Programme Policy Officer (Emergency Preparedness and Response)

Programme Policy Officer (Emergency Preparedness and Response) Location: Cotabato City, Philippines, The Rep.Of Th DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 27 May 2026-23:59-GMT+08:00 Philippine Standard Time (Manila) 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). WFP’s engagement in the Philippines has evolved significantly over time. Initially active in the 1960s, WFP concluded its operations in 1996 as conditions improved, but re-established its presence in 2006 to support the peace process in Mindanao, provide life-saving emergency food assistance, and implement programmes aimed at improving nutrition and the well-being of vulnerable populations. In the Philippines, WFP’s efforts are guided by its work outlined in the Philippines Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2024-2028. WFP focuses on strengthening government systems at the national, local government unit and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) levels to further build the resilience of vulnerable individuals and communities. The CSP is aligned with national strategies and policies as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework and is guided by three interrelated outcomes: By 2028, communities exposed to shocks and stressors in the Philippines are better able to meet food, nutrition and other essential needs with inclusive and equitable emergency preparedness and response capacity at the national and local levels. By 2028, communities vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity in the Philippines are more resilient and can better manage risks affecting human capital gains and food systems, inclusively and equitably. The Government and partners in the Philippines access WFP services that augment their interventions, upon request. These strategic objectives are framed within the context of the Philippines being on the verge of becoming and upper-middle income country, while at the same time being one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Disasters remain a leading cause of hunger, affecting all aspects of food security: economic and physical access to food, availability and stability of supplies, and nutrition. While WFP Philippines maintains a strong capacity to respond directly when significant shocks occur, the overall emphasis of the Country Office lies on systems strengthening (disaster risk management, social protection and food systems) at national, LGU and BARMM levels. WFP utilizes its field operations expertise to support the Government in delivering on key food programmes linked to its mandate and the CSP, including supporting the conceptualization and roll out of national and BARMM regional priority programmes such as and modelling globally proven programmes such as home-grown school feeding – linking local smallholder farmers production to the institutional demand of school meals programmes. WFP engages at the national and BARMM regional levels on policy dialogue, supporting legislative advances in areas such as school meals, anticipatory action and rice fortification. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT: The Programme Policy Officer (Emergency Preparedness and Response/EPR) will work under the direct supervision of the Head of field office in Cotabato, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and with guidance from the Emergency Preparedness and Response Team based at the Country Office in Manila. The Programme Policy Officer (EPR) will be responsible for leading disaster risk management activities in BARMM with frequent travel to the field. The job holder will take on management functions within the field office and work with WFP managers and policy officers steering preparedness, anticipatory action and response activities across WFP’s key functions, including in programme, supply chain and emergency telecommunications. The Programme Policy Officer (EPR) will forge strong working relationships with government counterparts. The holder is expected to coordinate closely with the programme and supply chain units in the Field Office and Country Office to ensure complementarity, convergence and coherence of activities as needed within the broader CSP of WFP in the Philippines. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Within the assigned unit and delegated authority, the Programme Policy Officer (EPR) will be responsible for the following duties: Provide specialized expertise and contribute towards the development of emergency preparedness and response activities, plans and processes ensuring alignment of wider WFP policies and guidelines with the BARMM Development Plan and the Bangsamoro Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan. Build and maintain strong working relationships with operational and strategic partners in government, including the BARMM Government's Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence, the Ministry of Social Services and Development and other members of the Bangsamoro Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (BDRRMC), and local DRRMCs. Support the BARMM Government to ensure that DRRM and Anticipatory Action (AA) policies and governance frameworks are coherent, inclusive, effective, and institutionalised. Support to strengthen monitoring, evaluation, learning, and compliance mechanisms. Support operationalization of predictable, risk-informed and inclusive DRRM financing. Identify strategic opportunities to strengthen the Government’s DRRM system, including preparedness, anticipatory action and response across WFP’s key functions, including in programme, supply chain and emergency telecommunications, data analysis and monitoring. Co-design, together with Government and other partners, capacity strengthening activities and operational implementation plans. Provide coordination and project management to ensure activities are performed within the established narrative and financial targets following WFP’s policies and procedures. Prepare narrative reports and substantial data analysis (e.g., AA and EPR needs, resource utilization, programme status, performance) and make recommendations to supervisors, ensuring deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control. Monitor conflict and natural hazards and escalate early warning signals to inform WFP’s preparedness and response activities. Coordinate and liaise with internal counterparts on a range of complex matters to enable effective collaboration, implementation, and monitoring of ongoing project activities in emergency preparedness and response. Strengthen WFP’s local readiness to respond to conflict or sudden onset disasters. Facilitate updates and identify gaps in WFP’s Emergency Preparedness Checklist and standard operating procedures in emergency preparedness and response. Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP can quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis. During emergency, deploy on a no-regrets basis to lead assessment missions and set up WFP operations in the field. Forge inter-agency linkages with key UN agencies and NGOs through participation in relevant discussions and assessments, including through the Mindanao Humanitarian Team. Act as an escalation point for complex query resolution on all emergency matters within the area of responsibility. Supervise and guide more junior staff in line with WFP’s performance management requirements, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with analysis and queries. Perform other related duties and responsibilities as required. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: EDUCATION: Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, OR a First University Degree combined with an additional two (2) years of related professional work experience and/or completion of relevant trainings/courses EXPERIENCE: At least five (5) years of postgraduate professional experience in UN agencies, NGOs, government, or private sector, with a focus on disaster management, emergency preparedness, resilience or related areas Candidates with seven (7) or more years of relevant professional experience, including a minimum of two (2) years of field experience (preferably in BARMM) will have an advantage Experience in project management, capacity building and policy development Experience in supervising teams Experience working with a diverse range of humanitarian actors, including government, UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society Experience in supporting emergency food assistance (in-kind and/or CBT) programming and distribution KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: Strong analytical, communication and negotiation skills. Strong sense of partnership with internal and external counterparts. Strong project cycle management skills. Ability to work in a team, establish effective working relations with persons of different cultural backgrounds. Familiar with the Philippines, and more specifically with the BARMM disaster management system, cluster approach and the international humanitarian response architecture. Ability to work within tight deadlines and to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and independently. LANGUAGE: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English (with Level C proficiency); functional knowledge of any regional language is desired. COMPENSATION PACKAGE OVERVIEW: Remuneration will be in accordance with WFP’s salary scale and will be communicated during the offer stage. Medical coverage, extendable to eligible dependents. Leave benefits and other applicable entitlements. 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.