WFP Human Resources Officer – South Africa

Closes 22 Jan 2023

StaffDesk January 14, 2023

0 3 minutes read

WFP Background

September 1962, northern Iran. An earthquake strikes the area of Boein Zahra, More than 12,000 people die. Thousands of houses are destroyed. Cataclysmic for its victims, the tremor is also a baptism of fire for the World Food Programme: the institution has only existed for a matter of months. Even so, it quickly sends survivors 1,500 metric tons of wheat, 270 tons of sugar and 27 tons of tea.

Created in 1961 (at the behest of US President Dwight Eisenhower) as an experiment to provide food aid through the UN system, WFP is to be reassessed within three years. As crises multiply, the experiment proves its worth. A typhoon makes landfall in Thailand. Newly independent Algeria must repatriate and feed its war refugees. In every case, WFP rises to the task. Its mission is emergency aid, but also rehabilitation. A first development programme is launched in 1963 for Nubians in Sudan.

That same year, WFP’s first school meals project – in Togo – is approved. The principle of food aid as a central plank of emergency and development aid gains ground. In 1965, WFP is enshrined as a fully-fledged UN programme: it is to last for “as long as multilateral food aid is found feasible and desirable”.

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Subsequent decades consolidate WFP’s role. Crises spill over the years, revealing hunger’s deadly prevalence, marking the conscience of humanity. But catastrophe spurs resourcefulness. The logistics of food aid are revolutionised. During the long famines which affect the western Sahel in the 1970s, WFP uses everything in its power – from car to camel, from road to river – to assist those in need. Thirty cargo aircraft, drawn from 12 national air forces, take to the airs. Ethiopia’s famine of 1984 further concentrates minds and means: WFP delivers 2 million tons of food. In 1989, Operation Lifeline Sudan is launched: leading a consortium of UN agencies and charities alongside UNICEF, WFP releases 1.5 million tons of food into the skies above was has since become South Sudan. The dawn-to-dusk, 20-aircraft, three-sorties-a-day airdrop remains, to this day, the largest in history. It saved hundreds of thousands of lives

Organizational Context: This position is found in Johannesburg Regional Bureau and typically reports to the Senior Regional HR officer or the designate. The Job holder will operate with minimal supervision and provides guidance to junior staff to ensure that operational and project objectives are achieved. he/she is heavily involved in day–to-day activities and analytical work. The Job holder will provide advice on low complex issues, applying HR rules, regulations and expertise in making determinations and recommendations across a range of activities.

Recruiter	World Food Programme (WFP)
Position	Human Resources Officer NOB
Location	Johannesburg
Country	South Africa
Official Website	https://www.wfp.org/
Qualification	University degree
Experience Required	Two years
Application Deadline	22 January 2023

WFP Job Summary

Experience:

Three or more years of postgraduate professional experience in Human Resources with an interest in international humanitarian development.

Knowledge & Skills:

Broad or specialised knowledge of HR best practices, techniques and processes with some understanding of the basic theoretical background.
Ability to supervise and support more junior and/or less experienced members of the team.
Ability to work with minimal supervision.
Ability to analyze data, draw conclusions and recommend a course of action.
Good communication skills required to give and receive information and work with a variety of individuals.
Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with clients and provide client-oriented service. Ability to identify client’s needs and match them to appropriate solutions.
Knowledge of, or the ability to quickly assimilate, UN/WFP specific processes and systems.

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