Programme Associate - Agronomist (SC6)

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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 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.

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).

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT AND PURPOSE:

The Programme Associate – Agronomist, based in Colombo and reporting directly to the Programme Policy Office - Value Chain and Livelihoods Specialist will provide technical support for agriculture-related activities within WFP programs, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and contributing to the development of sustainable agricultural value chains and improved livelihoods. The role encompasses planning, implementation, monitoring, and capacity building, while working closely with government counterparts, local partners, and internal teams to deliver high-quality interventions tailored to local conditions and program goals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

• Provide technical leadership and support for agriculture-related activities, ensuring alignment with program objectives and guidelines.

• Assist in planning, implementation, and monitoring of projects to achieve established targets and maintain quality standards.

• Research and anticipate Government policy, priorities, strategies and regulations with the aim of aligning key actions and activities related to agriculture.

• Prepare reports, analyze data, and highlight trends or issues to support decision-making and ensure compliance with standards.

• Ensure accurate and timely recording of data and maintain consistency of information for stakeholders.

• Liaise with internal teams to support collaboration and effective implementation of activities.

• Coordinate with partners and institutions to strengthen market linkages and improve agricultural value chains.

• Develop technical guidelines, SOPs, and specifications for crop production, soil and water conservation, and post-harvest management.

• Identify suitable crops and prepare cropping calendars and technical instructions to enhance productivity and quality.

• Organize and deliver training programs on best agricultural practices, crop diversification, and entrepreneurship development.

• Establish and mentor trainer pools to scale improved agricultural practices and knowledge transfer.

• Support development of project proposals, beneficiary selection criteria, and participatory planning processes.

• Assess technical feasibility and effectiveness of interventions and identify opportunities for improvement.

• Provide technical input for monitoring and evaluation systems, define indicators, and conduct field assessments.

• Prepare agriculture development plans, technical designs, input distribution strategies, and resource mobilization documents.

• Foster partnerships and collaboration with stakeholders to leverage resources and enhance project impact.

• Coordinate and communicate with local partners, agencies, NGOs and government institutions to perform accurate food security analyses and to ensure efficient delivery of food assistance.Prepare Technical Specifications and relevant documents and ensure guidance and follow up to procurement processes, and international standard requirements of quality.

• Support the capacity building of WFP staff, cooperating partners and national government within the specific technical area.

• Act as a point of contact for resolution of a range of operational queries and problems within a specific technical area of responsibility.

• Oversee and/or review the work of other support staff, providing practical advice and guidance, to contribute to delivering objectives to agreed standards and deadlines.

• Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.

• Perform other tasks as appropriate and when required

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

Minimum 6 years of working experience in agriculture with the field experience on agriculture-based rural development, and has contributed to implementation of programmes.

Sound technical knowledge one or more of the following areas:

• Adaptive measures to climate shocks to improve agricultural production at community and household level.

• Nutrition-sensitive agriculture with gender approach.

• Agricultural experience in home gardening and crop diversification.

• Agricultural engineering in dealing with design/rehabilitation of micro water reservoirs, household agro-wells and minor community irrigation schemes.

• Agricultural production and post-harvest loss reduction techniques.

• Agricultural production and market linkages.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Completion of secondary school education, and/ or post-secondary certificate in the related functional area (agriculture; agronomy; or related fields) is required.

[Having a first University degree (bachelor’s degree) in one of the above related functional areas is desirable.]

Languages:

Fluent in English and Sinhala/ Tamil

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

• 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 global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org 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.