DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

14 September 2026-23:59-GMT+05:30 India Standard Time (Colombo)

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).

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT:

This position is based in WFP Sri Lanka’s Country Office. Job holder report to the Programme Policy Officer - Community Infrastructure and are responsible for completing a range of specialized programme processes and activities requiring interpretation of guidelines and practices. The Programme Associate supports all four components of the US Global award:

 

• Food Assistance for Assets (FFA)

• Anticipatory Action (AA)

• Logistics / NFIs

• Humanitarian Data Assessment & Coordination (HDAC)

JOB PURPOSE:

To provide specialized programme support that ensures effective delivery of assistance under the United States Department of State (US DOS) US Global award.

Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to cyclones, floods, landslides, and droughts, with disasters increasing in frequency and severity. In November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah devastated 22 districts, affecting 2 million people, destroying homes and croplands, and severely damaging irrigation systems. With the anticipated El Niño event in 2026–27 expected to bring both droughts and flooding, communities face heightened risks and limited coping capacity.

To address these challenges, WFP is implementing a USD 7.5 million program to assist 87,000 people (21,750 households) by combining conditional cash transfers for rehabilitating irrigation systems, anticipatory cash support to flood-prone households, pre-positioning of essential non-food items, and strengthened disaster preparedness through coordinated risk assessments and digitalized systems.

The Programme Associate plays a critical role in ensuring smooth implementation of these interventions — supporting cash transfers, logistics/NFI procurement, coordination, and monitoring — while reinforcing WFP’s leadership in disaster coordination and resilience-building. The role also ensures compliance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) signed with the Ministry of Defence, aligning programme delivery with national disaster management systems.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

1. Programme Implementation Support

• Ensure activities across FFA, AA, Logistics/NFIs, and HDAC are implemented in line with WFP programme policies, donor requirements, and SOP agreements with the Ministry of Defence.

• Provide technical and administrative backstopping to field offices and cooperating partners.

• Track programme progress, resource utilization, and beneficiary reach to identify bottlenecks and recommend corrective actions.

• Support rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure under FFA, readiness investments under AA, and pre-positioning of NFIs to strengthen household resilience.

• Facilitate participatory planning processes with communities, integrating protection, gender, and accountability principles.

2. Data Management & Reporting

• Compile programme data (cash transfers, NFI distribution, coordination outputs) and prepare reports for operational decision-making.

• Record programme data in corporate systems (COMET, SCOPE, Data Library) with accuracy and timeliness.

• Support analysis of food security, vulnerability, and disaster preparedness indicators.

• Ensure compliance with WFP’s data protection and accountability standards.

3. Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work with internal counterparts (CBT, Supply Chain, M&E, Protection) to ensure effective collaboration.

• Support communication and activities with government institutions (MoD, DMC, NDRSC, Irrigation Department, Agrarian Development, Partnership Secretariat for WFP Cooperation), NGOs, and UN partners.

• Provide administrative and technical support to coordination forums (Cash Working Group, Logistics Working Group, AA Technical Working Group).

4. Monitoring & Accountability

• Support monitoring missions, including data collection and analysis.

• Ensure programme activities integrate accountability to affected populations (AAP) and protection principles.

• Act as a point of contact for resolution of operational queries, escalating where necessary.

5. Emergency Preparedness & Response

• Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP can quickly respond to disasters.

• Support pre-positioning of NFIs and readiness for rapid deployment (72–96 hours).

• Assist in documenting lessons learned and best practices for resilience and disaster risk financing.

OTHER POST REQUIREMENTS:

• Familiarity with cash-transfer programmes, anticipatory action frameworks, and logistics/NFI processes.

• Ability to handle sensitive beneficiary data with strict adherence to WFP’s data protection and privacy standards.

• Strong organizational and analytical skills to manage multiple programme streams.

• Willingness to undertake field missions to support programme monitoring and beneficiary engagement.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Has five (5) years of progressively responsible experience with one year at the lower grade level.

• Has facilitated communication with technical teams (i.e. nutrition, VAM, etc.).

• Has contributed to implementation of programmes.

• Has observed or assisted with policy discussions.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Completion of secondary school education with a post-secondary certificate in a related functional area, or an advanced university degree (or equivalent qualification) in a related functional area.

Language:

Fluency in oral and written communication in English, as well as Sinhala or Tamil.

Position Title: Programme Assistant SC5

Contract Type: Service Contract

Duty Station: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Nationality: Sri Lankan Nationals Only

Date of Publication: 31.08.2026

Deadline of Application: 14.09.2026

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.