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).

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need. WFP’s dual mandate includes both Saving Lives and Changing Lives: Providing life-saving assistance in emergencies to meet immediate food and nutrition needs and supporting communities to build resilience in the long-term by addressing the root causes of hunger.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

Under the 2026–2029 Country Strategic Plan (CSP), Strategic Outcome 2, WFP Iraq supports targeted populations to achieve more resilient livelihoods and benefit from improved food systems. Programming under this outcome prioritizes climate adaptation, anticipatory action, value chain development and inclusive, gender-transformative approaches to strengthen food security and resilience.

As part of this agenda, WFP Iraq is scaling innovative climate risk management approaches, including Climate Risk Insurance (CRI), alongside broader livelihoods and resilience interventions. The Programme Policy Officer will support the implementation and coordination of these activities, working closely with programme units, field offices, government counterparts and partners, and ensuring alignment with national priorities under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2025–2029.

JOB PURPOSE:

Under the supervision of the SO2 Outcome Manager, the Programme Policy Officer will support the implementation and coordination of sustainable livelihoods within functional value chains, inclusive market access and resilient enterprise models under Strategic Outcome 2. The role contributes to sustainable livelihoods through designing and implementation of market driven livelihood interventions that strengthen value chains from production to consumption, linking beneficiaries to markets and finance, and promote inclusive resilient economic growth.  

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Programme Policy Officer will:

• Design and implement resilient livelihood interventions aligned to WFP adaptation priorities
• Strengthen livelihood outcomes by improving value chain performance and market access.
• Support inclusive value chain development for agriculture and non-farm livelihoods.
• Facilitate market linkages between producers, aggregators, processors, traders and buyers.
• Promote sustainable, climate smart and commercially viable livelihood pathways.
• Support training and coaching of beneficiaries on green production skills, basic business and financial literacy.
• Conduct and update value chain and market system analysis including input supply, production, transporting and marketing.
• Identifying key bottlenecks, risks and opportunities with attention to climate risks, gender and youth inclusion and market power irregularities.
• Support the design and implementation of value chain upgrading strategies including improved production practices, postharvest handling and storage and small scale processing and value chain addition.
• Promote climate smart and resource efficient practices along value chains
• Support establishment and strengthening of aggregation centres and shared use of Agri productive assets.
• Facilitate linkage between beneficiaries, agri processors and buyers.
• Engaging with private sectors on derisking market entry for smallholder and promote inclusive sourcing models.
• Support linkages to financial service providers including microfinancing institutions and rural cooperatives.
• Support coordination with government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, private sector actors and community stakeholders to facilitate effective implementation and alignment with national priorities;
• Contribute to the development and management of partnerships and cooperation frameworks through coordination support, follow-up actions and documentation;
• Provide cross-functional support by working closely with other units on reporting, data consolidation and donor engagement, proposal development, ensuring alignment with WFP corporate systems and donor requirements.
• Provide operational support and guidance to programme staff and field offices to promote consistent and
• Perform other related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education

First Level (Bachelor) or Advanced University Degree (Master) Agricultural economics, Agribusiness, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or similar fields.

Experience:

At least three (3) years of relevant professional experience for advanced university degree holders, or five (5) years of relevant professional experience for first-level university degree holders, in development or humanitarian programming, with a focus on programme implementation and coordination.

Languages:

Fluency (level C) in English language and Arabic. Knowledge of Kurdish or a second official UN language is desirable.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Experience in livelihoods, resilience, climate adaptation or food systems programming;
• Experience in coordination and relationship-building with government counterparts and partners; and
• Experience in market systems and private sector engagement.
• Experience in enterprise development

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Baghdad or Erbil (Iraq CO) ( with frequent field missions to targeted Governorates)

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.