Ombuds Consultant

at  World Food Programme

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

19 February 2025-23:59-GMT+02:00 South Africa Standard Time (Johannesburg)
WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: Advanced University degree in social sciences, law, administration, human
resources or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional years of relevant work experience and/or training/courses in alternative dispute resolution or conflict management.
Experience: Minimum of 5 (five) years of relevant experience in the field of conflict resolution, preferably with previous experience as an organizational Ombudsperson with knowledge of the UN system.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Conflict Resolution: Demonstrates professional competence in conflict resolution, seeking fair and equitable solutions to and prevention of employment-related problems. Demonstrates ability to respond to problems creatively and to mobilise, empower or enable other actors to respond where necessary.
• Analysis: Is able to analyse a wide range of factors affecting conflict dynamics and to identify systemic issues (with regard to policies, procedures, practices, structure, culture or attitude) and to formulate clear recommendations for addressing those issues in order to facilitate change at the systemic level.
• Communication: Is able to create a safe setting in which visitors feel comfortable in bringing forward issues or concerns, by demonstrating mature listening skills and the ability to establish rapport and gain trust and respect; speaks and writes clearly and effectively, tailors language, tone, style, and format to match the audience.
• Training and development: Has experience in developing, designing and delivering training programs on various topics related to the field of conflict resolution.
• Outreach and Stakeholder Management: Understands the importance of outreach and is able to deliver oral presentations to various audiences; is able to diplomatically handle sensitive information and cultivate productive relationships with target audience and stakeholders.

Languages: Fluency (level C) in English and French.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. The mission of WFP is to help achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.
Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.
The Office of the Ombudsperson & Mediation Services (OBD) supports employees to address any work-related problem or conflict in a confidential, informal, independent, and impartial manner.
This position is part of WFP’s Office of the Ombudsperson & Mediation Services and reports to the Senior Ombuds Officer & Mediator based in HQ. The position will be outposted in the WFP’s Regional Bureau of Southern Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, from where the incumbent will provide a range of conflict resolution services to the WFP employees.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Establish a new and independent regional presence of the WFP OBD to provide immediate and tailor-made support, responses and interventions in workplace related issues and conflicts throughout the region.
Provide a comprehensive range of ombuds services to WFP employees while safeguarding and maintaining the principles of Ombuds practice: confidentiality, impartiality, informality, and independence.
In confidential one-on-one meetings, explore with employees and managers their options for addressing their workplace concerns; provide coaching to address their issues autonomously and guide them to adequate sources of information.
When required and deemed appropriate, provide the following ombuds services: mediation, facilitation, shuttle diplomacy or other intervention. Strengthen the conflict resolution skills of WFP’s employees; conduct training on various topics related to conflict resolution and management as part of OBD’s global capacity building programme.
Develop a regional advocacy and outreach strategy to create awareness about the Ombuds services and the organization’s system of internal justice.
Manage relationships with stakeholders and related Ombuds offices in the Southern Africa region and collaborate to enhance the impact of services. Identify systemic issues, trends and patterns in the workplace, and provide early warning, upward feedback and recommendations, for action to senior managers including Regional and Country Directors, and stakeholders.
Maintain regular consultation with the Ombuds Office in HQ, provide input on existing and proposed policies and systemic issues.
Provide relevant input from the regional perspective into the Annual Report of the Office.
Incorporate gender and diversity perspectives in all areas of work. Increase accessibility to the Ombuds Services as part of the WFP system of internal justice by traveling regularly to the various offices and sub-offices in the region, and providing outreach, training and systemic feedback on location.
Analyse, follow up, and close cases in coordination with the case management system of the Office. Perform any other duties, as assigned.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Strong analytical, written and oral communication skills, as well as conceptual thinking
• Demonstrated knowledge of current best practices in organizational Ombudsperson functions and alternative conflict resolution tools and ability to adhere to professional ethical principles (independence, impartiality, confidentiality and informality)
• Demonstrable report and presentation writing skills
• Ability to build rapport and relationships with relevant constituencies
• Ability to collect, collate and analyse data in an efficient manner
• Proven ability to produce outputs independently with minimal supervision or guidance.
  Terms and Conditions
  WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.
  Please visit the following website for detailed information on working with WFP.
  http://www.wfp.org
  Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.
  Deadline for applications: …….
  Ref.: VA No. …….
  All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
  No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.