Programme Policy Officer (Environmental and Social Safeguards) SSA9

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

2 September 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 East Africa Time (Nairobi)

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).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The World Food Programme (WFP), and the Government of Kenya, is implementing the Climate-Resilient and Inclusive Food Systems Programme aimed at strengthening food security, resilience, livelihoods and sustainable development outcomes in Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).

The Programme includes interventions that may involve community assets, livelihoods support, climate resilience, water and irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation and development, market systems strengthening, a Risk-Sharing Facility, and agricultural and pastoral value chains, serving communities including refugee and host communities – across 14 ASAL counties. These activities require robust safeguards oversight to identify, mitigate, and monitor environmental and social risks and impacts. The Programme is subject to environmental and social due diligence requirements that include the preparation and implementation of a range of safeguards instruments and management procedures.  The Programme therefore requires a Programme Policy Officer (National Environmental and Social Safeguards), who will provide the technical leadership and coordination required to develop, implement and monitor these safeguards deliverables, while supporting the Programme’s Environmental and Social (E&S) due diligence throughout implementation.

The Programme requires robust environmental and social risk management systems aligned with WFP's Environmental and Social Safeguards procedures, IFC Performance Standards, the World Bank Group EHS Guidelines, Kenya's national legislation (including the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act and its EIA/EIA Regulations, and the Water Act 2016), and international good practice. The Programme Officer will provide technical leadership and operational support for the environmental and social due diligence requirements of the Programme and must be conversant with multiple DFI frameworks for environmental and social safeguards.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The assignment's overall objective is to lead the WFP Kenya Country Office's design and operationalization of the Programme’s environmental and social (E&S) safeguards, ensuring timely, quality-assured and compliant delivery of the Programme's E&S safeguards instruments. This includes integrating E&S risk management covering environmental sustainability, occupational health and safety, gender, GBVH risk, disability inclusion, protection, and community health and safety across programme implementation. The specific duties through which the Officer delivers this objective are set out under Accountabilities/Responsibilities below.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

The Programme Officer will undertake the following:

a) Risk Assessment, Screening and Decision Support

• Coordinate environmental and social screening of programme activities and subprojects, and developing the appropriate E&S safeguards instruments, based on risk categorization.
• Lead the delivery of the environmental and social baseline and risk assessment for all Programme activities.

b) Consolidated Safeguards Instruments and Site Management

Lead preparation, updating and quality assurance of the Programme safeguards instrument package. The package comprises:

• Site-specific instruments including Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs), ESIAs where legally required, and biodiversity management plans.
• Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) and Indigenous Peoples Engagement Plan (IPEP).
• Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) and Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM), including adequate treatment of GBVH-related complaints.
• Labour Management Procedures and Occupational Health and Safety Plans.
• Community Health and Safety Measures.
• Contractor Management Plan.
• Emergency Preparedness and Response Procedures (EPRP).
• Economic Displacement Process Framework.
• Biodiversity Risk Assessment and Management Procedures.

Define the Statements of Work, commission and manage qualified specialist support where required including appropriately qualified IFC PS5, PS 6 and PS7 specialists.

Ensure safeguards instruments are fit for purpose, internally consistent, compliant with applicable standards and translated into practical site-level controls, contract requirements and supervision tools.

c) Monitoring, Reporting, Capacity and Coordination

• Directly supervise, mentor and performance-manage the Programme's field-level ESS focal points, ensuring consistent technical standards across hub counties.
• Develop and deliver ESS training and awareness sessions for WFP staff, cooperating partners, contractors, and local stakeholders, per the E&S Risk Management Training Plan, including continuous technical coaching and advisory support to field teams.
• Conduct regular field monitoring visits, jointly with ESS focal points, to assess safeguards compliance.
• Support incident reporting and follow-up on environmental and social non-compliance issues.
• Maintain safeguards compliance tracking systems and documentation, including ESAP deliverable tracking against agreed milestones, and prepare monthly and quarterly compliance monitoring reports and donor reporting inputs in support of WFP's fiduciary reporting obligations as Development Impact Provider.
• Track and report progress on key Programme E&S deliverables and milestones, flagging risks to timely delivery to the HQ ESS Expert and Programme management.
• Develop practical safeguards tools, checklists, SOPs, and guidance materials.

d) Stakeholder Engagement and Accountability

• Lead inclusive community consultations and stakeholder engagement processes, including Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes ensure vulnerable and marginalized groups; including women, youth, persons with disabilities, refugees, and indigenous communities are meaningfully included.
• Maintain the Stakeholder Engagement Plan and Indigenous Peoples’ Engagement Plan, including external communications, consultation records, disclosure, feedback and follow-up commitments.
• Ensure the Indigenous Peoples’ Engagement Plan is maintained, updated and implemented in accordance with the IFC -PS7 and UNDRIP requirements, drawing on the Officer’s demonstrated FPIC and Indigenous People’s engagement expertise.
• Strengthen grievance redress and community feedback mechanisms and support resolution of complaints, including those related to GBVH.

e) Coordination and Liaison

• Liaise directly with the supporting DFI on E&S due diligence queries, , and category/threshold confirmations
• Liaise with government authorities, including NEMA and the Water Resources Authority regulatory agencies, UN agencies, and implementing partners on E&S safeguards matters.
• Prepare technical reports, monitoring updates, compliance assessments, and donor reporting inputs in support of WFP's fiduciary reporting obligations as Development Impact Provider.
• Support audits, evaluations, and review missions.

• Track and report progress on key Programme E&S deliverables and milestones, flagging risks to timely delivery to the HQ ESS Expert and Programme management.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT.

The Officer will be expected to deliver:

• Environmental and social screening reports.
• Project-level E&S Baseline and Updated Risk Assessment.
• ESMPs (programme-wide and select site-specific), SEP, IPEP, Contractor Management Plan, EPRP, Economic Displacement Process Framework, and Biodiversity Risk Assessment and Management Procedures.
• E&S-inclusive Monitoring & Evaluation framework.
• Monthly and quarterly compliance monitoring reports.
• Field monitoring mission reports.
• Incident and corrective action tracking reports.
• ESS training materials, capacity-building reports, and evidence of ESS focal point supervision/performance management.
• Stakeholder engagement, FPIC and IPEP documentation.
• Grievance mechanism / complaints feedback mechanism tracking reports.
• Safeguards reporting inputs, including responses to E&S due diligence questionnaires
• Final assignment report with recommendations.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education:

Advanced university degree in environmental science, environmental management, natural resource management, anthropology, social sciences, development studies, public policy, or a closely related field; a first-level degree with additional relevant experience will also be considered.

Essential Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in environmental and social safeguards, with demonstrated application of IFC Performance Standards and/or the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework on infrastructure, agriculture, water, or natural resource management programmes.

• Demonstrated technical competence to independently provide technical oversight, quality assurance and review of SEPS and IPEPs to IFC PS7/UNDRIP, Economic Displacement and Resettlement/Livelihood Restoration Instruments to IFC PS5 and Biodiversity Risk Assessment and Management Procedures (IFC PS6); including the ability to identify gaps against the requirements of the respective Standards.

• Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating preparation of E&S safeguards instruments including, but not limited to ESMPs, ESIAs, SEP/IPEPs, Grievance Redress Mechanisms to IFC PS/DFC ESPP standards.

• Experience in an environmental & social safeguards and/or risk management specialist role, ideally with accountability to DFIs/relevant frameworks such as IFC Performance Standards.

• Direct prior experience engaging with a Development Finance Institution's (IFC, MIGA, World Bank, or bilateral DFI) E&S due diligence process.

• Experience assessing and mitigating GBVH/PSEA risk in line with IFC PS1/PS4 or UN system standards.Experience with Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes and Indigenous Peoples engagement, in line with IFC PS7 and UNDRIP.

• Demonstrated supervisory experience, including managing, mentoring and performance-managing field-based teams.

• Registration as an EIA Lead/Associate Expert with Kenya's National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is an added advantage 

Desirable Experience:

• Experience working in ASAL/drylands or humanitarian–development nexus contexts.

• Experience with debt conversion, debt-for-nature/food swaps, or other innovative development finance mechanisms.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong knowledge of environmental and social safeguard policies, risk management, and compliance procedures, including Kenya's Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act (EMCA), EIA Regulations, and Water Act 2016.

• Ability to prepare technical reports, mitigation plans, and monitoring tools to donor-facing standard. Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and training skills. Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and data/reporting tools. Ability to work independently and collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams and to supervise a distributed field team. Excellent writing, conceptual and analytical skills, including the ability to present complex processes and issues clearly to a heterogeneous audience and in an actionable manner.

Languages:

Fluency (level C) in English required.

Working arrangements:

This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya, with regular travel to Programme locations across the 14 targeted ASAL counties.

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.