PPO - Head of Programme Bukavu

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

3 November 2026-23:59-GMT+01:00 West Africa Standard Time (Kinshasa)

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 extreme weather shocks.

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).

JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer – Head of Programme

TYPE OF CONTRACT: International Consultant Level II

UNIT/DIVISION: Programme Unit

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo

DURATION: 11-months

BACKGROUND:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to face one of the most complex humanitarian and development contexts globally, driven by protracted conflict, displacement, food insecurity, malnutrition, and recurrent shocks. In response, WFP supports life‑saving assistance while progressively strengthening national and sub‑national capacities to deliver sustainable food security, nutrition, and social protection outcomes.

Under its Country Strategic Plan (CSP), WFP DRC prioritizes Country Capacity Strengthening (CCS) as a core strategic approach, supporting government institutions to design, manage, and deliver effective policies, systems, and services. This includes strengthening national systems for social protection, food systems, school feeding, disaster preparedness, and emergency response, in line with WFP’s Country Capacity Strengthening Policy.

In parallel, WFP DRC is currently implementing one Government of Japan‑funded project that supports the national school feeding strategy, with a strong emphasis on institutional capacity strengthening, sustainability, accountability, and high‑quality reporting to the Government of Japan.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:          

 

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency dedicated to fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works globally to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

 

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing one of the largest hunger crises in the world. Hunger and conflict exacerbate each other, with armed conflict and widespread displacement prevailing for the past 25 years. Multiple other crises further compound DRC’s humanitarian challenges. North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri are the provinces where war and unrest have been most protracted. Three out of every four internally displaced people live with host families, many of whom were already struggling before taking in strangers in need. The number of acutely food-insecure people stands at 27 million, making access to food a daily struggle for a significant part of the Congolese population. An estimated 3.4 million children are acutely malnourished.

 

The escalating insecurity situation in Eastern DRC is worsening the humanitarian situation in the region. Information compiled by OCHA and its partners indicates that increased fighting Nord-Kivu and Sud-Kivu has resulted into millions of people being in urgent need of life-saving food assistance. The security situation in South Kivu has greatly deteriorated with numerous non-state armed groups. The resurgence of the movement of March 23 (M23) in 2021 and since captured of big areas of territories in North and South has led to a fragmented governance where parts of the province are under De Facto Authority of Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) established in Bukavu and the anothers under the legitimate government relocated in Uvira. The AFC/M23 fighting government forces and its allies has impacted humanitarian and livelihoods of populations in South Kivu.

Considering these challenging circumstances, WFP is using various approaches/modalities and methods to be able to provide timely and quality humanitarian food assistance to displaced people and vulnerable host communities while at the same time seeking humanitarian solutions. These modalities include in-kind food, Cash based transfers (CBT), capacity strengthening, school feeding, Nutrition resilience programs and strengthening of food systems.

The WFP Bukavu Field Office covers the territories of Kalehe, Kabare, Walungu, Mwenga and Shabunda in South Kivu province and provides food and nutrition assistance using both in kind and in CBT (cash and e-voucher) modalities to approximately 300,000 vulnerable people each month. There is therefore the need to have an internationally recruited Programme Policy Officer consultant (Head of Programme) to lead the programme team to advance and implement the WFP DRC’ priorities of quality operations delivery and humanitarian solutions in South Kivu.

 

Under its Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2021-2025, the World Food Programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo aims to provide:

• Unconditional food-resource transfers to crisis-affected and food-insecure populations.
• Nutrition prevention activities against moderate acute malnutrition among children under aged 6-23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding girls and women.
• Nutrition treatment activities for moderate acute malnourished children aged 6-59 months and pregnant and breastfeeding girls and women.
• A school feeding program for children at school.
• Nutrition prevents activities against stunting.
• Support for smallholder farmers and asset creation and livelihood interventions.

 

JOB PURPOSE:

Under the direct supervision of the Bukavu Head of Field Office, the Programme Policy Officer/Head of Programme will lead and manage Programme portfolio and team to ensure the implementation of programme strategies and effective and efficient delivery of WFP food assistance activities. A large emphasis is placed upon building and maintaining relationships with UN agencies cooperating partners and government counterparts to facilitate delivery on WFP mandate in South Kivu.

 

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent will be responsible for the following key duties:

• Supervise the Programme team in Bukavu FO, acting as a point of contact for all-Programme related activities with CO.
• Translate WFP-wide program policies into practical field-level approaches, program guidance, and operational strategies.
• Provide guidance and leadership in managing a diverse portfolio of programs, ensuring alignment with WFP policies, and pertinent guidelines.
• Provide expert advice or facilitate access to technical resources on various program and policy matters, spanning assessment and analysis, selection of objectives, activity planning, transfer modalities, food systems, innovation testing, and strategies to bolster local government initiatives aimed at alleviating hunger and malnutrition.
• Contribute to and offer technical support for Field Office operations planning, distribution activities, and monitoring and evaluation efforts, both for ongoing programs and emergency response initiatives.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of various projects and activities including General Food Distributions (for IDPs, Refugees, Victims of natural disasters, etc.), Cash Based Transfer, Nutrition, School Feeding, and resilience programs.
• Collaborate with governments and other stakeholders to identify areas where food assistance is needed at the local level, offering support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation, and execution of food assistance programs. This includes advice on context-specific transfer modalities (food, cash, or vouchers) and capacity strengthening initiatives.
• Conduct regular meetings with the Supply Chain team to assess pipeline status, forecast demands, and coordinate timely food deliveries to Cooperating Partners (CPs).
• Prepare and negotiate Field Level Agreements (FLAs) with partners, including budgeting and staff costs based on WFP standards, and present relevant to the Local Project Review Committee (LPRC).
• Maintain accountability by preparing accurate and comprehensive reports on WFP operations and performance, ensuring timely submission. Review reports to identify program support needs and inform operational decisions.
• Support capacity building initiatives for WFP staff, partners, and national governments to prepare for and respond to food assistance needs, including project management support for learning initiatives.
• Seek strategic partnerships with other UN agencies to complement WFP's efforts.
• Contribute to Country Office Emergency Preparedness by participating in early warning, risk analysis, and contingency planning to respond to humanitarian crises.
• Ensure that Cash Based Transfer (CBT) processes are implemented in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); the management of CBT funds and oversee grant utilization.
• Participate in the development and implementation of monitoring, review, and evaluation plans aligned with WFP DRC and corporate standards to generate quality evidence for policy, strategy, and program design.
• Perform any other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Experience: Typically, five (5) years or more of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience (both in the field and Headquarters) in humanitarian or development areas in nutrition, social protection safety nets, development and projects management, emergency assistance, and/ or operational aspects of national, bilateral or multilateral food security and nutrition assistance.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Has developed, or supported in the development of, single discipline work plans to support the achievement of strategic aims within a defined area.
• Has gained some exposure in field operations and working experience across the programme cycle (assessment, food security and vulnerability analysis, programme design, M&E) data analysis and information management systems.
• Has field experience in monitoring and evaluation with a background and interest in the analysis of socioeconomic issues and related policy matters.
• Gained broader exposure across areas within a function (i.e., policy, programme etc.)
• Has led a mid-size to large team to ensure the effective delivery of objectives.
• Has gained experience in field operations, preferably in a hardship duty station or emergency settings and participated in vendor/government/partner negotiations to support broad function requirements.

Languages:

• Fluent in French Language oral and written (Level C)

• Fluent in English Language oral and written (Level B) 

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.