Programme Officer - School Feeding (NOA)

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

17 May 2026-23:59-GMT+02:00 South Africa Standard Time (Maseru)

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).

The role supports coordination, fosters collaboration, and helps shape strategic thinking around school feeding and its links to social protection, nutrition, and community resilience.

ABOUT SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME OFFICER AT WFP

This position is based in Maseru and reports to Deputy Country Director.

THE ROLE

To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

• Lead the implementation of school feeding programs at the ECCD level, including the roll-out of the pilot Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) to other districts, as well as support registration of unregistered ECCDs.
• Coordinate the management of the School Feeding activities in close collaboration and coordination with Field Offices and Supply chain unit for timely delivery of assistance and effective monitoring of the same.
• Explore partnership opportunities with the Government, UN and civil society that strengthen existing capacities of WFP and Government programmes.
• Ensure adherence to the national priorities and guidelines in the implementation of the National School feeding and other social proteciton programmes.
• Coordinate closely with functional units (Nutrition, Food Systems, Budget & Programming, M&E, etc.) for effective integration and accountability, and with Field offices to ensure timely distributions.
• Identify opportunities where WFP can support the Government's efforts and build/strengthen their capacities using the country capacity strengthening (CCS) approach.
• Coordinate and or mobilize technical expertise for capacity building of government, and other actors to enhance their capacity to manage national school feeding programme.
• Explore and identify opportunities with other sectors (agriculture, nutrition, social protection, health) that can improve the quality of the school feeding programme.
• Conduct regular oversight visits to support field staff and partners including government and other collaborators at local level.
• Ensure timely responses to the Government queries on WFP operations and any request for support and technical assistance in the school feeding and social protection portfolio.
• Represent WFP in key strategic coordination platforms such as Local Education Group (LEG) ensuring that school feeding is adequately recognized.
• Ensure proper documentation of all portfolio activities for accountability and transparency. Improve collaboration with MOET,  MAFSN, FMU and other relevant ministries at national and district levels.
• In collaboration with WFP Field Offices ensure timely periodic (monthly/quarterly/annual) reports on monitoring and other related activities are produced.
• Contribute to and advocate for improvement of school feeding infrastructures such as latrines, storerooms and kitchens.
• Advocate and promote environment-friendly activities and dietary diversification activities at school level (creation of school gardens, tree planting, solar energy use in schools).
• Liaise with UNICEF, WHO, FAO and other UN agencies to implement joint activities at school level.
• Acts as Cooperating Partners and social protection Focal Point; and closely collaborate with relevant Activity managers to support government to implement shock-responsive social protection.
• Contribute towards the development of a wide variety of projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidance, especially leading the development of funding proposals, concept notes, position papers, donor briefs related to school feeding.
• Promote donor visibility through monthly insight/briefs as well as branding at school and national levels

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

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

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• At least 3 years relevant work experience

• Has gained experience in implementing technical programs (i.e. nutrition, etc.).

• Has implemented programmes and provided input into designing operations.

• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language and the duty station’s language, if different.
 

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:  [email protected]

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 [email protected]. 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.