DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

24 October 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 East Africa Time (Nairobi)

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.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of extreme weather shocks.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP?

WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer, Emergencies

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultant – Level II

UNIT/DIVISION: Regional Director’s Office (RDO), Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Nairobi, Kenya (with travel)

DURATION: 11 months

Background and Purpose of the Assignment:

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. WFP works in partnership with governments and other stakeholders to deliver integrated programmes to enhance the food and nutrition security of the most vulnerable people and strengthen national capacities to manage programmes for achieving zero hunger.

The Eastern and Southern Africa region is one of the most hazard-affected regions in the world, susceptible to both sudden and slow-onset disasters that can outstrip short-term national response capacities. The Regional Director’s Office provides regional coordination, preparedness, partnership and representation in support of WFP operations in the Eastern and Southern Africa region.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Regional Director, the Regional Emergencies Advisor provides strategic and technical support to the RDO in the coordination of emergency and humanitarian activities in Eastern and Southern Africa. This includes emergency coordination, as well as support to ESARO technical units and Country Offices implementing humanitarian activities as well as coordination with external agencies, including donors and humanitarian/development partners. The incumbent will also support the continued development of information management, communications, and reporting to facilitate informed and timely decision-making at all levels throughout the region.

1. Support the coordination of emergency/humanitarian initiatives and associated communications and information management in the region.
2. Provide advice, technical support and mission travel to WFP ESARO Country Offices, as needed, and ensure regional humanitarian operations are strategically interlinked.
3. Prepare, develop, and review high quality documentation for the RDO, including contributing to resource mobilisation efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: Advanced University degree (master’s degree) in Disaster Management, Economics, International Affairs, Agriculture, Social Sciences or a related field, or a First University Degree with two additional years of related work experience.

Experience:

• 8 years or more of professional experience in humanitarian operations. Experience in coordinating country-level humanitarian operations in large-scale emergencies, preferably for WFP.
• Experience working across multiple areas of the food assistance programming portfolio including General Food Assistance; VAM; Nutrition; Resilience; Anticipatory Action.
• Experience in coordinating and writing successful donor proposals and writing of donor/end of project reports.
• Experience leading emergency food assistance programming and distributions (both in-kind and CBT).
• Experience working in collaboration with a diverse array of humanitarian actors, including governments, NGOs, UN agencies, civil society, etc.
• Experience of coordination and facilitation of meetings.
• Exceptionally strong written English skills in writing of reports and other written material.
• Experience working in Eastern and/or Southern Africa Region is strongly advantageous.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Has led a Sub-Office or a small country/area office programme team or a component of a country office programme portfolio.
• Has engaged in policy discussions and provided input into policy decisions.
• Professional familiarity with the IASC and the Cluster Approach and the international humanitarian response architecture, including coordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform, and funding mechanisms.
• Familiarity with standard Microsoft Office and project management applications including advanced competencies with Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint and similar software.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines.
• Ability to engage effectively at working level with a wide range of actors including those in the international humanitarian community and governments.

Language:

Fluency in both oral and written communication in English is essential.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: global.inclusion@wfp.org

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel. We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

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.