Program Policy Officer

Kinshasa, Congo, The Dem. Rep.Of · On-site

About this role

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

23 August 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 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).

UN Volunteer Description of Assignment

Description of assignment title: Programme Policy Officer-Planning and Operations

Host entity: United Nations World Food Programme Insert name and acronym of host entity

Mission and objectives: Mission and objectives in the Unified Volunteering Platform (UVP) are taken directly from the host entity profile.

Assignment country: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Duty station: Kinshasa

Volunteer category: National UN Volunteer Specialist

Number of assignments: 1

Expected start date: 6/15/26

Duration in months or set expected end date: 12 months

Possibility of extension: Yes ☐ No

Dependent on continuation of mandate, availability of funding, operational necessity, and satisfactory performance; there is no guarantee of assignment extension.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): 2. Zero Hunger

Assignment context:

The World Food Programme (WFP) 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.

In DRC, WFP implements a large scale programme including emergency humanitarian assistance especially in the conflict and climate shocks affected areas and longer term development activities to reinforce the resilience of the communities. WFP works closely with the national government at national and decentralised level with its partners including international and national Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) as well as other UN agencies, namely UNICEF, UNHCR, FAO amongst others.

The Planning and Opearation Section is situated in the Programme Unit, and it is responsible for coordinating the various levels of response planning across activities and locations. This usually includes considerations of intervention types, transfer modalities and cross-cutting priorities, to ensure that implementation is ultimately evidence-based, integrative, synergetic, and centred on the affected community.

The proposed UNV post is a great opportunity to develop a broad understanding on different humanitarian operations from a programmatic and strategic point of view in a complex context of DRC. The experience to be obtained during the assignment would contribute to its future career in the international humanitarian and development work

Task description:

  • Coordinating and consolidating Monthly Distribution Plans (MDPs) across Field Offices.
  • Ensuring alignment of plans with pipeline, operational capacity, and programme priorities.
  • Verifying caseloads, tonnage, and transfer modalities in line with the Implementation and operational plans with relevant units.
  • Supporting quality review of Country Portfolio Needs and Implementation Plans.
  • Monitoring commodity pipeline and flagging supply risks.
  • Supporting resource prioritization and pipeline scenario planning.
  • Tracking MDP implementation against key operational indicators.
  • Analyzing performance gaps and following up on implementation delays.
  • Preparing operational reports, dashboards, and management updates.

Required education: Master degree or equivalent

Area(s) of specialization (education): Food Security and Nutrition, Economics or Development Economics, Supply Chain Management or Logistics, Statistics, Data Analysis, or Applied Mathematics, Agricultural Economics or Rural Development, Public Policy or Public Administration

and other related areas

Required experience: 3 years

Required skills and experience:

  • Strong skills in planning and operational coordination.
  • Good understanding of supply chain and pipeline management.
  • Experience with programme monitoring and performance tracking.
  • Proficiency in data analysis and use of Excel or similar tools.
  • Ability to analyze operational data and identify gaps or risks.
  • Strong reporting and dashboard preparation skills.
  • Attention to detail and data quality assurance.
  • Ability to translate data into clear operational insights
  • Excellent oral and written skills in French and English

Area(s) of expertise (select all that apply)

Administration

Agriculture

Architecture and settlements

Arts and design

Business management

Communication

Community development

Crisis and emergency response

Development programmes

Economics and finance

Education

Elections and governance

Energy and environment

Engineering and construction

Facility management

Health

Human resources

Information technology

Legal affairs

Logistics and inventory

Manual labour and skilled trades

Natural and life sciences

Procurement and contracting

Product safety

Security and protection

Social work

Translation and interpretation

Transport

Volunteer management


Languages: Fluency in French is required. Competencies and values: (the list below is indicative and the host entity has to adapt it based on its organizational values)

  • Accountability
  • Adaptability and flexibility
  • Commitment and Motivation
  • Creativity
  • Integrity
  • Knowledge Sharing
  • Planning and organising
  • Professionalism

Living conditions and other remarks:

DRC is a country in Central Africa, and by land area the country is the 2nd largest country in African and 11th largest in the world. With a population of around 110 million the DC is the most populous Francophone country in the world. The current WFP’s operations cover 13 provinces in the country and the activities are managed by Country Office based in Kinsasa and different suboffices (Bunia, Goma, Bukavu, Kalemie, Kananga, Tshikapa, Gbadolite and Kinshasa) and antenna offices. The duty station of the UNV is Country Office based in Kinshasa the capital and the biggest city in DRC with a population of about 18 million. The cost of living in Kinshasa is very high while there is certain level of availabilities of different products both local and imported. Given that there will be some opportunities to go on mission in other cities / town including the field, flexibility and availability to stay and work in hard and potentially hazardous condition would be required.

Driving license needed: Yes ☒No Assignment is reserved exclusively for persons with disabilities: Yes ☒ No Reasonable accommodation: Yes ☒ No Accessibility measures in place: NA Additional accessibility info: NA Reference checks requested by host entity: ☐ Yes ☒No

Other information

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin, or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity’s policy

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.

Company at a glance

The UN World Food Programme is a global leader in emergency response and resilience. We deliver food and cash assistance in crises while strengthening national systems so communities can withstand future shocks.

Team Size10,001+ employees
WorkspaceOn-site
IndustryNon-profit Organizations
Location
Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Websitewfp.org
LinkedInLinkedIn

Top Benefits

  • Training programs
  • Accreditation
  • Coaching
  • Mentorship
  • Internal mobility opportunities

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