Asociado/a de Programas de Protección Social

Job Posting Organization:
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build pathways to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impacts of climate change. Established in 1961, WFP operates in over 80 countries, employing thousands of staff members who work tirelessly to ensure effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people globally. WFP is recognized for its commitment to diversity and inclusion, and it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to combat hunger and promote security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security.

Job Overview:
The position of Associate Social Protection Programs aims to support the implementation of initiatives focused on strengthening social protection systems. This role is crucial in enhancing the effectiveness, coverage, and responsiveness of these systems, ensuring alignment with national priorities, the WFP Country Strategic Plan, and global commitments related to sustainable development goals. The Associate will contribute technically to the design, implementation, and monitoring of social protection initiatives and projects, ensuring they align with national policies and institutional frameworks. The role also involves supporting the operational management of social protection projects, ensuring timely compliance with work plans, targets, and established indicators. The Associate will work closely with government institutions to strengthen their capacities in social protection, disaster financial preparedness, and risk financing mechanisms, coordinating with technical counterparts and strategic partners.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the execution of WFP's strategic actions in social protection, including adaptive social protection mechanisms and disaster risk financing, ensuring timely and quality delivery according to the logical framework and work plan.
• Support synergy actions with other social protection projects at the national, regional, and international levels.
• Plan, manage, and monitor funds allocated to the social protection component of ongoing projects, ensuring compliance with donor reporting requirements.
• Coordinate necessary actions for the successful execution of activities and achievement of indicators under WFP's responsibility, focusing on enhancing the capacity of social protection systems and disaster risk management in the Dominican Republic.
• Coordinate social protection activities in active projects, identifying specialist requirements and specific missions, relevant findings to adapt project progress, and defining strategies for achieving results.
• Translate corporate and regional policies and strategies related to social protection into country-level practices.
• Formulate substantial parts of the National Strategic Plan in line with institutional and regional policies and strategies of WFP regarding social protection.
• Design and manage a complex portfolio of social protection programs that effectively meet food security and nutrition needs.
• Ensure optimal use of allocated financial resources to achieve established social protection objectives within a significant budget. 1
• Identify strategic entry points for WFP to support the formulation and application of appropriate policy solutions based on solid political problem analysis and evaluation of available solutions. 1
• Establish and maintain strategic and operational partnerships for complementary and collaborative approaches and initiatives that enhance social protection and support related advocacy efforts across relevant audiences. 1
• Increase WFP's leadership in various forums related to social protection. 1
• Promote resource mobilization for a broad portfolio of WFP social protection activities, including articulating a feasibility study for WFP contributions to social protection and exploring new potential resource channels. 1
• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts for WFP's social protection activities, articulating arguments for WFP contributions to social protection and exploring new potential resource channels. 1
• Manage or supervise the preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports, publications, and a variety of knowledge products or proposals for internal or external use that position and reinforce WFP's credibility as a partner in social protection. 1
• Advise and support the design of learning initiatives that enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partners to engage in relevant policy dialogues on social protection and in the design and execution of programs. 1
• Contribute to the generation, documentation, and dissemination of relevant knowledge to support national solutions against hunger. 1
• Support the implementation of WFP's Country Strategic Plan. 1
• Other duties as necessary.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in environmental management, social sciences, human rights, economics, or related fields relevant to WFP competencies.
• Minimum of 6 years of professional experience in social protection, social policies, or related areas.
• Experience in supporting the management or coordination of projects.
• Knowledge or experience in cash transfers, emergency preparedness, and/or disaster risk financing is an advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, knowledge of gender in emergencies and humanitarian protection, and strong interpersonal relationships; ability to work in a multicultural and interdisciplinary team environment and under pressure.
• Ability to relate to people in the workplace with patience and tact, discretion, and confidentiality.
• Conflict management skills in personal and professional settings.
• Strong interpersonal and coordination skills, ability to work in a team and communicate clearly and diplomatically with a wide range of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds.
• Proactive, independent, with the ability to plan and organize work efficiently, meeting commitments, deadlines, and achieving results. 1
• Ability to work under pressure and in stressful situations.

Educational Background:
A bachelor's degree in environmental management, social sciences, human rights, economics, or areas closely related to WFP competencies is required for this position. This educational background is essential to understand the complexities of social protection systems and their alignment with national and global frameworks.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 6 years of professional experience in social protection, social policies, or related fields. Candidates should have experience in supporting the management or coordination of projects, with a strong understanding of social protection mechanisms and their implementation. Knowledge or experience in cash transfers, emergency preparedness, and disaster risk financing will be considered an advantage, as these areas are critical to the role's responsibilities.

Languages:
Fluency in spoken and written Spanish is mandatory, along with advanced knowledge of English. Proficiency in these languages is essential for effective communication and collaboration within the diverse and multicultural environment of WFP, as well as for engaging with various stakeholders and partners.

Additional Notes:
The position is full-time and may involve working in a dynamic and challenging environment. WFP is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. The organization does not charge any fees in connection with the application or recruitment process. All applications must be submitted exclusively through WFP's online recruiting system, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stages of the recruitment process. WFP emphasizes the importance of an inclusive work environment free from discrimination and harassment.