World Food Programme, Indonesia invites applications from the eligible candidates for the following position:
Position : Consultant (Food Security Monitoring System)
Contract Type : Special Service Agreement
Duration : 6 (six) months with initial 3 month probation period
Duty Station : Jakarta, Indonesia
Accountabilities:
Under
the supervision of the Head of VAM unit and related Program Officer,
the incumbent of the position will be responsible for the following
duties:
Background
The
World Food Programme in Indonesia provides technical support to the
Food Security Agency (FSA) of Indonesia on analysis and monitoring of
the food security situation across the country.
This technical support currently falls large into two products – the
Food Security and Vulnerability Atlas (FSVA) and the Food and Nutrition
Surveillance System (FNSS in Bahasa Indonesia - Sistem Kewaspadaan
Pangan dan Gizi – SKPG). The FSVA is produced every
3-5 years and acts as a benchmark for tracking progress on food
security related indicators across Indonesia. The SKPG, which was
established in 1979, is designed as an early warning system to highlight
potential food security issues and to prompt government
to intervene.
In
practice, the implementation of SKPG faces a number of constraints. Two
of them are: (a) the use of uniform indicators that do not
differentiate between urban, rural, and coastal areas;
and (b) the absence of indicators related to purchasing power or
income, which in reality contribute significantly to food security of
households. To address these shortcomings, the FSA, with technical
support from WFP, plans to revise the SKPG guidelines
to include new indicators of food security and updated thresholds.
Currently, a pilot phase is underway which aims to explore new
indicators and a revised methodology for classification of food
insecurity within the SKPG. This short term pilot phase ultimately
will lead to a broader set of recommendations to improve the SKPG.
In
addition to the SKPG, a broader monitoring system for Indonesia which
examines the impact of climate and natural disasters on food security is
crucial to mitigating such impacts. Previously,
WFP worked closely with the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space
of Indonesia (LAPAN) to produce a monthly Early Warning Bulletin for
Natural Disasters. The bulletin provided information on the latest
weather patterns and made forecasts on possible
droughts and floods and their impact on food security. Due to growing
recognition of climate change impacts on food security, more partners
are interested in receiving the bulletin. There has been discussion
between LAPAN, FSA and WFP to strengthen information
sharing on climate change and natural disasters impact on food security
in Indonesia. It has been suggested that technical working group
between LAPAN, FSA and WFP jointly prepare and implement the bulletin in
the most effective, efficient and beneficial manner
for strengthening capacities of monitoring, analyzing and reporting on
climate conditions, natural disasters and its potential impacts on food
security for early warning and timely planning of appropriate responses
for the Government of Indonesia.
Objectives
In
order to ensure timely execution of WFP’s technical support to the SKPG
and reinstatement of Food Security Monitoring Bulletins in Indonesia, a
consultant is required to coordinate these
activities. The objectives of this consultancy are 1) to ensure WFP’s
technical inputs to the SKPG are well communicated and heard by the
SKPG’s Technical Working Group (TWG), 2) to coordinate all technical
partners of the SKPG so that the pilot phase produces
results that can be used to improve the overall system, 3) to build
consensus among stakeholders on the implementation plan for monitoring
bulletins, and 4) coordinate the production of regular monitoring
bulletins.
Scope of work
The
consultant will act as the primary focal point for the SKPG pilot work,
managing and coordinating meetings of the TWG and the SKPG consultant
at Bogor Agricultural University (Institut Pertanian Bogor – IPB).
She/he must have a strong technical understanding of food security and
nutrition monitoring systems – providing technical guidance on issues
relating to measurement and classification of geographic areas based
upon the food and nutrition security conceptual
framework. Following completion of the pilot data collection of the
SKPG, she/he will work closely with the consultant at IPB to run
statistical analyses of the newly collected data and to appropriately
refine the indicators and methodology to facilitate an
improved early warning system.
The
consultant will also act as the primary focal point on the
re-establishment of food security monitoring bulletins. As the focal
point, they will be tasked with coordination of a technical working
group and
creating content in conjunction with WFP’s GIS expert, the technical
lead for the project. The monitoring bulletin will be published with
Government on a quarterly basis.
Duration and location
This
consultancy is required to begin as soon as possible and for a
probationary period of 2 months. Following successful completion of 2
months, an additional contract of up to 6 months will be issued. The
consultant will work from the WFP Jakarta office and meet frequently
with counterparts in government, particularly the Food Security Agency,
Ministry of Agriculture, LAPAN, Ministry of Health, and other relevant
partners.
Minimum qualifications and experience
- Advanced university degree in agriculture, statistics, public health, nutrition, or a related field
- Expert in statistical analysis of food security and nutrition data with strong preference for specific experience in food security monitoring systems
- Ability to work closely with partners in UN Agencies as well as Government
- Extensive knowledge of food security and nutrition concepts
- Excellent writing and communication skills in English and Bahasa Indonesia
Only candidates meeting the above requirements are requested to apply.
Female candidates are especially encouraged to apply. Applications should be addressed by E-mail to:
Jakarta.Vacancy@wfp.org
All applications should include an updated CV, a photograph and three references and should be received no later than
10 June 2015.
“Only short-listed candidates will be contacted”
