School Meals Digital Solutions Project Manager, Consultant II at World Food Programme

The World Food Programme is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
These roles are likely found in Headquarters (HQ), Regional Bureaux (RBs) or Country Offices (COs). Job holders are likely to report to the relevant Director or more senior programme post.

Job holders are likely to manage a moderate portfolio of activities that may include contribution to and/or direct management of programmes in COs of moderate complexity, or contribution to policy formulation and provision of technical advice at RB or HQ level for a defined area of expertise. Job holders operate with considerable independence in their specialities and may manage a substantial team of junior professional and support staff
JOB PURPOSE
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 80 million people every day - delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

As conflict and climate change drive up the number of hungry people in the world and in Kenya, finding innovative solutions to the complex humanitarian & development challenges in the region is essential, now perhaps more than ever.

WFP has a strong presence in the field and in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) counties, with a proven track record of implementing innovative solutions in the deep field and challenging environments. Its unique ability to reach the most vulnerable people and understand their needs have brought about a consolidated network in the innovation ecosystem both in Kenya and globally.

The Kenya Country Office Innovation Unit facilitates new ideas' design, testing, and implementation, with a vision to curate and scale empowering, sustainable, and innovative solutions that accelerate the achievement of Zero Hunger for WFP Kenya and beyond.

One of WFP’s innovation efforts to improve programme quality is the development and rollout of a school meal digital platform to increase near real-time data availability from operations and enable better and quicker decision making. Many of these innovative solutions are focusing on WFP operations but then can be linked with national reporting and monitoring systems in support of government-led programmes. Thus, WFP is fostering digital solutions for attendance tracking, monitoring of meals served, and stock management in schools, accompanied with the development of integrated reporting dashboards, and a digital solution that Governments can use to create and manage school menus.

Due to the specificity of the coordination requirements, a dedicated project manager is required to coordinate, bridge, and ensure convergence of the various units working towards the implementation of this broad digital solution development effort from the HQ, regional and country level.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)
As the school meals digital solutions project manager in the Innovation Hub team, you will support the rollout of the school feeding digital solution linked to the School Connect and PLUS projects in Kenya’s Kakuma/Kalobeyei and Dadaab camps. By monitoring closely this rollout performance and lessons learned, you will be able to create the necessary knowledge and SOPs to be reproduced and shared in the East Africa region. Using the Kenyan example, you will hone the East African school meal digital solution best practices necessary to support other countries in the enhancement of school-based programmes data collection through rollouts of digital solutions at country level.

As the dedicated project manager, your task will be to ensure that the products developed by HQ’s School-Based Programme Division are well adapted and tailored to the Kenyan and East African needs and context.

The key tool being rolled out is the School Connect application, which tracks attendance, consumption, and stock movements at school level in WFP-operated School Meals programmes worldwide. Another application is School Meals Planner PLUS, which enables WFP and Governments to develop school meals menus that reduce costs, increase local procurement, and improve the nutritional content. You will collaborate closely with the Rome-based digital team managing the development and rollout of digital solutions and the Innovation Hub in Kenya Country Office, as well as with the School Feeding, Monitoring and Evaluation, Supply Chain, Technology and Management units. You may also provide support to additional WFP Country Offices in the rollout of digital solutions, as appropriate.

Through your “hands on” and “make it happen” attitude and by sharing your own thoughts and ideas with the team, you will contribute significantly to advancing school meals programmes and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

JOB DESCRIPTION

You will work within the Innovation Unit of the Kenya Country Office under the direct supervision of the Head of Innovation. You will carry out your activities in close collaboration with the School- Based Programmes Division in Headquarters and relevant Regional Bureau units. Your accountabilities and responsibilities include:

Serve as the main focal point to project manage the School Connect rollout in refugee camps in Kenya and provide support, as appropriate, for the implementation of School Connect in other countries.
Update and maintain the Kenya rollout plan including milestones, roles and responsibilities, user onboarding strategy, and key performance indicators.
In collaboration with RBN and HQ, coordinate the rollout of School Connect to 49 schools in Kenya, ensuring that the platform is operational and active.
Ensure the successful delivery of the School Connect and/or SMP PLUS user onboarding and training for Country Office staff and Cooperating Partners, as needed.
Regularly update the Country Office leadership and SBP staff on project progress and any issues/risks requiring attention.
Set up digital solutions support structure, including training material, cheat sheets, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), to support sustainability of the tools. Ensure Country Office staff has the capacity to utilize the platforms autonomously.
Liaise with the school-based programmes digital team managing technical development of School Connect and SMP PLUS to address identified bugs, issues, etc. and to respond to the needs of the Kenya CO and other COs receiving support:
In collaboration with technical teams in RBN and/or HQ, identify specific analytical needs of the different actors (WFP – management, CO & field level, NGO partners and Government) and follow up on the development of dashboards and/or analytical solutions adapted to the different targets.
Follow-up on the conception of tools and dashboards for the use of the partner Governments, including the Government of Kenya.
Design incident tracking system and organize support capacity for School Connect the with RBN technical helpdesk.
consult with the field teams in Kakuma/Kalobeyei and Dadaab in Kenya, as well as field teams in other supported countries, on the learnings and challenges from the School Connect implementation, ensuring the scale-up approach is sustainable and embedded in day-to-day operations.
Any other business as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT

School Connect rolled out in all schools in Kakuma/Kalobeyei and Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya.
Onboarding and training programme coordinated with Country Office leadership, in consultation with relevant units in RBN and HQ.
Country Office staff (Programme and Monitoring & Evaluation Assistants) trained and backstopped in the use of School Connect, including relevant data sources and Tableau dashboard.
Country Office staff and Cooperating Partners capacitated and guided throughout the project implementation cycle.
Training material, cheat sheets, and SOPs in place.
Key stakeholders at RBN and HQ regularly up to date on project progress.
Report migration and automation scoped, technical gaps identified, data points mapped, and support team capacity from RBN and/or HQ established.
Dashboards adapted to the Country Office(s) and partners’ needs made available in a timely manner.
Capitalization / review of the implementation carried out after 1 month of operations.
Incident tracking system in place and RBN Helpdesk trained on answering questions, addressing bugs and common risks.
Document on best practices for a sustainable scale-up of School Connect created.
Dashboards and adapted tools available and customized for Government(s), as needed.
The rollout of School Connect in other countries supported, as appropriate, to ensure continued successful implementation. Continued remote support to Benin CO to ensure sustainability of its rollout is envisaged.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education:

Master’s degree in international affairs, economics, engineering, business administration, business analytics, computer sciences or other relevant fields.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience, 2 of which at the international level. Experience within the UN system is desirable.
Prior experience managing complex projects and multiple stakeholders with competing priorities and experience with digital monitoring of School Feeding programmes.
Exposure to WFP systems and data technologies (School Connect, Palantir Foundry, COMET, others).

Knowledge and Skills:

Strong project management and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
Expertise with data visualization software (Tableau, others). Proficiency with the Microsoft Toolbox.
Strong attention to details.
Strong communication skills and ability to effectively communicate with a range of technical experts and non-technical staff.
Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in multicultural settings

Language:       Fluency in English and French required.