Head of Emergency - CSTII

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

6 September 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 Arabian Standard Time (Aden)

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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).

GENERAL INFORMATION
JOB TITLE: Head of Emergency
TYPE OF CONTRACT/LEVEL: Consultancy Contract CSTII
SUPERVISOR: Programme Policy Officer
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Aden, Yemen

DURATION: 11 Months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Food insecurity and malnutrition remain at critical levels in Yemen as the population continues to experience multifaceted vulnerabilities and intense exposure to shocks and stressors, including active conflict, political fragmentation, severe economic contraction, widespread poverty, collapsing social services, and climate change. In this highly fragile context, WFP is currently implementing its Interim Country Strategic Plan (ICSP), which entails one of the organization’s largest emergency portfolios globally. This massive operation is structured around an unconditional targeted food assistance intervention, and the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) to address sudden-onset shocks, all complemented by preventive and targeted nutrition supplementation; local frontline capacity strengthening and linkages with social protection and resilience agenda to reduce humanitarian needs.

To ensure the effective management of these critical safety nets, the WFP Yemen Country Office is seeking an International Consultant to lead its Emergency Food Assistance team and operations. The incumbent will serve as the designated Activity Manager (URT1) currently based in Aden, driving day-to-day operational excellence, supervising technical field teams, leading and coordinating complex retargeting exercises.

JOB PURPOSE

To provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, and technical direction for WFP’s Targeted Emergency Food Assistance operations in Yemen. The incumbent will manage resource pipelines, oversee cooperating partners, lead a multi-disciplinary program team, support Field Offices and steer modality shifts toward digital cash transfers. Additionally, the position acts as a primary technical interlocutor with de facto and internationally recognized government authorities, UN sister agencies (UNICEF, UNFPA), and international financial institutions (World Bank) to advance social protection systems, emergency preparedness, and joint safety net integration across the country.

ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of Programme Policy Officer managing Emergency, School feeding and Nutrition units, the incumbent will be responsible for the following core duties:

• Operational Management & Financial Oversight (URT1): Lead all aspects of the Country Office’s Targeted Emergency Food Assistance operations. Oversee operational planning, quality control budgeting, resource/pipeline management, and expenditure controls. Direct Cooperating Partner (CP) management from the requesting unit end, including selection, budget negotiations, performance monitoring, and formal evaluations.

• Engagement with Line Ministries and Authorities: to ensure an effective, neutral, and principled implementation of the emergency portfolio while preserving essential humanitarian access and operational space.

• Team Leadership & Capacity Empowerment:  Strengthen, lead, and empower the Country Office Emergency Food Assistance team. Enhance deep technical collaboration with GFA teams across all Field Offices to drive rigorous program delivery while executing systematic, high-frequency field monitoring.

• Digital Identity & Retargeting Controls: Coordinate closely with the Targeting and Digital Solutions unit to drive steady progress on the full-fledged household retargeting exercise. Operationalize critical Identity Management (IDM) assurance measures to ensure beneficiary registries and distribution cycles are fully digitalized during the first semester.

• Cash-Based Transfer (CBT) Realignment: Operationalize required shifts in the positioning and utilization of the CBT modality within the TEFA framework. Spearhead the expansion and transition to digital cash transfers where operationally viable.

• Social Protection Systems Interoperability: Advance dialogue and operational synergies with national Social Protection and Cash and Market Working Group actors around three strategic entry points:

  • Mutualization of data collection efforts for household retargeting.

  • Articulation of emergency relief with shock-responsive social protection programs, promoting consolidated deduplication mechanisms (UN Building Blocks).

  • Transition to unified, digital cash transfer mechanisms.

• Emergency Preparedness & Response (EPR): Lead the Country Office's emergency preparedness efforts alongside a dedicated international Program Policy Officer (PPO). Represent WFP to enhance the relevance, targeting, and effectiveness of the multi-agency Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) led by UNFPA.

• Sector Coordination & Donor Relations: Maintain reliable, active engagement in the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC). Represent WFP in external coordination forums and lead technical discussions during donor meetings, briefings, and field missions.

• Ad-Hoc Duties: Perform any other operational duties as requested or delegated by the line manager.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT.

• Operational Portfolio Managed: URT1 operational plans, resource pipelines, and expenditure budgets successfully executed with zero pipeline breaks and fully reconciled Cooperating Partner (CP) agreements.

• Concrete implementation mechanisms have been streamlined to systematically drive the transition of the emergency portfolio from GFA to TEFA in line with upcoming ICSP (2027–2029) strategic goals.

• Beneficiary Digitalization Milestones Achieved: Consolidated progress made on the full-scale household retargeting exercise, with critical IDM assurance measures deployed to digitalize distribution cycles.

• Inter-Agency Social Protection Roadmap Defined: Technical alignment papers, deduplication building blocks, and shared data protocols established with UNICEF and the World Bank; among other actors for shock-responsive cash transfers.

• Emergency Preparedness & RRM Inputs Finalized: WFP's emergency contingency plans are updated, and joint operational adjustments are delivered to improve the efficiency of the UNFPA-led Rapid Response Mechanism.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• Education: Advanced University Degree (master's or equivalent) or University Degree in International Relations, Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, Business Administration, or another relevant academic field.

• Experience: Minimum 7 years of progressive professional experience in humanitarian operations, emergency program management, or food security assistance. Proven experience leading large-scale cash-based or in-kind operations in complex, high-risk, or conflict-affected environments is highly valued. Prior experience in the Middle East region or Yemen context is a distinct advantage.

• Knowledge & Skills:

  • Deep technical understanding of emergency food security interventions, targeting methodologies, and digital identity management systems (e.g., SCOPE or equivalent beneficiary databases).

  • Strong capability in managing multi-disciplinary, diverse national and international teams under high-pressure environments.

  • Demonstrated diplomatic negotiation skills with government counterparts and de facto authorities.

  • Familiarity with UN-IFI collaborations (e.g., World Bank social safety net systems) and cash interoperability frameworks.

• Languages: Fluency (Level C) in spoken and written English is mandatory. Working knowledge or intermediate proficiency in Arabic is highly desirable.

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

• 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.

• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• 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.