UN World Food Programme Procurement Assistant (Food Safety and Quality Capacity Strengthening) Jobs in Rwanda
Organizational Context
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. WFP Rwanda works in partnership with the Government and other stakeholders through the direct implementation of integrated programmes targeting the most vulnerable people and will progressively shift towards building national capacity to formulate, manage and implement programmes for achieving zero hunger.
In implementing its activities, WFP will bridge the humanitarian–development nexus and leverage its extensive experience and the contributions it has made in Rwanda over many decades in order to achieve four strategic outcomes outlined in the WFP Country Strategic Plan (CSP). Strategic Outcome 2 focuses on ensuring that vulnerable populations in food-insecure communities and areas have improved access to adequate and nutritious food all year.
WFP Rwanda, Under Strategic Outcome 2, has close engagement in the national school feeding agenda. WFP provides school feeding in food insecure areas and, at the same time, acts as a key technical partner of the Government of Rwanda in developing and expanding the National School Feeding Programme (NSFP) that was launched in 2021, providing school meals in all public schools from pre-primary to the secondary level funded from the national budget.
Background and Purpose of the Assignement
In 2021, WFP launched a 3-year initiative called the Power of Procurement for Nutrition (PP4N) with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, which focuses on leveraging institutional food procurement for school feeding to become a major promoter for food and nutrition security, create at-scale demand necessary to enable at-scale supply, jumpstart sustainable virtuous cycles that ignite commercial markets and lead to affordable healthy diets for all.
The project’s vision is to enable nutrition-positive, budget-neutral approach to improving the diets of the most vulnerable while growing the market for nutritious foods and in the long term aims to incorporate carbon and environmental neutrality. PP4N is based on 4 pillars:
Procurement: supply of nutritious and safe food, capacity strengthening on food supply chain management and procurement, with focus on food safety and quality and social and behavior change communications,
Policy: policy influencing and advocacy around nutrition in public procurement and building systems and capacities for the safe and cost-efficient utilization of other nutritious foods,
Data: invest in areas of evidence deemed necessary like Global Meal Quality Score (GMQS) and market assessments and
Innovation: identify and test different models for delivery of affordable nutritious meals for school children e.g., renewable energy, new menu options etc.
This position will be responsible for supporting the implementation of activities related to pillar 1: Procurement.
Job Purpose
Provide capacity strengthening, operational support, monitoring and evaluation, and training focused on perishable and non-perishable food items for school feeding. This position will support districts (Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru) and schools in those districts, both in oversight and providing capacity strengthening on food safety practices and procedures for school feeding.
This includes ensuring that fresh foods and food products (including animal-source foods) at school level as well as commodities at district level (rice, maize flour, beans, oil, sugar) meet the established standards of quality and safety set by national regulatory authorities, inspecting the workplace for compliance and identifying any areas of concern, investigating customer complaints, and preparing reports on food quality and safety.
This position will be based in WFP Huye Field Office, and the incumbent will work closely with WFP Procurement staff, and the School Feeding team and the Food Safety and Quality Officer in the Country Office. The incumbent will be under the overall supervision of the Head of Field office and will report to the Logistics Officer (Food Technologist).
Key Accountabilities
Provide technical expertise and guidance to schools for improved food handling and food safety practices in food storage and management in school feeding programmes.
Assist in developing and maintaining a quality assurance programme, ensuring that food products meet the established standards of quality and food safety
Prepare training programs and conduct training courses for staff in school kitchen on food handling, storage, and food serving activities, i.e., equipment, utensils, and dishes, cooks and meals, and good cleaning and sanitation practices at schools.
Support in education or capacity building on food quality and safety for school feeding in Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru districts.
Undertake activities related to training need assessment, and provision of training courses around quality and safety, food handling and storage, especially cereal products, pulses, roots, tubers, legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables, milk/dairy products, salts, oil, and water.
Undertake food supply and store quality audits to identify non-conformities and propose corrective actions required (arrange, coordinate, and participate in external quality audits)
Support schools in food procurement activities and advise on food handling, transport and storage of perishable and non-perishable food commodities.
Conceptualize awareness, training, and technical assistance based on need assessment, organize, and conduct awareness campaigns, and technical assistance as per the established plan.
Contribute to building the capacity of smallholder farmers and local millers in the districts to supply the National School Feeding Programme, with regard to food quality and safety, as well as food fortification standards to comply with when supplying schools.
Undertake impact assessment of training courses and technical assistance in the school feeding programme.
Follow up the implementation of proposed corrective actions and recommendations after a quality audit, and timely report on the progress made.
Supporting WFP and partners in recommending areas of improvement to implementing relevant activities regarding food quality and safety.
Ensure that all records and documentation related to the role are properly kept and maintained.
Contribute to the development of sampling plans and procedures for testing product quality/ quality control purposes.
Participate in quality management system reviews and promote quality and food safety policies to all personnel.
Review and report the principle causes of quality loss and non-conformance
Deliverables at the End of the Contract
Quarterly inspection and quality audit reports
Capacity strengthening trainings to stakeholders
Lessons learnt report after one year
Qualifications and Exprience Required
Education:
Food Science and Technology, or development studies, nutrition, M&E and education or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional related work experience and/or trainings/courses
Experience:
At least 5 years of work experience in Food safety and quality, food supply chain, school feeding programmes, capacity strengthening processes and/or other related fields.
Knowledge & Skills:
Demonstrated technical experience in designing, providing capacity strengthening related to food quality and safety, food handling and storage, especially cereal products and fruits and vegetables.
Experience in coordinating and assisting with technical training and overall competency to management and employees with regards to food preparation, food serving, staff hygiene and behavior, food safety program, pest control, and hygiene /cleaning practices.
Demonstrated broad knowledge in food security, nutrition, food quality and safety, as well as school feeding programs in Rwanda.
Skills in maintenance and coordination of food quality and safety programs to maintain compliance with requirements.
Ability to write clearly, and strong communication and presentation skills
Languages:
Must have fluency in English, and Kinyarwanda
How to Apply
For more information and job application details, see; UN World Food Programme Procurement Assistant (Food Safety and Quality Capacity Strengthening) Jobs in Rwanda
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