Programme Policy Officer (Senior Technical Advisor)

The Programme Policy Officer (Senior Technical Advisor) will be seconded to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in Laos to provide strategic and technical advisory support on nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart agriculture, food systems transformation, resilience building, and multisectoral coordination. The role supports government leadership and ownership while aligning WFP's agriculture, nutrition, and resilience portfolio with national priorities.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall strategic and technical advisory support to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) including in nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart agriculture, livelihood approaches, resilience building, and food systems transformation.
• Guide the integration of nutrition and climate change into agricultural policies, programmes, and investment frameworks aligned with national strategies and development partner priorities and advise on required policy changes.
• Support the design, implementation and monitoring as well as quality assurance of programmes related to nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient agriculture and food systems transformation supported by WFP to MAE.
• Gather and promote knowledge products where required to build evidence-base for scalable approaches for the MAE.
• Provide technical advice to the current WFP project portfolio such as the AFN-II and BRRRP plus any future projects within the same portfolio; including advisory towards budgeting and programming, implementation and monitoring of activities, coordination with relevant ministries and entities, and reporting.
• Support formulation and implementation of strategies promoting diversified, nutrient-dense, and climate-resilient production systems across value chains.
• Support development of tools, training materials, and on-the-job mentoring and training.
• Facilitate cross-sectoral coordination across agriculture, nutrition, health, education, and social protection sectors to ensure integrated programming and advise Ministry on coordination gaps.
• Provide high-level advisory support to government in engaging with development partners (e.g., IFAD, ADB, World Bank, UN agencies) aligning their plans and priorities.
• Lead and coordinate with the MAE the development of a transition strategy, including a costed, time-bound plan, integrating national and subnational government planning and budgeting processes to ensure sustainable financing and ownership.
• Guide evidence generation, including analytical work, feasibility assessments, and use of data to inform decision-making and programme design as well as adjustment to implementation.
• Support development of monitoring frameworks and indicators to track outputs and outcomes of the projects under the Technical Advisors portfolio.
• Oversee documentation and dissemination of best practices, lessons learned, and knowledge products to inform scaling and policy development.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Agriculture, Agricultural economics, Food Systems, Nutrition, Environmental Science, Climate Change, or a related field.
• Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible experience in agriculture, rural development, or food systems programmes.
• Proven experience working with government institutions, specifically the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment, in technical advisory roles.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient agriculture programmes.
• Experience in food systems transformation, including value chain development and market linkages.
• Strong track record in multisectoral coordination across agriculture, nutrition, and related government sectors.
• Experience working with international organizations (e.g., UN agencies, IFIs such as IFAD, ADB, and World Bank) is highly desirable.
• Experience in Lao PDR and understanding on the culture are advantages.
• Demonstrated expertise in nutrition-sensitive agriculture, climate-smart/resilient agriculture, and/or food systems transformation.
• Strong understanding of Laos-specific context, in terms of the government structure after the restructuring, national and agriculture sector plans and priorities.
• Strong familiarity with the current international development frameworks related to food security, nutrition, and climate resilience in Laos.
• Excellent analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, particularly with government institutions and development partners.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical assignments, provide strategic guidance, and deliver high-quality outputs.
• Fluent in English. Knowledge of Lao language is an asset.

Skills

• Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture
• Climate-Resilient Agriculture
• Food Systems Transformation
• Value Chain Analysis
• Market Linkages Development
• Inter-sectoral Coordination
• Technical Advisory
• Strategic Guidance
• Programme Design
• Agriculture Policy Analysis
• Rural Development Policy
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Government Relations
• International Development Frameworks
• Analytical Skills
• Strategic Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Experience with UN Agencies
• Experience with IFIs
• Knowledge of Laos agriculture sector

Languages

English