Programme Partnerships Officer - CST 1 (P2)

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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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.

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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 AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The Asia-Pacific is the most disaster affected region in the world, especially susceptible to sudden- onset disasters that can outstrip short-term national response capacities. It is also home to several conflicts, adding to the risks that the region faces. WFP Country Offices in the Asia and Pacific region work in close collaboration with government and partners to strengthen national capacity, provide technical assistance and, where needed, direct food assistance to achieve zero hunger. Important to WFP’s approach is testing and applying innovative and gender transformative programmatic approaches – including the broadening of transfer modalities, increasing focus on resilience-building and national capacity-development. Excessive debt, the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and decline in tourism (accounting for a large part of national revenues), and the compounding impact of the Ukraine crisis on access to fertilizer, food, fuel, and hindering the government’s capacity to service debts – has culminated in a wave of unrest and a significant decline in food security and access to basic services. According to the recent Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM), 3.9 million of people are food -insecure (17%). Rising food costs are making it harder for the population to meet their food needs. Amidst the deteriorating context, in July 2022, Sri Lanka was elevated to the Corporate Alert System with some initial surge support deployed.

Content and Methodology of Supervision:

The Programme Partnerships Officer will work under the direct supervision of the Programme Policy Officer. A workplan will be jointly discussed and endorsed at the beginning of the contract, followed by a mid-year review. Guidance will be provided on a daily basis as required and feedback sessions will be set up regularly, at a minimum one every quarter.

Assignment Details 

Task Description

The Programme Partnerships Officer will have the following responsibilities:

• Provide overall project management support to the KOICA-funded project ‘Sow and Grow’

• Support overall management of the partnership and correspondence with KOICA

• In close coordination with the Partnerships, Programme (Resilient Food Systems, and Nutrition), and Budget and Programming units, ensure the smooth and effective implementation of the Sow and Grow Programme, in line with the work plan and budget.

• Support the Resilient Food Systems Unit in providing technical support on programme and policy issues, including assessment and analysis, the deployment and testing of innovative approaches, and the development of strategies to support government efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition.

• Conduct desk research and follow data gathering and monitoring systems to ensure the consistency of information presented to KOICA and stakeholders and the timely preparation and dissemination of information products for internal or external use.

• Draft briefs, reports, presentations, and information products for use in national forums and meetings on food security, nutrition, resilience, and the humanitarian-development nexus.

• Follow up on the resource situation of projects, with support from Resilience colleagues and other units.

• Draft reports and data analysis that highlight trends in programme implementation status, performance, and resource utilization to assist in project management.

• Liaise with internal counterparts to foster effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of ongoing project activities;

• Other tasks as required.

Programme/Project Description

The candidate will be providing dedicated support to the implementation and management of the Sow and Grow programme and the partnership with KOICA. This integrated programme aims to transition and enhance the livelihoods of marginalized smallholder farmers by connecting them to markets, primarily one of the largest social safety nets in the country – the Thriposha programme – for the treatment of malnutrition.

Overall, this transformation will involve scaling up the local production of quality maize (approx. 10,500 MT of Maize at minimum), engaging 7,500 households (30,000 people), particularly women and youth, reducing dependency on imports, increased incomes and establishing a sustainable supply of these raw material for Thriposha to reach up to 650,000 children under five; 332,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women targeted for prevention and Moderate Acute Malnutrition supplementation. The long-term vision is to enable the country to export Thriposha to the region, ultimately strengthening the food system through a nexus approach between nutrition, agriculture, supply chain and social protection. This transformative initiative aims to change the lives of women farmers and engage them as a catalytic force in the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in Sri Lanka, making this social protection scheme resilient to shocks.

Results/Expected Outputs

• The effective management of the partnership with KOICA and the ‘Sow and Grow’ programme.

• The effective grant and programme management of the Sow and Grow programme

• The timely production of reports, presentations, briefs, and information material to KOICA and all other relevant partners, that assist with improved understanding of food security, nutrition, food systems and resilience initiatives in Sri Lanka

• Improved capacity within the country office, partners, and stakeholders to understand and execute programmes that improve food security and resilience to shocks.

Qualifications and Experience

Minimum Academic Requirements (level of education, relevant major)

Advanced university degree in International Development Studies, Environment Studies, Disaster Management, or Social Sciences or other relevant field.

General Professional Experience

Two years of relevant working experience in the subject matter.

Specific Professional Experience

Experience with agriculture research centres and/or private sector is an asset.

Key competencies:

Fluency in English and Korean

Proficiency in Windows MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)

Position Title: Programme Partnerships Officer - CST 1 (P2)

Contract Type: International Consultant

Contract Duration: 11 months (with possible extension)

Duty Station: Colombo Sri Lanka

Nationality: Internationals only

Date of Publication: 11.03.2026

Deadline of Application: 25.03.2026

This vacancy announcement is for Internationals only.

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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

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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.

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• 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.