Back Social Protection and Policy Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO assists governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to address hunger and malnutrition, and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to respond to cries. FAO in collaboration with the Government of Malawi and with support of multiple development partners is implementing a wide range of activities to improve livelihoods of small-scale farmers as well as assisting a more inclusive and sustainable development in the country.  FAO Malawi is currently supporting the Government to strengthen community-based resilience in vulnerable rural areas, facilitate a more sustainable management of natural resources and supporting nutrition-sensitive agriculture.  Likewise, FAO provides and mobilizes technical assistance required by the country in areas related with agriculture production, agriculture economics and other areas relevant.

Reporting Lines

The Social Protection and Policy Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Malawi, the Deputy FAOR a.i., the Assistant FAOR (Programmes) and under the direct supervision of the Head of Planning, Policy and Partnerships Section and in close collaboration with technical teams at FAO-Headquarters (ESP Social Protection and NFIFL).

Technical Focus:

The Social Protection and Policy Specialist will be responsible for providing strategic technical support and guidance to the country office, support in FAO’s strategic partnerships in Social Protection, coordinate and ensure project objectives are achieved and synergies between relevant projects are maximized.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will work more specifically:

• Coordinate at strategic and operational levels FAO initiatives on social protection in the country by reviewing and overseeing activities and identifying synergies/entry points for better cohesion.
• Support the preparation of a strategic positioning paper that identifies FAO’s role in supporting the development of social protection in the country based on dialogues with local stakeholders including the Government counterparts, UN agencies, bilateral and civil society organizations and FAO staff in the country, regional and headquarters offices;
• Support FAO in social protection development partner group meetings and working groups, including government roundtables and other strategic dialogues with a view of contributing to coordinating the ongoing social protection initiatives;
• Provide technical support aimed at forging stronger links and promoting greater policy coherence and synergies between social protection policy, food and nutrition security, fisheries development, natural resource management, resilient rural livelihoods, poverty reduction and resilience to shocks;
• Support the development, dissemination and uptake of social protection knowledge products, technical documents, capacity development materials and advocacy and information materials on expansion of social protection coverage, economic inclusion, coherence between social protection in fisheries, resilience and shocks-responsive social protection;
• Provide support in building partnerships with key stakeholders for advancing the social protection agenda at country level as well as with HQ technical units;
• Support resource mobilization activities by liaising with potential donors, preparing concept notes, funding proposals and project documents and;
• Perform other related duties as required.

   

  CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

   

  Minimum Requirements   

  • Advanced University degree in Agricultural Economics, Policy Analysis, Rural Development, Social Protection, or in related areas of work of the Organization.
  • Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in social protection in terms of policy and programme development and support;
  • Working knowledge (level C) of English.

     

    FAO Core Competencies

    • Results Focus
    • Teamwork
    • Communication
    • Building Effective Relationships
    • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

       

      Technical/Functional Skills

      • Excellent command of written and spoken English;
      • Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills;
      • Readiness to carry out visits to project sites and duty travel as required;
      • Flexibility and adaptability to work with tight deadlines;
      • Excellent team-building and cross-cultural skills;
      • Experience with the interface between social protection and natural resources management
      • Experience in designing, monitoring and evaluating development policies;
      • Excellent communication skills and experience in working with a wide range of individuals at high levels in government, development partners, private sector and civil society;
      • Experience in preparing high quality policy briefs and guidance notes for use by senior policy makers; 
      • Familiarity with social protection policies and programmes in Malawi will be an added advantage
      • Familiarity with FAO Project Cycle and FAO Systems
      • Hand-on expertise in terms of cash and/or cash programming;