DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS24 November 2025-23:59-GMT Greenwich Mean Time (Dakar)
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The World Food Programme is the worldโs 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 climate change.
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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 (Local Food Systems Development)
TYPE OF CONTRACT: CST Level II
UNIT/DIVISION: Food Systems
DUTY STATION (City, Country): WACARO DAKAR
DURATION: 11 months
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Since 1998, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) has partnered with WFP to support smallholder farmers (SHFs) and strengthen local food systems in West Africa. This collaboration has focused on rice and cereal production, post-harvest loss reduction, horticulture, nutrition, and linkages to Home-Grown School Feeding.
Following 25 years of cooperation, the framework of the MAFF-supported initiative in Senegal has evolved. While past projects were implemented directly between MAFF and WFP Senegal Country Office, the new phase will be managed between MAFF and WFPโs Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa (WACARO), with implementation in a site to be determined. This shift enables the project to consolidate lessons learned, leverage regional expertise, and build partnerships with local and Japanese private sector actors for broader replication across the region.
At the core of this new phase is the establishment of a demonstration farm in a site to be determined, designed as a collaborative platform where smallholder farmers, local cooperatives, researchers, and private companies come together to co-design and test innovative approaches to agricultural and environmental challenges. The farm will serve both as a training ground for SHFs and as a pilot space to introduce adapted technologies, inputs, and business models. By offering real-life experimentation and iterative problem-solving, the farm is expected to strengthen SHF capacities, build trust with private partners, and create replicable models for resilient, competitive, and sustainable agri-food systems.
The assignment will support the effective coordination, implementation, monitoring, and partnership development of this initiative, ensuring alignment with WFPโs Country Strategic Plan (CSP) in Senegal, regional strategies, and national frameworks such as Senegal 2050. Although the initial contract is for 11 months, this is a 3-year project and the contract is likely renewed / extended depending on the performance and the funding availability.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSABILITIES:
1. The consultant will report to the Head of Resilience & Food Systems of WACARO, and the consultant will work in conjunction with the Senegal Country Office and in line with the project budget (project fund management).
2. Coordinate day-to-day project implementation on the pilot site, ensuring activities align with the objectives of MAFF and WFP.
3. Support the establishment and management of the demonstration farm, including collaboration with local cooperatives and private sector partners.
4. Facilitate capacity strengthening of SHFs, focusing on improved production, post-harvest handling, nutrition-sensitive practices, and market linkages.
5. Support the development and operationalization of publicโprivate partnership models, including engagement with Japanese companies, local SMEs, and cooperatives.
6. Contribute to monitoring and evaluation (baseline, process monitoring, endline), ensuring lessons learned are documented and disseminated.
7. Coordinate with national and sub-national government entities, UN agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment with national strategies.
8. Support project reporting requirements, including progress updates to WACARO and MAFF.
9. Contribute to visibility, communications, and knowledge management activities, including dissemination of best practices within Senegal and the region.
10. Undertake regular field missions to monitor activities and ensure quality implementation
11. Recruit national project staff and supervise them
12. Lead the write up of the project document based on the project concept note with support of relevant WACARO units and in conjunction with the Senegal Country Office.
DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
Under the overall supervision of the Head of Resilience and Food Systems, the Consultant will contribute to the implementation of the project for its first year of activities. Specifically, the Consultant will be responsible for achieving the following deliverables within the 11-month period:
1. Project document
2. Project management team set-up
- Project staff recruited
3. Operational demonstration farm
- Pilot site identified and secured in collaboration with partners.
- Site prepared, cropping plan developed, and initial production cycle launched.
4. Capacity development of smallholder farmers (SHFs) and cooperatives
- Capacity needs assessment conducted and validated.
- Capacity development plan designed and approved by stakeholders.
- Initial training modules piloted with selected SHFs and cooperatives.
5. Publicโprivate partnership (PPP) models in agrifood systems
- Mapping of potential private sector partners completed.
- At least one PPP model designed and tested on a pilot basis.
6. Stocktaking of MAFFโWFP collaboration
- Desk review and stakeholder consultations conducted.
- Draft report on lessons learned from 25 years of collaboration produced and validated in a technical workshop.
7. Baseline survey
- Survey methodology and tools developed and validated.
- Baseline data collection completed and preliminary findings shared.
8. Project reporting and knowledge management
- Inputs provided for annual project progress reports, including initial lessons learned.
- Contributions made to documentation of practices and interim recommendations to inform scaling-up..
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
โข Advanced university degree in social sciences or agriculture, agribusiness, agricultural economics, rural development, environmental sciences, or related fields.
โข A first-level university degree with additional relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
Experience:
โข At least 3 years of postgraduate progressively responsible experience in project or programme management in agriculture, food systems, or resilience.
โข Experience in resilience programming, smallholder farmer support, agricultural value chains, or nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
โข Demonstrated experience in partnership building, ideally including engagement with private sector actors.
โข Experience in field-based implementation and coordination with government and local communities.
Knowledge and Skills:
โข Strong understanding of food systems, smallholder farmer challenges, climate-resilient agriculture and home-grown school feeding.
โข Excellent project management, monitoring, and reporting skills.
โข Strong interpersonal and communication skills with ability to coordinate across multiple stakeholders.
โข Familiarity with WFP operations, UN system processes, and donor-funded project implementation.
โข Knowledge of Japanese development cooperation or experience liaising with Japanese partners is an asset.
Languages:
โข Proficiency in Japanese is required, given the liaison role with MAFF and Japanese companies.
โข Fluency (oral and written) in English.
โข Fluency (oral and written) in French.
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REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
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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.
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