Programme Associate (School Meals)

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 priority programmes such as Walang Gutom 2027 and LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) at BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished) 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 level on policy dialogue, supporting legislative advances in areas such as school meals, anticipatory action and rice fortification.

JOB TITLE: Programme Associate (School Meals)
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Service Contract

JOB GRADE: SC-6
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Cotabato, Philippines
DURATION: 12 months with possible extension 

This position is open to Filipino nationals only.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT: 
The Government of the Philippines has an established School-based Feeding Programme (SBFP) and has signed on to the School Meals Coalition, being the first country in Asia-Pacific to do so. The SBFP aims to address undernutrition among Filipino children, where they are provided with nutritious meals for a period of not less than 120 days. The programme is implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd) and Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) in the Philippines and aims to provide hot and nutritious meals to school children in public elementary schools across the country.  

In recent years, there have been efforts and interest by the Government to expand and improve school feeding programmes in the Philippines, including the introduction of the home-grown school feeding model (HGSF). HGSF provides safe, diverse and nutritious food sourced locally from smallholder farmers. Through the programme, farmers and fisherfolk are supported to form and strengthen associations or cooperatives and enhance their inclusion in value chains through strengthened access to markets, adoption of climate-resilient agricultural practices, and enhanced technical and enterprise-development skills. A cross-cutting component of the programme is the empowerment of learners, teachers, parents, guardians, food producers and the wider community through Social and Behavioural Change (SBC) initiatives. These initiatives positively enable behavior change for enhanced knowledge, attitudes and practices in the realm of nutrition awareness, health and gender transformation.  

To support the institutionalisation and scale-up of School-Based Feeding in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), WFP works in close partnership with the Government and other key partners to provide technical assistance through evidence generation and advocacy to amend policies, enhance programme design, and build capacity of partners.  
  
JOB PURPOSE: 
The Programme Associate (School Meals) will support the enhanced roll-out and scale up of the hot meals' initiative in schools across BARMM. The holder reports directly to the Programme Policy Officer (PPO) leading School Meals in BARMM and supports the Integrated Resilience team, with additional technical guidance from the Head of Integrated Resilience and the School Meals lead based at the Country Office.  

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 
The Programme Associate (School Meals) will provide technical and administrative support in the implementation of the School Meals portfolio. The role involves coordination, capacity strengthening, documentation, monitoring and operational support to ensure sound implementation. Specific duties include: 
 
1. Capacity Strengthening & Coordination  

• Provide project management support to the School Meals team in the implementation of the Home-Grown School Meals programme in BARMM and regional SBFP supporting alignment with wider programme policies and guidelines. 

• Co-develop and implement training modules and capacity strengthening interventions to support the roll-out and scale up of HGSF and SBFP programmes in collaboration with government partners and other stakeholders. 

• Provide technical and administrative support to the School Meals team embedded in the Government (MBHTE) on implementation of joint activities, advocacy initiatives, and events.  

• Provide administrative support in Field Level Agreement (FLA) and contract management with partners. 

• Support the HGSF PPO in the preparation of rice distribution plans. 

• Act as a point of contact for resolution of a range of operational queries within the HGSF programme and capacity strengthening activities for regional SBFP.  

• Build and cultivate strategic relationships at the school and community level, with Local Government Units, MBHTE, and other partners in ways that lead to increased impact and ownership of the HGSF programme. 

• Regularly liaise across functional units in the Cotabato Field Office and Country Office to support effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of ongoing project activities. 

 
2. Monitoring and Knowledge Management  

• Contribute to accurate and timely reporting and documentation of lessons learned on the HGSF programme to enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.  

• Co-develop and utilize WFP corporate systems and reporting processes to track the effectiveness of HGSF interventions and provide feedback to improve future efforts. 

• Provide inputs and support to visibility material and social media content by assisting in collection of photo and narrative materials for achievements and success stories in coordination with the Communications unit.  

3. Perform other related responsibilities and tasks which may include workstreams in social protection, markets and livelihoods, resilience-strengthening, anticipatory action, emergency response, gender and disability mainstreaming, and other key areas of work, as required and guided by management.  

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE DESIRED: 
 
EDUCATION:  

• Completion of secondary education is required. 

• A bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Nutrition, Public Health, Social Sciences, Communications, or a closely related field is highly desirable and considered an advantage.      

EXPERIENCE:  

• At least six (6) years of relevant experience in a unit or department of a public or private sector responsible for project management, coordination, strategic planning, and programme implementation. 

• Demonstrated capacity in working with or supporting government agencies. 

• Familiarity with national policies, strategies, or frameworks related to nutrition, education, public health or other similar sectors. 

• Experience supporting development or humanitarian projects, preferably in food security, public health, or development communication. 

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: 

• Ability to work in a team and establish effective, empathic working relationships with people of different diverse backgrounds and identities. 

• Excellent organization and ability to work within tight deadlines and manage multiple tasks simultaneously and independently. 

• Strong administrative skills, including thoroughness in drafting official correspondence, accurate record-keeping, and effective data management and filing systems. 

• Attention to detail in documentation, reporting, and compliance with organizational standards and procedures. 

• Strong partnership, negotiation and advocacy skills. 

• Demonstrative sensitivity to local cultural knowledge, attitude, practices, and beliefs. 

• Proactive and keen willingness to learn and take on tasks. 

• Advanced computer skills with mastery of Windows and Microsoft Office. 

• Experience with capacity strengthening, from development of training modules to facilitation of large group workshops, seminars, or trainings. 

• Familiarity with school meals programming approaches, best practices and technical knowledge in food safety, dietary diversity and nutrition-sensitive programming is highly desirable.  

LANGUAGE: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English and Filipino; Knowledge on the local language in BARMM is desirable.