As a member of the Global Centre External Engagement and Resource Development Unit of the WV Disaster Management (DM) Team, this role will provide leadership to National Offices in resource acquisition in humanitarian sector.
The position is accountable for ensuring there is growth in humanitarian grants with a focus on Food, Cash transfer and UN Multilateral across the globe. This involves deepening WV current engagement with the UN multi-laterals (UNWFP, UNICEF, UNOCHA and UNHCR) and other donors e.g. USAID, DFID, USDA and ECHO that support Food, Cash and other sectors within the humanitarian response. Through these engagements the post holder will influence national offices to diversify programme portfolio and donor base as well as contribute to strengthening partnership linkages for humanitarian responses at regional and national level.
The position provides thought leadership in the documentation of learnings from the national offices, shares promising practices across the WV Partnership as well as with other relevant external stakeholders to influence the growth of humanitarian grants. The Technical Advisor is the WV representative to all inter-agency coordination mechanisms with a bearing on food assistance (such as Food and Nutrition security clusters, Cash Working Groups, NEPAD, SADC, EAC, ECOWAS), and the role also leads the prepositioning of WV with donors for funding opportunities at regional and national office level.
Resource Development Leadership:
- Responsible for the contribution to the development of the resource mobilization strategy for WV.
- Accountable for effective technical guidance and support in the implementation of integrated humanitarian NO strategy within specified regions for acquisition of resources.
- Keep up to date with humanitarian funding flows, research, policy guidance and initiatives and ensure dissemination to relevant stakeholders within DM teams both at the National Office (NO), Regional Office (RO) and Global Centre (GC) levels.
- Conduct field visits to support design of new grants and work alongside the NO to ensure funding is secured.
Ensure technical field support for humanitarian funding (food, cash and UN-Multilaterals) as needed by national offices:
- Accountable for the achievement of the WV growth strategy for Humanitarian grants target (Food, Cash transfer and UN grants), identify countries where needs exist, influence and lobby NO and RO decision makers to expand the grants and enter new markets.
- Responsible for technical reviews of design documents (proposals, log-frames and budgets) for alignment with donor and WV guidelines and humanitarian sector standards.
- Accountable for effective production of food, cash and UN Multilateral budgets for compliance with WV Programme Investment and Management policy and match booking guidelines.
- Analyze proposal and budget for alignment with NO, RO and partnership policies and strategies, i.e. do no harm, accountability to affected populations, Sphere and LEAP.
- Provides Regional level support to nurture relationships with UN Multi laterals i.e. WFP, UNICEF, OCHA and UNHCR as well as other donors like ECHO, USAID.
- When required, brokers contracts with donors when issues escalate from the NO.
- Lead management of match and internal WV resources appropriately to attract funding and grow programs.
- Influence support offices participation in multilaterals contracts and booking of resources.
- Hold in-country visits to support and/or lead in program design, and facilitate and influence negotiations with donors and stakeholders engagement.
- Lead capacity building of programming staff to meet established donor, WV and humanitarian standards.
- Coordinate, lead, facilitate or participate in field assessments, surveys and evaluations to ensure quality food assistance program design, effective design workshops, mid-term reviews and end of project evaluations.
Grow and diversify WV’s humanitarian funding and donor base:
- Responsible for influencing GAM teams at all levels; national offices, regional office and support offices for disaster management grants acquisition in food, cash and multilateral donors.
- Accountable for fostering close collaboration with national offices and regional office in engagement with current multi-laterals (WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF and OCHA) and other donors (USAID, DFID, USDA and ECHO) for purposes of maintaining and growing WV’s market share in disaster management programming.
- Coordinate closely with other DM units to influence and enhance WV’s ability to access funding from diverse donors.
Influence national offices to form consortia and partnerships for localization and programme reach and impact:
- Influence national offices to identify local partnership opportunities, and capacitate them to build and manage better partnerships.
- Responsible for ensuring NO to develop strategic partnerships with private sector with guidance of partnership and innovation team in the region. More intentional engagements with private sector/corporates (telecommunication companies, banks, micro finance organizations and other institutions) for value addition, effectiveness, timeliness and efficiency of aid delivery.
- Motivate and guide national offices in documentation of partnering experience for learning purposes.
- Collaborate with DMT-Humanitarian Partnerships to build capacity of national office staff on partnering brokering process and track local partnering portfolio.
- Develop partnering and integration guidelines to utilize in training of NOs on how to increase opportunities for food assistance programs.
External Engagement:
- Collaborate with Regional GAM/DM teams on inter-agency platforms engagement to influence resource flow and positioning for WV.
- Review, map and monitor humanitarian trends, funding landscape, donor funding availability and flows, priorities, policies and strategies at regional and country level.
- Disseminate technical information, analysis on humanitarian trends and donor(s) funding landscape, funding flows and opportunities to national offices.
- Accountable for representing WV at external workshops, technical forums, national and regional working groups and participates in the steering committee for regional groups etc. Engaging with food assistance community of practice, donors and other partners. Ensure WV prominent actor at all levels; networking.
- Contribute to national strategy or national plans e.g. assessments and responses.
- Responsible for ensuring NO establish partnership agreements with government institutions, NGOs and international bodies.
- Identify the opportunities in-country and walks alongside NOs to persuade these external institutions where we have shared interests, the benefits of collaborating together toward joint solutions by implementing specific FA programs.
- Compile updated fact sheets on humanitarian assistance for WV to support with resource mobilization and advocacy.
Support expansion of cash based programs for disaster management grants:
- Lead the growth of Cash transfers for Multi laterals within WV partnership in specified regions.
- Analyze, document and share best practices in CBP for learning across the WV partnership and externally.
- Coordinate and influence capacity building of programming staff to meet established cash based programming standards.
- Extract important information arising from increasing cash programming and work with the GC DM team to analyze and publicize promising practices and propose solutions to tackle challenges encountered.
- A deep knowledge of the food assistance and nutrition issues that affect the region, with significant experience in managing multi-sector food assistance programs in the region.
- Excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills, particularly in a cross-cultural environment.
- Excellent organizational, time management, demonstrated leadership and good management ability.
- Ability to influence internal and external stakeholders and represent WV, particularly with donors and partners.
- Minimum of 5 years in humanitarian work focusing on relief and development programmes.
- 10 years’ experience in in project design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, training/capacity building, conceptual programme planning in both a relief and development setting.
- Significant bi-lateral, multi-lateral donor grant experience in program design, implementation, funding acquisition and reporting.
- Language requirements as appropriate to specific regions.
Preferred Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
- Program Design including needs and market assessment.
- Strategy development.
- Theory of change and logical framework development.
- Budget development/management, including knowledge of general accounting and budgeting principles.
- Database management, statistical skills and ability to critically evaluate data.
- Mentoring and capacity building.
- Professional experience in training/capacity building.
- Research and evaluation experience.
- Partnership negotiation.
- Multi-sectoral/integrated program design and implementation.
Work Environment/Travel:
- The position requires ability and willingness to travel to communities where field-based projects are implemented, up to 30% of the time.