Overview
The role of Programme Policy Officer (Early Warning Analyst) is to strengthen early warning systems and translate food security and nutrition analysis into timely, evidence-based programming and operational responses for vulnerable populations in Afghanistan.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead in the development of an early warning strategy and methodologies incorporating famine, disaster, and nutrition early warning.
- Design a practicable and operational early warning workstream responsive to the Afghanistan context.
- Provide expert guidance and early warning analysis for internal and external operations.
- Support geographical targeting using near real-time monitoring of drivers of food security and nutrition.
- Lead the management and implementation of a comprehensive early warning and GIS workstream.
- Manage an early warning and GIS unit, operational partnerships, and external representation.
- Strengthen early warning capacities for WFP and its partners.
- Support in informing context analysis and monitoring for external contributions.
- Produce integrated context and food security analysis and coordinate its application to programming and operations.
- Ensure analysis drives concrete changes in programming with client units and teams.
- Support Area Offices (AOs) from within the country RAM unit.
- Work across all relevant units and teams, including collaborating with Gender & Protection, Security, Access, and others.
- Function as a link between the Country Office and stakeholders relevant to food security and context analysis.
- Provide expert advice and support on early warning analysis on food security and nutrition.
- Provide analysis to support strategic thinking for programming and operations.
- Lead and conduct complex early warning analysis on food security, nutrition, markets and resilience.
- Provide advice and guidance on the development of program activities, technical analysis, interpretation and recommendations.
- Inform or develop analysis to conduct geographical targeting contextualized to Afghanistan.
- Optimize geographical and beneficiary targeting.
- Provide comprehensive analysis inputs for IPC and national assessments.
- Provide technical analysis to support strategic efforts including anticipatory action and shock-responsive social protection.
- Implement a fully operational early warning system addressing famine, disaster, and nutrition risks.
- Develop and implement an early warning strategy.
- Coordinate and provide technical analysis, recommendations and learnings to improve the early warning workstream.
- Build capacities of WFP partners and external actors around early warning analysis.
- Lead the production of high-quality products on early warning for internal and external purposes.
- Overall management of service providers contributing to the early warning workstream.
- Lead innovations around early warning.
- Develop and validate early warning systems and thresholds to activate anticipatory actions.
- Engage communities in co-designing context-specific response plans.
- Foster collaboration with stakeholders, train WFP staff and partners, and standardize best practices.
- Co-create localized preparedness plans with communities.
- Enhance crisis mitigation through early warning and anticipatory action systems.
- Strengthen inter-agency and national collaborations.
- Identify potential funding opportunities for early warning and anticipatory action projects.
- Support the preparation of concept notes, proposals, and fundraising materials.
- Contribute to donor engagement by providing project data, success stories, and impact information.
- Assist in documenting results and lessons learned.
- Represent WFP during meetings with partners.
- Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of work.
- Ensure recommendations for programs are conflict-sensitive.
- Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Required Experience
- At least 6 years professional experience, including in famine early warning and general context analysis
- 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
- Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches
- High familiarity with WFP programming and ways of working as well as food security, and major contextual issues generally, in Afghanistan and/or demonstrated ability and willingness to rapidly acquire such in-depth knowledge
- Advanced knowledge of food insecurity and vulnerability measurement and analysis
- Demonstrated experience in humanitarian and other data collection, management, and analysis
- Advanced knowledge of the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) framework, related processes, and outputs; IPC certification an asset.
Qualifications
Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with 2 additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
