DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS28 August 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).
Country Context and Response
Syria remains one of the worldโs most complex and protracted humanitarian crises. Over a decade of conflict, economic collapse, and climate-induced shocks, including; drought, fire, and earthquakesโhave significantly weakened national systems and exacerbated vulnerabilities. Humanitarian needs are immense, with over 14 million people estimated to require assistance, including 3 million facing severe food insecurity.
Although early signs of stabilization are beginning to emerge, the operating environment remains highly volatile and susceptible to sudden-onset emergencies, political shifts, and recurring natural disasters. The recent increase in rates of returnees, both IDP and refugee returnees is placing additional strain on already overstretched services and communitiesโfurther escalating needs at a time when humanitarian funding is in decline.
These dynamics underscore the urgent need for robust emergency preparedness and response systems that are agile, anticipatory, and responsive to the evolving context.
As the leading humanitarian agency providing food assistance in Syria, and the sole actor of school meals, the World Food Programme (WFP) plays a pivotal role in coordinating and implementing emergency preparedness and response strategies across the country. To ensure WFP remains equipped to respond swiftly and effectively to emerging shocks; while also safeguarding the nutritional and educational needs of Syriaโs next generation, the Country Office is seeking a Programme Policy Officer (NOC) to support this strategic portfolio.
Job Purpose
The Programme Policy Officer (NOC) will hold a pivotal leadership role in strengthening WFP Syriaโs capacity to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to a wide range of emergencies in an increasingly complex and unstable environment. As the most senior national staff member within the emergency preparedness portfolio, the officer will be instrumental in ensuring business continuity, preserving institutional knowledge, and guiding the strategic direction and sustainability of WFPโs operations.
The incumbent will lead the integration of emergency preparedness across WFPโs programmes, with particular emphasis on risk analysis, early warning systems, contingency planning, and operational readiness. Collaborating closely with field offices, technical units, government counterparts, and humanitarian partners, the officer will help ensure WFPโs preparedness efforts are cohesive, contextually relevant, and aligned with national and inter-agency frameworks.
In addition to emergency preparedness responsibilities, the officer will play a strategic role in shaping Syriaโs upcoming Interim Country Strategic Plan (ICSP)/Country Strategic Plan (CSP), aligning them with emerging national priorities and global commitments. The role will also support the transition of WFPโs school feeding programme into a nationally owned social safety net, contributing to the broader agenda of resilience-building, food security, and human capital development.
Key Accountabilities:
- Lead the integration of emergency preparedness and response across WFP Syriaโs programme portfolio, including risk analysis, early warning, contingency planning, and operational readiness, ensuring coherence with corporate guidance and responsiveness to the countryโs evolving context.
- Serve as a national leadership anchor for business continuity by maintaining institutional knowledge and operational consistency in emergency preparedness, and by guiding programme adaptation in line with shifting needs, returnee dynamics, and funding constraints.
- Provide strategic input into the development of Syriaโs upcoming ICSP/CSP, ensuring that WFPโs priorities are aligned with emerging humanitarian and recovery trends, national policies, and global frameworks, with a particular focus on preparedness and social protection.
- Support the transition of WFPโs school feeding programme into a nationally owned social safety net, offering technical guidance on programme design, coordination with government stakeholders, and alignment with broader national human capital and social protection objectives.
- Advise and support field offices and technical units on preparedness-related programming and policy issues, promoting consistent application of corporate guidance, best practices, and innovative approaches to emergency response and resilience-building.
- Coordinate with government counterparts and humanitarian partners to identify strategic opportunities for collaboration and ensure WFPโs preparedness planning is integrated within national disaster risk management and inter-agency frameworks.
- Lead or contribute to operational research and evidence generation relevant to emergency preparedness and response, including post-distribution monitoring, simulation exercises, and after-action reviews, ensuring findings inform programming and policy.
- Develop and disseminate analytical reports, contingency plans, briefing notes, and knowledge products that support preparedness efforts and position WFP as a thought leader in anticipatory action and emergency response in Syria.
- Contribute to resource mobilization efforts, including drafting proposals, identifying funding gaps related to preparedness and response, and engaging with donors to advocate for sustained investment in risk-informed programming.
- Support capacity strengthening initiatives for WFP staff, partners, and government counterparts by designing and facilitating trainings on emergency preparedness, response protocols, and operational continuity.
- Supervise and guide junior staff, promoting a collaborative, high-performance culture, and contributing to the professional development of team members in emergency preparedness and programme policy.
- Ensure efficient use of assigned financial and human resources, tracking expenditure and progress to achieve preparedness objectives within approved budgets and timelines.
- Champion cross-cutting priorities, including gender, protection, accountability to affected populations (AAP), and climate adaptation within all preparedness and response efforts.
- Contribute to WFPโs leadership in national and inter-agency forums, representing the organization in discussions on humanitarian access, shock-responsive systems, and anticipatory action.
- Other as required.
Qualifications & Experience Required:
Education: Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
Experience: 5 or more years of professional experience relevant to Emergency preparedness, preferably contributing to food security and/or nutrition objectives:
- Has experience working across the Program portfolio including VAM/Nutrition.
- Has led a Sub Office /area office programme team or a component of a country office programme portfolio.
- Has engaged in policy discussions and provided input into policy decisions
- Has experience working across the policy cycle.
Knowledge & Skills:
- Understanding of Agenda 2030 and respective targets โ particularly SDG1, SDG2 and SDG17 - and how the work of WFP can contribute to achieving them.
- Understanding of WFPโs mandate, Country Strategic Planning process, intervention modalities, programme and project lifecycle tools, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation desirable.
- Knowledge of current thinking and developments in country capacity strengthening and effective knowledge transfer models, concepts and principles.
- Knowledge of key national and regional contexts and issues.
- Aptitude for supervising, guiding and empowering staff.
- Ability to develop and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders, conveying an informed and professional demeanour toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
- Ability to analyse quantitative and qualitative information to understand current and future needs and identify solutions.
- Learning agility, and appetite for exploring and experimenting with new ideas and approaches.
- Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written outputs and ability to present in English and the working language.
- Ability to work independently in a timely and organised manner.
- Moderate to proficient computer literacy.
Languages: National Professional: Fluency (level C) in English and Arabic.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
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.