DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
7 October 2026-23:59-GMT+02:00 Central Africa Time (Bujumbura)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).
This position is based in Bujumbura and reports to Head of Programmes
THE ROLE
Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director (Programme) / Head of Programme, the Programme Policy Officer will provide strategic, technical and managerial leadership for WFP Burundi's Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR), humanitarian assistance, Nexus, Food Systems and Resilience portfolio.
The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring effective preparedness for and response to emergencies and humanitarian crises, while simultaneously supporting the design and implementation of integrated humanitarian-development approaches that strengthen resilience, food systems and national capacities.
The position will play a key role in supporting WFP Burundi's strategic evolution towards stronger engagement in Food Systems and Resilience programming, ensuring that emergency interventions contribute to longer-term development outcomes and national priorities.
The incumbent will serve as Activity Manager for refugee and humanitarian assistance operations and will oversee the Emergency Preparedness, Nexus, Food Systems and Resilience Unit.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):
1. Emergency Preparedness and Response Leadership
Lead the overall coordination of Emergency Preparedness and Response activities within the Country Office.
Lead and coordinate Country Office Emergency Preparedness processes, including risk monitoring, early warning, contingency planning, scenario development and readiness actions.
Provide strategic and operational leadership for humanitarian assistance programmes targeting refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable populations.
Serve as Activity Manager for emergency response and displacement-related activities.
Support preparedness efforts related to climatic shocks, disease outbreaks, refugee influxes and other emergencies.
Participate in inter-agency contingency planning processes, emergency simulations and preparedness assessments.
Ensure compliance with corporate emergency preparedness requirements and standards.
Provide technical guidance on humanitarian response strategies, transfer modalities, targeting approaches and emergency resource mobilization.
Support emergency information management, reporting and operational analysis.
2. Nexus, Food Systems and Resilience Leadership
Lead the integration of humanitarian, development and resilience approaches across WFP programmes.
Support the Country Office's strategic positioning within national Food Systems, Resilience, Climate Adaptation and Social Protection agendas.
Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Food Systems portfolio, including Smallholder Market Support, Food Fortification and related initiatives.
Support Government-led food systems transformation efforts through technical assistance, policy engagement and programme development.
Promote integrated approaches linking humanitarian assistance, livelihoods, nutrition, climate adaptation, school feeding, local food systems and resilience outcomes.
Lead the development of programme concepts and proposals that advance humanitarian-development nexus objectives.
Regularly assess Nexus and Resilience strategies and recommend adjustments to maximize impact and sustainability.
Identify opportunities for WFP to expand its role in resilience building, systems strengthening and development financing initiatives.
3. Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
Lead engagement with Government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, donors and development partners.
Support strategic engagement with International Financial Institutions, including the World Bank and African Development Bank, to identify opportunities for food systems and resilience investments.
Develop concept notes, donor proposals and briefing materials to mobilize resources for both humanitarian and resilience programming.
Promote collaborative approaches that strengthen programme impact and support strategic positioning objectives.
Explore innovative financing and partnership opportunities that support WFP's transition agenda.
4. Management and Leadership
Ensure overall coordination and management of the Emergency Preparedness, Nexus, Food Systems and Resilience Unit.
Lead, supervise, coach and develop staff, fostering a culture of high performance, accountability and continuous learning.
Oversee programme budgets and resources under assigned portfolios, ensuring efficient utilization and compliance with donor and corporate requirements.
Strengthen collaboration across Programme, Supply Chain, RAM, Partnerships and other functional units to ensure integrated programme delivery.
Contribute to Country Office strategic planning and programme development processes.
5. Programme Quality, Knowledge Management and Technical Support
Provide technical advice across emergency preparedness, humanitarian assistance, resilience, food systems and nexus programming.
Support the preparation and dissemination of analytical reports, assessments, programme reviews and strategic documents.
Promote evidence-based programming and facilitate knowledge generation and learning.
Support monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements across the portfolio.
Contribute to capacity strengthening initiatives for staff, Government counterparts and partners.
6. Representation and External Engagement
Represent WFP in national and international forums related to emergency preparedness, food security, resilience, food systems, climate adaptation and nexus programming.
Contribute to strengthening WFP's visibility, leadership and strategic influence through effective advocacy, partnerships and technical engagement.
Other as required.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Education: Advanced university degree in International Relations, Development Studies, Economics, Agriculture, Food Systems, Social Sciences, Political Science, Engineering or other related fields.
Language: Fluency in English and French (oral and written).
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE
At least 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in emergency preparedness and response, humanitarian assistance, resilience programming, food systems development, social protection or related areas.
Demonstrated experience managing emergency operations and humanitarian programmes.
Demonstrated experience in programme design, implementation and management.
Experience working at the humanitarian-development nexus.
Experience engaging with Government institutions, development partners and donors.
Experience supporting resilience, food systems, climate adaptation or systems-strengthening initiatives.
Experience working with International Financial Institutions or development financing mechanisms is desirable.
Previous experience with WFP or another UN agency is an advantage.
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 recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.
We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.
At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.
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.