Field Office – Head of Programme CST Level II, South Sudan, Multiple Duty Stations Full Time NEW

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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 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.
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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: Field Office Head of Programme
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular International Consultant (CST level-2)
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Various duty stations (Aweil, Bentiu, or Bor)
(This vacancy announcement includes positions at three duty stations. A candidate to select the duty station(s) he/she wishes to apply for. A candidate may choose more than one).
DURATION: 11 months (renewable subject to performance and funding availability)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Country Context:
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, continues to struggle to overcome a multitude of challenges. Conflict, climate shocks, economic instability and the ongoing war in neighboring Sudan have created a perfect storm of suffering, leaving families unable to access enough food.

Since April 2023, over 1.2 million people fleeing the conflict in Sudan have crossed into South Sudan, placing additional pressure on overstretched communities and humanitarian systems. The World Food Programme (WFP) has supported more than 620,000 of them with fortified biscuits, food or cash assistance, and nutrition support for mothers and young children.

A total of 7.56 million people – over half the population – face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity or worse, with hunger reaching near-record levels. approximately 28,000 people are classified in IPC AFI Phase 5 (Catastrophe), including 17,000 people in Luakpiny/Nasir (Upper Nile) and 11,000 people in Fangak (Jonglei). Luakpiny/Nasir County, particularly its southern parts along the Sobat corridor, remains a major concern, with populations facing a risk of famine during both projection periods under a plausible worst-case scenario.

The situation is particularly dire for children, with over 2.1 million aged over 5 acutely malnourished. A total of 2.8 million children is out of school – more than half of them girls. Female literacy remains alarmingly low at just 29 percent, compared to 40 percent for men – among the lowest rates in the world. Food assistance remains essential to averting a humanitarian catastrophe. But it must also serve as a bridge to long-term recovery. WFP is working with local civil society and empowering communities – especially women and girls – to build resilience, support peacebuilding and foster self-reliance in the face of relentless adversity.

Background and purpose of the assignment:
Under the overall supervision of the Head of Field Office (HoFo) and functional guidance from the CO Head of Programme, the incumbent will lead and coordinate programme activities at the field level, ensuring alignment with the Country Office strategy and the operational realities on the ground. The incumbent will manage and mentor a team of programme staff within the Field Office, providing oversight to ensure the effective delivery of programme and policy objectives. In addition, the incumbent will contribute to a broad range of programme initiatives and analytical work to support evidence-based decision-making and enhance programme impact. The incumbent will also serve as Officer-in-Charge (OiC) for the Head of Field Office (HoFo) during periods of absence, ensuring continuity of leadership and operational oversight.
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE (but are not limited to):
1. Supervise day-to-day management and implementation of the Programme including addressing operational issues, awareness raising of programme objective and procedure, interaction with stakeholder (such as Government departments, other UN Agencies and NGO partners)).
2. Actively supervise the Field Office (FO) Programme team to achieve results and enable high performance, including through the provision of training and mentoring, to enhance the capacity for WFP and partner staff to design and deliver effective food assistance Programme.
3. Contribute to development of Programme policies and guidance in line with both organizational strategy and the practical realities of operating in the field. Translate Programme guidelines and policies into field-level practices, ensuring that operations are consistent with WFP policies, standard operating procedures, and other relevant guidance documents.
4. Provide technical guidance on programme and policy matters, including assessments and analyses, setting objectives, designing activities, selecting transfer modalities and suitable food products. Identify opportunities to pilot innovative approaches and develop strategies that strengthen local authorities’ efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition.
5. Provide leadership and technical expertise for the planning, formulation, and implementation of food assistance programmes for complex operational environments.
6. Develop field implementation plans aligned with organizational strategy and country office operations and coordinate with field and country teams to call forward commodities in line with implementation plans and grant conditions.
7. Provide oversight and custodianship of WFP assets. Specifically monitor the status of project resources, including the availability of food and nutrition commodities and cash, as well as commodity and grant expiry dates and stipulations, to ensure timely and compliant use with zero losses. Document any anomalies with contextual details, assign liability or cost recovery as appropriate, and draft mitigation plans.
8. Lead the Field Office work on partnership cycle management (partner selection, oversight, reporting and assessment), building quality cooperating partnerships including identifying opportunities for collaborative approaches and initiatives that improve assistance packages, enhance women’s empowerment, support advocacy work and strengthen government and community ownership and effectiveness of food security and nutrition Programme at sub-national levels.
9. Enhance WFP’s leadership status in forums relating to area of specialism, for example food security, nutrition, livelihoods, resilience or engagement in humanitarian, transition and development contexts through direct participation, briefings, information products and other materials.
10. Design and implement food and nutrition assistance through general distributions, blanket and targeted supplementary feeding, using in-kind, cash-based, and/or capacity-building modalities.
11. Deliver human-centered, contextually relevant initiatives like assets and livelihoods creation, market support, homegrown school feeding, and climate adaptation tailored to the context.
12. Contribute to Country Office Emergency Preparedness i.e., early warning, risk analysis, and contingency planning in order to respond to humanitarian crises and needs.
13. Embed conflict sensitivity, social cohesion, gender-transformative and localized approaches into WFP Programme cycle. Ensure adequate monitoring of WFP’s activities in the FOs area of operations and the use of monitoring data at the FO and CO levels for corrective action and improved activity design and implementation.
14. Knowledge management and reporting:
a. Build and/or enforce use of existing systems to track programme performance and accountability mechanisms.
b. Coordinate creation of high-quality analytical reports, infographics, briefings, and fact sheets.
c. Deliver partner stock reports, distribution plans, and achievement reports that highlight trends and challenges.
d. Ensure timely, accurate use of corporate platforms (like SCOPE, COMET, Partner Connect, SUGAR-CRM, etc.) and local trackers.
e. Integrate findings from monitoring and feedback mechanisms in programme design and decision-making.
15. Support Head of Field Office in performing his duties and undertake HOFO’s responsibilities during her/his absence due to annual leave and official mission
16. Other duties 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 relevant First University Degree in the above field with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses

Required Experience

• For master’s degree holder or higher, a minimum of 5 years post graduate experience in relevant field. Minimum of 7 years for bachelor’s degree holder.
• Service in a hardship duty station or emergency operation.
• Advanced involvement in humanitarian operational design, emergency preparedness planning, and operational risks identification.
• Academic or working knowledge of sustainable development, including food systems, and nexus-based programmes.
• Operational proficiency in food assistance modalities, including in-kind and cash-based transfers and (preferably) capacity development.
• Significant aptitude in data management, analysis, and information systems.
• Experience implementing approved corrective actions to improve staff and partner performance and to monitor progress.

Desired Experience
• Further technical expertise in related areas and understanding of operations in insecure settings, including vulnerability and needs analysis, monitoring and evaluation, CBT operations, and/or nutrition are desirable.
• General knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations, procedures
• Analytical and writing skills: adeptness to conceptualize complex issues, identify inefficiencies, and produce thorough but concise reports.

Skills & Competencies
• Leadership & people management: coaching, performance management, conflict resolution.
• Operational planning & execution: prioritization under pressure, crisis decision‑making.
• Partnership & negotiation: diplomacy with authorities and communities. Solid-interpersonal and communication skills and negotiation capacity.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.
Languages: Fluency (level C) in English language is required.

REMARKS: This VA will also be utilized to generate a roster for the future potential consultancy assignments at the same or lower level, and for opportunities in other duty stations within in South Sudan.

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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: [email protected]

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

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REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruitment system. We do not accept CVs or spontaneous applications by email.
• If you experience challenges while submitting your online application, please contact us at [email protected] for technical support only.
• Please note that applications sent to this email address cannot be considered.
• 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.
• 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
• 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.