Programme Policy Officer (Nutrition) - NOB - Mogadishu

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

29 November 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 East Africa Time (Mogadishu)

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).

BACKGROUND:

The World Food Programme (WFP) Somalia implements a comprehensive nutrition portfolio spanning emergency nutrition response, prevention of malnutrition, resilience building, social protection, food systems transformation, HIV/TB support, and nutrition-sensitive programming. As Somalia continues to face recurrent climate shocks, food insecurity, displacement, disease outbreaks, and persistent malnutrition, WFP is committed to strengthening both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions across its programme portfolio.

The Nutrition Officer will support the design, implementation, monitoring, reporting, coordination, and operational management of WFP Somalia’s nutrition programmes. The role will provide technical leadership for nutrition integration across Food Systems, Livelihoods and Social Protection programming while simultaneously leading nutrition information management, reporting, monitoring systems, and specialized nutritious food (SNF) pipeline management.

The incumbent will be based in Mogadishu and work closely with Area Offices, government counterparts, cooperating partners, UN agencies, Regional Bureau Nairobi, and HQ to strengthen programme quality, effectiveness, accountability, evidence generation, and operational efficiency.

 

The position supports WFP's efforts to strengthen national Nutrition goals and contributes to broader education, nutrition, social protection, and human capital development objectives.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The position will strengthen Programme quality through technical support, nutrition information management, evidence generation, and specialized nutritious food (SNF) pipeline oversight. The incumbent will work closely with government and partner stakeholders to ensure the timely and effective delivery of nutrition interventions and the integration of nutrition objectives across WFP programmes.

 

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Nutrition and overall guidance of the Head of Human Capital Development, the Nutrition Officer will undertake the following responsibilities:

 

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

• Support the planning, implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of WFP nutrition programmes, ensuring alignment with country office priorities, corporate standards, and national strategies.

• Provide technical support for the integration of nutrition objectives and approaches across social protection, resilience, livelihoods, food systems, school feeding, and other nutrition-sensitive programmes.

• Support the development, rollout, and monitoring of Programme strategies, operational plans, guidelines, standard operating procedures, and implementation tools.

• Establish and maintain effective partnerships with government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, donors, and other stakeholders to strengthen Programme implementation and coordination.

• Represent WFP in relevant technical working groups, coordination forums, and inter-agency platforms related to nutrition and associated sectors.

• Support the design, implementation, and analysis of nutrition assessments, surveys, evaluations, monitoring exercises, and research initiatives, and ensure follow-up on resulting recommendations.

• Coordinate the preparation of quality and timely internal and external reports, donor reports, management updates, dashboards, and corporate reporting requirements.

• Manage and monitor the nutrition commodity pipeline, including specialized nutritious foods (SNF), ensuring accurate forecasting, tracking, stock monitoring, and timely identification and mitigation of pipeline risks.

• Coordinate with Programme, supply chain, procurement, logistics, budget, and field teams to align commodity requirements with operational plans and ensure uninterrupted Programme implementation.

• Support capacity strengthening of WFP staff, government counterparts, and cooperating partners through training, coaching, technical guidance, and field support.

• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts through the development of concept notes, proposals, presentations, donor information products, and technical inputs for funding opportunities.

• Document and disseminate best practices, lessons learned, and evidence generated from Programme implementation to support organizational learning and advocacy.

• Perform any other duties as required in support of WFP's nutrition objectives and broader Programme priorities.

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QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS REQUIRED

Education: Advanced University Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Epidemiology, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Agriculture, Economics, Public Administration, or a related field OR First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training courses.

Experience: At least three (3) years of relevant experience with an Advanced University degree OR First University degree with a minimum of five (5) or more years of experience in Programme implementation, project management support, education, social protection, food security, nutrition, humanitarian assistance, or development programming.

 

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

 

Knowledge and Skills: 

• Good understanding of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programming approaches, and multi sectoral integration.

• Sound understanding of emergency nutrition, resilience, social protection, food systems, programming and ability to contribute to policy dialogue.

• Strong data management, analytical, and report-writing skills.

• Ability to work effectively with government institutions, development partners, and community stakeholders.

• Strong organizational, planning, communication, and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and meet deadlines.

• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.

This position is open for qualified Somali national candidates only. Female candidates are highly encouraged to  apply. WFP offers female friendly spaces in the workplace.

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.