AA & Emergency Officer

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

7 April 2026-23:59-GMT+02:00 South Africa Standard Time (Maseru)

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).

The SADC Anticipatory Action and Emergency Officer, through the RAAWG Secretariat (WFP, FAO, and IFRC), will work closely with SADC to strengthen and institutionalize a regional anticipatory action and early response system, in line with the SADC Disaster Preparedness and Response Strategy and Fund (2016-2030 and the SADC Disaster Risk Management Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2030).

The position will be hosted by WFP on behalf of the Inter-agency Project Team

In particular, the Officer will provide advisory support to the SADC Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Unit, and—through it—to SADC Secretariat and the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC) Secretariat under the supervision and guidance of the RAAWG Secretariat/Inter-agency project team.

1.Institutionalization and Framework Development

• Support the institutionalization of Anticipatory Action Programming within the SADC region and the Regional Anticipatory Action Working Group (RAAWG) as the formal technical advisory body to the DRR Unit on Anticipatory Action (AA) and Early Response.
• Collaborate with RAAWG to develop a regional AA framework, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and minimum standards, ensuring alignment with national AA systems and implementation by National Anticipatory Action Working Groups (NAAWGs).
• Ensure that the AA framework is integrated into SADC’s regional planning and decision-making processes and harmonized with broader DRR strategies.

2.Technical Assistance on Regional Integration

• Strengthen regional integration by leveraging Member States’ data and planning inputs to inform regional analysis and decision-making, ensuring coherence between national and regional AA systems.
• Ensure that National and Regional information management processes including the Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Programme integrate indicators that support early action planning and guides contingency planning and response readiness.

3. Operational Coordination

• Support the integration of AA into regional contingency planning/disaster preparedness and response planning processes to enable multi-risk analysis and timely AA and early response, in coordination with Member States, R-ERT and partners.

4. Planning and Knowledge Management

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of regional knowledge products, tools, and systems that support AA implementation and learning.
• Facilitate information exchange and data-sharing platforms to coordinate lessons learned and inform policy development.

5. Strategic and Operational Integration with Humanitarian Partners

• Support SADC in building strategic partnerships with governments, institutions, regional bodies, and development partners to strengthen AA, early action, and preparedness at both regional and national levels.
• Contribute to the development of proposals and action plans to foster and enhance existing and new partnerships.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Education

Post-graduate degree (Masters) in disaster risk management, environment and climate change management, development planning, rural and urban planning, environmental management, international development, or another relevant field

A first-level university degree plus additional experience may be accepted.

Experience

Minimum ten (5) years of professional experience in humanitarian response, DRM systems, or emergency

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.