Programme Policy Officer (Human Capital) NOA

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

28 March 2026-23:59-GMT+06:00 Kyrgyzstan Time (Bishkek)

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).

BACKGROUND

WFP’s vision is that the Kyrgyz Republic has resilient, inclusive, and shock‑responsive food and social protection systems that enable all people, especially the most vulnerable, to access healthy diets, sustain livelihoods, withstand climate and crisis shocks, and realize their full human potential, leaving no one behind. Derived from the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework , WFP Country Strategic Plan (2023-27 EN|RU) focuses its human capital development, capacity building and productive asset creation activities to enhance the resilience and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable, with a focus on food systems strengthening across three core pillars: (i) Social Protection and Human Capital; (ii) Climate Change Adaption, Disaster Risk Management and Emergency Preparedness; and (iii) Schools as platforms for healthy diets. In addition, a contingent emergency response outcome can be activated in case of need.

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT:

WFP has been supporting the Kyrgyz Republic’s National Development Programme (NDP) 2030 by leveraging its strengths in food security, nutrition, resilience, and logistics through scaling up nutrition‑sensitive school meals linked to local food procurement, and supporting adaptive, shock‑responsive social protection systems. WFP has been contributing to food security and rural development by building climate‑resilient food systems, supporting smallholder farmers and cooperatives, reducing post‑harvest losses, and integrating anticipatory action and disaster risk reduction in climate‑affected regions. In addition, WFP has been adding values by enhancing emergency preparedness and logistics capacity, improving food security data and early warning systems to support evidence‑based policymaking, and helping reduce regional inequalities through targeted interventions — all closely aligned with the NDP priorities on human capital, resilience, digitalization, and inclusive growth.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Policy Officer (Social Protection and Human Capital Team Lead) and the overall supervision of the Deputy Country Director, the incumbent will contribute to WFP’s efforts to strengthen national social protection and human capital systems by supporting the design, coordination, and implementation of country capacity‑strengthening, community development, and livelihood initiatives. The incumbent will help advance government-led programmes—including social protection reforms, active labour market measures, and community‑based livelihood interventions—through policy analysis, technical support, project management, and partnerships facilitation, ensuring that WFP’s activities effectively build national capacities and improve the resilience and food security of vulnerable households in the Kyrgyz Republic.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Contribute towards the development of relevant projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidance.
2. Provide project management support to specific and defined programmes and projects of small to moderate size that are relatively straight forward in nature, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.
3. Follow data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.
4. Research and analyse policy and operational issues to support senior colleagues in the development of policies, programmes and activities.
5. Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
6. Liaise with internal counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing projects.
7. Support the identification, development and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to improved food assistance packages.
8. Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and national government to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, e.g. through project management support of learning initiatives.
9. Provide guidance to support staff, acting as a point of referral and assisting them with analysis and queries.

SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS
10. Provide targeted project management and technical assistance to the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Migration (MLSSM) and other government agencies, including support to the scale‑up of the Social Contract, the digitalization and strengthening of social registries, and the review of eligibility and operational criteria for government social protection programmes (public works, vocational training, social payments, etc.), ensuring handover to government counterparts when appropriate.
11. Contribute to the improvement of government-led Active Labour Market Programmes (ALMPs) within the national social protection system to enhance food security, employability, productivity, and the resilience of low-income families facing socioeconomic shocks.
12. Support the design and refinement of country capacity‑strengthening (CCS) projects in the areas of social protection, poverty reduction, rural development, and women’s empowerment, ensuring alignment with WFP programme frameworks and government priorities.
13. Support the implementation of community development initiatives under the Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) programme, aimed at improving local infrastructure, strengthening livelihood skills, and enhancing the human and social capital of food‑insecure households.
14. Track developments in national legislation, bylaws, strategies, and partner guidance relevant to social protection and capacity strengthening and provide recommendations for adapting WFP programme design and support.
15. Regularly liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, track progress of ongoing projects, and support the organization of thematic field visibility activities for donors and government counterparts in line with programme priorities.
16. Contribute to the overall office work, including respective focal points and tasks beyond the above-mentioned, to jointly deliver the CSP results as one WFP team.
17. Perform any other tasks as required.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Has supported the implementation of technical programmes in areas such as social protection, rural development, livelihoods, or community‑based development.
• Has contributed to programme design and operational planning, including preparing inputs for project documents, workplans, or capacity‑strengthening initiatives.
• Has experience working with government institutions, preferably in social protection, labour, or rural development sectors, including exposure to policy frameworks, national programmes, or institutional processes.
• Has provided inputs to policy discussions, analytical work, or programme reviews related to poverty reduction, social protection, or human capital development.
• Has practical experience in supporting field activities, coordinating with partners, and contributing to monitoring and reporting processes.
• Has worked effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government counterparts, development partners, community groups, and implementing organizations.
• Has experience with Food Assistance for Assets (FFA), active labour market measures, or digital social registries.

Experience: At least one year of postgraduate professional experience in programme implementation or policy support related to social protection, poverty reduction, rural/community development, livelihoods, women’s empowerment, or other relevant development fields—preferably involving work with government counterparts, project coordination, monitoring systems, or capacity‑strengthening activities.

Education: Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Language: Fluency (level C) in both oral and written communication in English and proficiency in the duty station’s language(s) (Russian or Kyrgyz, both considered 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.