DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS4 December 2025-23:59-GMT+09:00 East Timor Time (Dili)
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).
JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer - Social Protection
TYPE OF CONTRACT: International Consultancy (Regular Consultant- Level I)
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme Unit
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Dili, Timor-Leste
DURATION: 11 monthsJob Purpose:
To effectively address the challenge of food and nutrition insecurity and the impact of large-scale shocks and stressors, while contributing to long-term efforts to end hunger, WFP supports national social protection systems by working with host governments and development partners to strengthen their strategies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, particularly those focused on Zero Hunger and malnutrition.
In Timor-Leste, WFP is enhancing the capacities of the Government of Timor Leste and stepping up its work as an enabler of national hunger and nutrition solutions, to complement direct implementation. The Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), with technical support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and WFP, is implementing the Integrated Nutrition and Adaptive Social Protection for Increased Resilience Technical Assistance (INSPIRE TA) project. This project aims to develop an effective and adaptive social protection model that integrates nutrition-sensitive interventions, strengthens maternal and child health, and enhances resilience to economic and environmental shocks.To support the Government in implementing the INSPIRE project and ensure continued excellence in technical and operational support, WFP is seeking a qualified International Consultant Programme Policy Officer with expertise in social protection. This role will play a key part in enhancing WFPโs contributions to strengthening the national system, advancing project initiatives, and supporting the country team in implementing effective, evidence-based social protection and nutrition programmes.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the supervision of WFP Timor Leste Head of Programme, and with support of the National Social Protection Officer, Programme Policy Officer - Social Protection will provide technical and operational support to the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) in strengthening the national social protection system and work closely with national counterparts and partners on their social protection work. Specifically, the Programme Policy Officer will be responsible for the follow:1.Coordinate the implementation of the BdMK SANUTRIO Project from WFPโs side, in collaboration with internal WFP country office and regional teams (nutrition, procurement, VAM, partnership etc.), MSSI, the National Statistics Institute (INETL), the Ministry of Health (MoH), and the ADB.
2.Technically support the MSSI in implementing national social protection plans and programmes, in particular for the design, roll-out and implementation of the Bolsa de Mae Kondisional (BdMK) SANUTRIO program in three pilot municipalitiesโCovalima, Ermera, and Oecusse, as well as its national scale-up.
3.Provide strategic guidance and technical and operational support to the MSSI in strengthening the national social protection system. This includes supporting national counterparts in social protection policy and programme design, strategy, planning, and execution, development of the social registry and the Management Information System (MIS), as well as to municipal-level authorities for field-based activities such as data collection, targeting, registration, service delivery, and monitoring.
4.Contribute and facilitate the development and documentation of project processes and tools, led by MSSI, and including developing comprehensive operational and programme guidance manuals, process guidelines, and software requirement documents to guide project staff, field teams, and government partners, ensuring consistency and clarity in implementation.5. Maintain strategic and operational partnerships for social protection, working in collaboration with key government entities such as MSSI, INETL, MoH, and with key technical and development partners such as the ADB, to align activities with project objectives, national priorities and ensure smooth coordination of field operations and logistics.
6.Contribute to reporting and information dissemination efforts for the project's social protection activities, led by MSSI, and including preparing and presenting progress reports and technical briefings to stakeholders, ensuring transparency and accountability on project implementation.
7.Lead social protection research and knowledge efforts, extracting key lessons and insights from project implementation and contribute to the global social protection evidence literature, in collaboration with key partners such as the ADB.
8.Support initiatives that enhance the capacity of national staff and partners to engage in social protection program design and delivery, including facilitating the transfer of operational knowledge to local stakeholders and institutions to sustain and scale project initiatives, and drafting training curricula and plans for MSSI staff on social assistance implementation areas like outreach, registration, enrollment, grievance redress, compliance verification, gender-sensitive and climate-responsive SBCC, and complementary service referrals.
9.Ensure efficient internal workflows, team coordination, and timely delivery of project milestones by proactively managing resources, timelines, and operational challenges.
10.Represent WFP in national, regional, and international fora
11.Any other task assigned by the supervisor.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.