Social Protection Fellow

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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 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, physical or mental disability.

 Social Protection Fellowship

Programme Unit

WFP Regional Office for East and Southern Africa (ESARO), Nairobi

 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIVISION

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) implement across the world programmes to achieve five corporate strategic outcomes which are:

• People are better able to meet their urgent food and nutrition needs

• People have better nutrition, health and education outcomes

• People have improved and sustainable livelihoods

• National programmes and systems are strengthened

• Humanitarian and development actors are more efficient and effective

The WFP aims to not only respond to shocks like conflicts, climate crises, and economic downturns, but also to proactively build resilience and reduce the impact of these events on food and nutrition security. This is achieved by designing interventions in collaboration with governments, local actors, and communities to ensure ownership and long-term sustainability. The Programme Unit in ESARO Nairobi is responsible for supporting country offices in developing and implementing programs that contribute to these objectives, as well as to UN Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17.

Support to Social Protection in ESARO region is aligned on the Corporate Strategic Plan and consolidates the organisation’s approach to better support government systems in a holistic and structured manner. The WFP Strategy for support social protection outlines the WFP approach to social protection providing a framework for WFP’s contribution to long-term national goals. It details how WFP will support high-quality national social protection systems in food-insecure contexts, complementing its emergency response work. The strategy focuses on enabling social protection to help people meet their basic needs and manage risks, building on decades of field experience to consolidate WFP's approach for the future.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Type of assignment: FELLOWSHIP

Number of available positions:

Country of assignment: Kenya

City of assignment: Nairobi

Hiring Unit: Programme/Social protection

Supervisor: Social Protection Regional Advisor

Working arrangement: In person

Duration of assignment: 12 months

Expected Starting Date: September 2025

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This Fellowship will be a key player in providing technical guidance and supporting knowledge management to inform evidence-based design of social protection programmes and policies.  Specifically, the Fellowship will have the following duties and responsibilities:

Provide social protection technical support to country office (CO) teams Contribute towards the development of CO projects and plans, ensuring alignment with corporate policies and guidance relevant to social protection.  Provide project management support to specific and defined social protection programmes and projects, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.  Support the research and analysis of policy and operational issues to inform the development of social protection policies, strategies, programmes and activities.  Support the development of concept notes and proposals related to social protection initiatives and strategies.  Participate in CO level capacity assessments such as scoping studies and provide support to report writing.  Support the development and review of social protection related strategic and operational documents such as strategies guidelines, manuals, among others for corporate guidance, COs and government.  Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely report relevant to the social protection portfolios (e.g. programme status, performance) that will support WFP’s decision-making at country and HQ level. Contribute to the development, management and sharing of knowledge products related to social protection. This includes supporting the coordination of the Social Protection Community of Practice (CoP) by planning and executing its activities, identifying relevant topics, and engaging with various stakeholders to prepare agendas and facilitate sessions. Work closely with the knowledge management and communications teams and ensure alignment and integration of social protection activities into the broader organizational learning framework and activities.   This includes promoting the use of WFP’s internal knowledge platforms for storing, sharing, and disseminating SP-related resources (e.g., reports, studies, presentations).  Provide technical guidance and support to Cos in the development of KLM tools and methodologies for social protection programmes  Support the partnership activities with all relevant government institutions, including UN Agencies, Government and other key stakeholders in the social protection space  Perform other related duties as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Be a Master’s student or graduate in Social Sciences, Public Policy, Public Administration, International Development, International Relations, Sociology, or other fields relevant to social protection.

• Fluency in English.

• Proficiency in Windows MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) and other basic computer skills are assets.

• Behavioural competencies: leads by example with integrity, drives results and delivers on commitments, fosters inclusive and collaborative teamwork, applies strategic thinking, builds, and maintains sustainable partnerships.

• Excellent written and spoken English is required (proficiency/level C). Working knowledge of another official UN language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian plus Portuguese) is an asset.

TRAINING COMPONENTS

Throughout their assignment WFP Fellows have access to an industry leading learning platform, weLearn. Depending on opportunities and availability of funds, he/she may participate in WFP workshops or seminars, as appropriate. The candidate will also be involved in all ongoing programmes and activities with gradually increasing levels of responsibility over the course of their career.

LEARNING ELEMENTS

At the end of the assignment, the Fellow should:

• Have learnt about WFP, its mission, internal organizational structure, workstream and culture.

• Have a general understanding of WFP operations and activities in the region.

• Familiarized with WFP strategies, methodologies and tools related to resilience building, preparedness and capacity strengthening and sustainable food systems in urban settings.

• Gained experience in working in multidisciplinary and international teams.

• Development of professional skills: including specific competencies and reflection on assignment-related abilities; and on-the-job skills such as time management, problem-solving, team building

• Understanding the increasingly important role of Social Protection and Country Capacity Strengthening in WFP's portfolio to respond to food and nutrition security issues.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

These are the common standards of behaviour that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Different expectations of behaviour are defined depending on your grade and role/responsibilities within WFP.

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.

Saving Lives

Changing Lives

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

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

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.