Programme Policy Officer - Strategic Coordination and Emergency

The Programme Policy Officer supports the Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa by providing strategic guidance and support to Country Offices, contributing to corporate decision-making, and engaging with regional partners. The role involves strategic analysis, emergency preparedness and response backstopping, and coordination to ensure effective humanitarian assistance in the region.

Responsibilities

• Promote data-informed, evidence-based decision making by synthesizing operational data, contextual analysis and expert inputs into clear options, recommendations and follow-up actions for WFP operations.
• Support the Deputy Regional Director in strategic cross-functional coordination, drawing on inputs from Global Functional Teams to translate emerging information into clear strategic insights, options and recommendations for senior management and coordinated support to Country Offices.
• Support internal and external coordination processes related to regional priorities, including through preparation, follow-up and engagement with relevant stakeholders.
• Support RDO leadership team members, especially the Senior Advisor in advancing innovative partnerships in the region by ensuring partnership and innovation opportunities are connected to operational realities.
• Contribute to the delivery of selected management accountability framework-related processes and follow-up actions linked to the Regional Director.
• Provide dedicated RDO backstopping support on priority Emergency Preparedness & Response (EPR) issues, ensuring continuity of regional follow-up and seamless coordination with Global Headquarters’ EPR.
• Support emergency coordination at regional and Country Office levels, including issue tracking, preparation for coordination meetings, consolidation of action points, follow-up on decisions and facilitation of communication between the RDO, ESARO global functional teams, other headquarters counterparts and Country Offices.
• Help ensure that priority emergency and humanitarian issues across the region are strategically interlinked, with key operational risks, cross-border dynamics, resource constraints and management decisions clearly escalated for RDO attention.
• Maintain situational awareness of sudden- and slow-onset emergencies in presence and non-presence countries, helping to identify issues requiring timely management attention and/or escalation.
• Support the flow of information between field teams, and relevant global headquarters functional teams on priority emergency files, including through the development of high-quality emergency-related analytical products and talking points.
• Support Country Offices through remote or mission-based assistance on emergency-related planning, management engagement, operational follow-up and coordination with relevant technical units.
• Carry out any other tasks as assigned by the Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director, Strategic Advisor or delegate.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree in International Relations, International Development, Political or Social Sciences, or other relevant fields.
• Minimum 6 years of progressively responsible professional experience in a relevant field of work, including at least 2 years field experience in an emergency operation.
• Knowledge of the international humanitarian response architecture including inter-agency coordination mechanisms as well as United Nations systems.
• Experience in strategy development, policy work, planning and managing programmes.
• Experience in the use of various research methodologies and data visualization.
• Strong communications, analytical and partnerships skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex operational, political, humanitarian and food security information into concise written products, options and recommendations for senior management.
• Sound theoretical understanding of international humanitarian and development concepts and principles with a broad knowledge of best practices, techniques, and processes.
• Flexibility and willingness to travel for extended periods of time.
• Ability to plan and organize work programme with minimum supervision.
• Familiarity with UN policies, WFP emergency operations and the East and Southern Africa region is desirable.
• Fluency (level C) in English language is essential.

Skills

• Humanitarian Response
• Inter-agency Coordination
• United Nations System
• Strategy Development
• Policy Work
• Programme Planning
• Programme Management
• Research Methodology
• Data Visualization
• Communications
• Analytical Skills
• Partnership Development
• Operational Analysis
• Political Analysis
• Humanitarian Political Analysis
• Food Security Analysis
• Written Reporting
• International Humanitarian Concepts
• Development Concepts
• Emergency Preparedness
• Emergency Response
• Work Programme Management

Languages

English