DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS23 October 2025-23:59-GMT+03:00 Eastern European Time (Damascus)
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 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.
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).
Organizational context and Background:
Syria continues to experience one of the worldโs most complex and protracted humanitarian crises. Fourteen years of conflict, economic deterioration, and climate-induced shocks, including severe droughts, wildfires, and earthquakes, have eroded livelihoods and deepened vulnerabilities across all segments of society. More than 14 million people remain in need of humanitarian assistance, with food insecurity, poverty, and displacement persisting at alarming levels.
Against this backdrop, the World Food Programme (WFP) continues to serve as a vital lifeline, providing food, nutrition, and livelihood assistance to millions of people across all governorates. As the operating environment evolves, marked by fragile recovery in some areas and renewed shocks in others, WFPโs approach is increasingly focused on balancing humanitarian response with resilience-building, social protection, and systems strengthening.
Within this evolving context, integrating Gender Equality, Protection, Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), and Disability Inclusion into all aspects of WFPโs work remains essential. Ensuring that assistance is accessible, safe, and equitable for all, particularly for women, children, older persons, and people with disabilities, is not only a moral and legal obligation but also fundamental to achieving lasting food security and social stability.
WFP Syria has made significant progress in advancing gender-responsive, inclusive, and accountable programming through initiatives such as the Integrated Cross-Cutting Context Analysis and Risk Assessment (ICARA), the Gender Equality Certification Programme (GECP), and the expansion of community feedback mechanisms across field offices. Yet, the scale and complexity of Syriaโs operational landscape demand continued investment in institutional capacity, policy coherence, and community engagement.
It is within this framework that WFP Syria seeks to recruit a national Programme Policy Officer (Gender, Protection & Inclusion Team Lead), a technical professional responsible for guiding and coordinating the integration of gender, protection, disability inclusion, and AAP across WFPโs programmes, policies, and partnerships. The role is central to ensuring that WFPโs assistance not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but also contributes to empowerment, equality, and resilience: the cornerstones of a dignified and inclusive recovery.
PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The Programme Policy Officer (Gender, Protection & Inclusion Team Lead) will play a central role in advancing WFP Syriaโs commitment to ensure that all interventions uphold the principles of human dignity, safety, and equality. As the technical lead for Gender, Protection, Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), and Disability Inclusion, the incumbent will guide the integration of these cross-cutting priorities across WFPโs programme portfolio, spanning emergency food assistance, school meals, livelihoods, and social protection.
The officer will provide strategic leadership and technical direction to ensure that WFPโs assistance in Syria is people-centered, conflict-sensitive, and inclusive, and that affected communities are meaningfully engaged throughout the programme cycle. Working closely with field offices, technical units, cooperating partners, and government counterparts, the incumbent will strengthen institutional capacity, promote coherence between humanitarian and resilience-building interventions, and ensure alignment with WFPโs corporate policies and global commitments, including the Gender Policy (2022), Protection and Accountability Policy (2020), and the Community Engagement for AAP Strategy (2022โ2026). The role is based in the country office and will report to the Deputy Head of Programme.
Serving as a key advisor to programme management and CO leadership, the officer will lead efforts to institutionalize protection and gender analysis, community engagement, and accountability mechanisms, while overseeing the operationalization of risk-informed, inclusive, and equitable programme design. The incumbent will also represent WFP in inter-agency coordination fora, driving strategic partnerships and collective action on gender equality, protection, disability inclusion, and AAP. Ultimately, the role aims to ensure that WFP Syriaโs operations not only meet immediate food and nutrition needs but also contribute to the empowerment, safety, and resilience of women, men, girls, and boys, leaving no one behind in the countryโs humanitarian and recovery efforts.
CONTRACT DETAILS:
Contract Type: Fixed Term FT (NOB)
Duration: One Year
Duty Station: Damascus
Number of required employees: 1ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Head of Programme, the Programme Policy Officer (Gender, Protection & Inclusion Team Lead) will be responsible for the following duties:
Support WFP Syria to ensure that programmes are based on context and risk analysis that consider the needs, capacities, vulnerabilities and other important characteristics such as age, gender, and (dis)ability, of affected populations receiving assistance. This will be done by conducting protection analysis for each WFPโs programme and working with programme staff to integrate protection and AAP throughout the programme management cycle (design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation). Coordinate knowledge management, information and analysis to ensure integrated protection and disability inclusion, AAP, and gender-sensitive data collection, analysis, monitoring, reporting and decision-making such as on the integrated cross-cutting context analysis and risk assessment (ICARA). Provide strategic and technical advice for the integration of WFPโs relevant policies and related humanitarian and human rights normative frameworks across WFP operations in the Syrian context. Conduct protection and gender analysis aimed at providing solid evidence to inform vulnerability-based and inclusive response across the programmatic cycle. Develop Community Engagement for AAP strategy/action plan. Develop Protection and Gender action plans. Manage the Protection, Gender & AAP team providing coaching and guidance as required and to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance. Liaise closely with other teams to ensure cross-functional synergies. Ensure affected communities are meaningfully engaged across the programme cycle and inclusive two-way communication with communitiesโ mechanisms are available, including by ensuring Community Feedback Mechanisms (CFM) are established and respect WFP's minimum requirements. Coordinate all of WFPโs complaints and feedback mechanisms (CFM) with the support of WFP CFM and AAP teams, ensuring that WFPโs policies and strategies on AAP and protection are well-reflected, all CFMs are coordinated, and supplement each other without duplicating efforts. Develop and update risk matrix and mitigation responses including programme adjustments, advocacy measures, partnership building and coordination enhancement activities, etc. Support programme management in Country and field-Offices to ensure strong institutional commitment and leadership for gender equality and womenโs empowerment (GEWE) and protection mainstreaming across programming and operations. Provide advice and support on the integration of gender and protection in the formulation of country level WFP-specific and interagency strategic documents and programmes. Support programme staff in the integration of AAP, disability inclusion, gender and protection throughout the programme management cycle (design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation), and in needs assessment frameworks as appropriate, including the adaptation of tools, collection, analysis and reporting processes to ensure that different beneficiary needs are identified and met. Build the capacity of programme staff and cooperating partners to integrate and mainstream disability inclusion across the operation, including both programmes and support functions. Design and support the implementation of gender and protection capacity development initiatives, undertaking training and building the capacity of staff on protection analysis, response development and integration of these areas in WFPโs work. Lead on subsequent reviews following Gender Equality Certification Programme (GECP), which is a systematic and practical means through which WFP can fulfil its gender commitments. Represent WFP in all relevant inter-agency gender, food security sector, protection, and AAP coordination mechanisms, PSEA and coordinating and strengthening the link between WFPโs internal work on gender, protection and AAP and its interagency role as a partner and peer within the humanitarian system; including coordination and support to develop harmonized approaches with other protection, gender and AAP work across the sector. Work with head of programme to ensure adequate allocation of human and financial resources, supporting the mobilisation of resources to implement Action Plans. Support, together with CO and PSEA designated focal points, the existing organisational commitments and efforts to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
Masterโs degree in one of the following disciplines: Gender studies, social sciences, international relations, Human rights, Political science, development economics, or another related field such as international development, Agriculture and Rural development, or Nutrition, relevant to WFPโs work. Or First University degree with two additional years of experience.
Experience:
- With Masterโs: At least (3) years of postgraduate professional experience in addressing accountability to affected population, protection, disability inclusion and gender issues in humanitarian context, including working in a humanitarian crisis context, emergency assistance and food security with UN agencies and NGOs in the field.
- Experience working on accountability to affected population integration and mainstreaming into programme.
- Experience working directly on protection integration or protection mainstreaming, gender equality and women empowerment, disability inclusion, and accountability to affected populations.
- Has participated in undertaking capacity building of colleagues or partner organisations and/or delivering training.
- Experience in establishing and maintaining multi-sectoral collaborations, partnerships, and networks.
- Experience managing large multi-functional teams, covering: AAP including CFM and call centres, disability inclusion, protection and gender.
- Previous experience with UN or WFP, and knowledge of the UN or WFP operations is preferred.
Knowledge & Skills:
- Strong analytical and writing skills, including the ability to write in an engaging and informative manner, and conceptualize and clearly synthesize information.
- Ability to facilitate consultations and technical discussions.
- Initiative, enthusiasm, and flexibility with excellent interpersonal skills and team spirit.
- Proficiency in Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, Power point, Outlook).
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment and balance competing priorities and deadlines.
Languages:
Fluency (Level C) in verbal and written English and Arabic.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
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Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework
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
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
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
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.