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).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

Established in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) in 1975, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been a long-standing partner of the Government in addressing food insecurity, malnutrition and vulnerability to shocks. Globally, WFP’s work is guided by a dual mandate: to respond rapidly to crises and shocks through direct assistance, while simultaneously addressing structural, longer-term challenges by strengthening national systems and capacities. This dual approach has increasingly shaped WFP’s engagement in Lao PDR, where recurrent climate related shocks, economic volatility and persistent malnutrition require both immediate responses and sustained investments in resilience. Drawing on its global comparative advantages in areas such as school feeding, nutrition, social protection, climate action and emergency preparedness, WFP has progressively oriented its support toward nationally led solutions that link humanitarian assistance with development outcomes. Through its current Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2022–2026 and future CSP 2027 - 2031, WFP continues to support nationally led solutions that respond to immediate needs while laying the foundations for sustainable, resilient development, in alignment with national priorities and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. Given the increasing scope of WFP’s engagement in emergency preparedness and response, climate resilience, and shock-responsive social protection, dedicated support from a Programme Associate is required to ensure efficient implementation and coordination of activities in line with national priorities.

THE ROLE: 

Reporting to the Programme Policy Officer (Resilience), the Programme Associate will provide technical and operational support for the development and implementation of activities related to emergency preparedness and response, resilience, and shock‑responsive social protection (SRSP), ensuring alignment with wider programme policies, guidelines, and national priorities. Specific responsibilities include:

JOB TITLE:  Programme Associate (Resilience)
GRADE: SSA-6

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Special Service Agreement for Lao Nationals Only
DURATION: 9 months with possible extension

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

• Provide technical and administration related support to programme components—including emergency preparedness and response through both in‑kind food and cash-based transfers, climate resilience, and SRSP activities—to ensure timely and quality implementation in line with WFP policies and established targets.

• Prepare and contribute to analytical reports, programme updates, and data analysis (e.g., food assistance needs, resource utilization, beneficiary targets, programme performance), highlighting key trends and issues while ensuring compliance with corporate quality standards.

• Ensure accurate and timely recording, consolidation, and reporting of programme data, including beneficiary registration and management in SCOPE, monitoring data in COMET, and documentation related to food and CBT distributions, including preparation of Food Release Notes (FRNs) and related programme records.

• Liaise with internal WFP teams—such as logistics, supply chain, Finance, RAM, and field offices—to support effective coordination, implementation, and monitoring of programme activities.

• Coordinate and communicate with government counterparts, local authorities, development partners, civil society organizations, and NGOs.

• Support capacity strengthening efforts for WFP staff, cooperating partners, and government counterparts on EPR, Climate Resilience and SRSP programming.

• Support adherence to WFP’s emergency preparedness and response protocols, including contingency planning, pre‑positioning, and rapid deployment of resources, ensuring operational readiness for crisis response.

• Provide logistical and coordination support for organizing workshops, meetings, training sessions, field missions, and other stakeholder engagements related to programme delivery.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

EDUCATION: University degree in Agriculture, Environmental Science or Management, Social Sciences, Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change or other fields relevant to international development assistance, or related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

EXPERIENCE: Six years of progressively responsible work UN, NGOs, CSOs in rural development, disaster-risk management or related development fields.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

• Work experience contributing to the implementation of rural development, food security and nutrition or disaster risk management related programmes.

• Good analytical, facilitation, negotiation skills.

• Ability to work in a team, establish effective working relations with persons of different cultural backgrounds.

• Full knowledge of computer applications such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, etc.) and Canva or other graphic design programs preferred.

LANGUAGE: Required fluency in oral and written communication in English and Lao.

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.