Programme Policy Officer – School Feeding Literacy & Technical Assistance

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

24 November 2026-23:59-GMT+07:00 Indochina Time (Phnom Penh)

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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).

This vacancy announcement is open to Cambodian nationals only.

POSITION TITLE: Programme Policy Officer – School Feeding Literacy & Technical Assistance

TYPE OF CONTRACT: WFP Service Contract

GRADE: SC8

UNIT/DIVISION: School Feeding Programme

DUTY STATION: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

DURATION: As soon as possible for 12 months (There is no expectation of contract extension upon completion of the literacy project tasks)

REPORTING LINE: This position reports to the Programme Policy Officer – School Feeding Technical Assistance Lead

The incumbent will be based at the WFP Cambodia Country Office in Phnom Penh, with frequent travel to and regular engagement with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and other government institutions as required. The position will work closely with government counterparts, particularly the Primary Education Department (PED), to support the implementation of USDA McGovern-Dole FY26 literacy activities and broader school feeding technical assistance priorities.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT:

Central to its Cambodia programme, WFP has been working with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to implement school feeding since 1999 through the provision of hot, nutritious meals in schools and cash/food scholarships to vulnerable primary and pre-primary school children. From 1999 to 2022, this social assistance programme has benefited over two million school children with much work already done to transition school feeding to a nationally managed and funded programme. The programme currently reaches over 300,000 children in Cambodia and has an increasing focus on supporting the scale up of the government’s school feeding programme.

The upcoming USDA McGovern-Dole (MGD) FY26 Programme includes a significant literacy component aimed at improving learning outcomes through the development, piloting, and rollout of an upper-grade (4-6) literacy package and task-based package for grade 1-3 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), particularly the Primary Education Department (PED).

As this intervention represents a new area of support under the programme, with no existing national framework or dedicated external technical partner leading implementation, substantial technical, operational, and coordination support will be required to ensure successful design, rollout, monitoring, and donor compliance.

Beyond literacy, the position will also contribute to broader school feeding technical assistance priorities under the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), working closely with the WFP School Feeding Secondment Officer embedded within MoEYS, the School Feeding Technical Assistance team, and relevant government stakeholders. The role will support cross-sectoral coordination and implementation of key milestones under the School Feeding Policy Action Plan (PAP) and USDA McGovern-Dole FY26 program.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support and coordinate with the Primary Education Department (PED) in the development, adaptation, pilot testing, rollout, and institutionalization of upper-grade literacy interventions, including task-based literacy approaches, Om Nan PTOM, PTOM, instructional packages, reading manuals, assessment tools, and learning materials aligned with national priorities and the Global Proficiency Framework.
• Serve as WFP’s focal point for coordination with MoEYS, PED, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders, providing technical and project management support for literacy-related activities, including work planning, implementation monitoring, risk management, partner coordination, and tracking of programme deliverables to ensure timely implementation and donor compliance.

• Support the design and delivery of capacity-strengthening initiatives for master trainers, teachers, school leaders, and education officials, including training, mentoring, coaching, and follow-up support to strengthen literacy instruction and effective classroom implementation.

• Support the monitoring, evaluation, learning, and reporting of literacy interventions, including data collection and analysis, documentation of lessons learned and evidence, quality assurance, and the development, production, and dissemination of teaching and learning materials to inform programme improvement and policy uptake.

• Conduct research, evidence gathering, analysis, and knowledge management activities to inform literacy programme design, adaptation, scaling, and sustainability.

• Contribute to the preparation and quality assurance of technical reports, workplans, briefing materials, donor updates, presentations, visibility materials, and other programme documentation related to literacy and technical assistance activities.

• Serve as a key focal point for inter-ministerial coordination, facilitating collaboration between MoEYS and other relevant government institutions, as well as development partners and technical stakeholders, to strengthen policy coherence, implementation, and problem-solving.

• Apply in-depth knowledge of government systems and institutional processes to support stakeholder engagement, partnership development, and resource mobilization efforts that contribute to improved education outcomes and human capital development.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS:

 

• Support MoEYS PED in the development, validation, adaptation, piloting, rollout, and institutionalization of upper-grade (4-6) literacy packages, support early grade literacy (1-3), teacher support materials, and related learning interventions under the USDA McGovern-Dole FY26 program.
• Coordinate closely with relevant MoEYS departments, Provincial Offices of Education, Teacher Training Institutions, and development partners to ensure alignment, ownership, and sustainability of literacy interventions.
• Coordinate with School Feeding and field office team to share the knowledge of literacy and progress to keep track the progress and achievement workstream as required by donor.
• Support capacity strengthening activities for government stakeholders, teachers, school personnel, and education actors through training, workshops, coaching, technical exchanges, and learning events related to literacy programming.
• Facilitate inter-ministerial coordination and follow-up for the implementation of priority activities and broader Technical Assistance milestones under the School Feeding Policy Action Plan (PAP) 2024-2035, working closely with the WFP School Feeding Secondment Officer and School Feeding Technical Assistance Lead to strengthen collaboration across education, nutrition, social protection, agriculture, and other relevant sectors. Contribute to the design, implementation, documentation, and dissemination of technical pilots, innovations, and evidence-generation activities linked to literacy, education, school feeding, and human capital development.
• Contribute to Cambodia's engagement with regional and global initiatives, technical networks, and communities of practice relevant to literacy, education, school feeding, and human capital development.
• Provide support to WFP Technical Assistances activities where relevant to support the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with government counterparts, UN agencies, NGOs, academia, research institutions, and development partners to support programme implementation, coordination, learning, and policy dialogue.
• Ensure gender equality, disability inclusion, protection, environmental considerations, and accountability to affected populations (AAP) are integrated into all aspects of programme design and implementation.
• Support documentation of lessons learned best practices, implementation experiences, and policy recommendations to inform programme improvements and future scale-up.
• Perform other duties as required.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

 

• At least 3 years of professional experience in literacy, education, reading improvement, foundational learning, teacher development, or related education programmes.

• Demonstrated experience supporting the design, implementation, monitoring, and scale-up of literacy interventions, including the development of learning materials, teacher support tools, training programmes, and evidence-based approaches to improve learning outcomes.

• Proven experience working with government institutions, preferably within or in close partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) or other government agencies.

• Strong understanding of government systems, institutional processes, policy development, and decision-making mechanisms, with demonstrated ability to effectively navigate and coordinate across multiple departments and stakeholders.

• Experience facilitating inter-ministerial and multi-stakeholder coordination, including engagement with development partners, UN agencies, NGOs, academia, and technical experts.

• Experience in project management, including planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, risk management, and donor compliance.

• Experience in research, data analysis, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management, and technical reporting.

• Experience providing technical assistance and capacity strengthening to government officials, teachers, school personnel, or other education stakeholders.

 

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

 

Education: Advanced University degree in Education, International Affairs, Economics, Public Administration, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or another field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

 

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language and Khmer.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

 

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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

 

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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.

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• 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.

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