFP Centre's Director, he/she will work under direct supervision of the Head of Programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

• Systematize the lessons learning, monitoring and evaluation activities of the PNSDI activities.
• Promote liaison between WFP, the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger and DFID within the PNSDI activities.
• Contribute to the general technical support for social protection initiatives in the PNSDI countries.
• Support related south-south cooperation for social protection activities, in close collaboration with the Centre of Excellence against Hunger.
• Support SESAN/MDS international cooperation activities on food and nutrition security.

Expected Results:

• Preparation of a methodology and format for thematic knowledge exchange seminars attended by respective Governments and the United Nations.
• Five case studies based on the project activities and overall development of social protection initiatives on the supported countries.
• Final Project report, containing relevant information focusing on impact of the PNSDI support on the development of the national programmes.
• Draft and review terms of reference for consultancies on specific support to governments.
• Five technical visits to supported countries in order to evaluate consultancy opportunities to Governments and United Nations Agencies, with the participation of the Brazilian Government, WFP and DFID.
• Development of learning activities regarding cooperation projects between stakeholders of involved countries aimed at strengthening design and implementation of social protection programmes.
• Support to study visits and follow up activities for technical support services to PNSDI countries, in close collaboration with the Centre of Excellence against Hunger.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrate integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards, display cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Action Management

• Effectively manages own work related to multiple tasks or activities; Recognizes opportunities or threats and acts on them with the agreement of supervisor; Responds quickly to emergencies with a solution or a decision.

Communication

• Presents information clearly and concisely, verbally and in writing; Listen to and shows understanding of ideas and views of others; Adapts level of language and/or complexity of contents to audience; Shares information and knowledge with all; Communicates respectfully with all individuals Ethics and Values: - Takes responsibility for own performance; Recognizes the potential for ethical dilemmas and seeks advice to resolve them; Respects and works productively with all individuals; Acts consistently with established procedures and policies.

Teamwork

• Works productively with broad range of team members, actively participates in and supports team decisions, openly shares knowledge, expertise or experience with team members. Client Orientation: - Actively seeks information and opinion of client to understand their requests and to identify their needs and expectations; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks.

Cognitive Capacity

• Systematically extracts pertinent information from relevant sources; Conduct in-depth analysis on issues and problems; identifies multiple causes of a problem and relationship among the causes. Interpersonal Relations: - Respects differing needs and viewpoints. Resolves personal and professional disagreements constructively; Builds effective working relationships within the all in the office; Demonstrates sensitivity, tact, and empathy for others.

Stamina & Stress Resistance

• Maintain effective performance in demanding or uncertain situations (e.g., emergency and/or varied field situations); Maintains a work-life balance to ensure that performance is sustained over the long- term, even under stressful circumstances.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

University degree, preferably with master or specialization level in one of the following disciplines: social sciences, development studies, political sciences, international relations, or other related field.

Experience

At least three years of experience producing reports, analytical documents and methodology for international cooperation activities such as workshops, consultancies etc. ;

At least three years of experience in social protection or related initiatives;

Demonstrated knowledge of social development initiatives in Brazil;

Demonstrated knowledge of data analysis and/or research; Language Requirements: Fluency in both oral and written communication in Portuguese and English. Other UN languages are considered an asset. Skills: Knowledge of specified software (Microsoft suites). Others: Availability to travel. Submission of Applications: Go to: http://i-recruitment.wfp.org/vacancies/15-0017694 Step 1: Create and submit your Online CV. Step 2: Submit your application. NOTE: You must complete Step 1 and 2 in order for your application to be considered. The candidate must have Brazilian Nationality or be legally authorized to work in the country.