Programme Policy Officer for Anticipatory Action

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

28 October 2024-23:59-GMT+02:00 Eastern European Standard Time (Cairo)

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:
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).- JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer for Anticipatory Action and Climate Risk Management - Consultant Roster (Multiple locations within MENAEE region)- TYPE AND LEVEL OF CONTRACT: CST II- UNIT/DIVISION: Resilience and Climate- DUTY STATION (City, Country): Multiple- REPORT TO (Job title): Regional Head of Resilience and Climate, or respective Country Office Programme Leads- DURATION & START DATE: As per operational needs - 11 months with the possibility of extension

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Anticipatory Action (AA) is a critical part of WFP’s global strategy to reduce the humanitarian impacts of climate change and natural disasters. As climate-related shocks, including droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures, continue to intensify, the traditional model of responding after disasters strikes has become insufficient. WFP’s AA approach aims to shift from reactive to proactive interventions, ensuring that communities are better prepared and protected before disasters occur. By linking early warning systems to timely, forecast-based interventions, AA enables WFP and its partners to act early, mitigating the worst impacts of disasters and reducing the costs of emergency responses.

At a global level, WFP is committed to scaling up AA initiatives as part of its mandate to address food insecurity and malnutrition in vulnerable populations. AA is recognized as a key tool for resilience-building, aligning with WFP’s broader disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategy. By anticipating crises and acting in advance, WFP can protect livelihoods, reduce the risk of displacement, and prevent the escalation of hunger and malnutrition. Furthermore, AA supports WFP’s vision of strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus by ensuring that immediate responses are integrated with long-term resilience-building efforts.

In the MENAEE region, the need for anticipatory action is particularly urgent. This region is highly vulnerable to climate-related hazards, such as prolonged droughts, desertification, and flash floods, which exacerbate existing challenges related to food insecurity, water scarcity, and conflict. Countries like Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Palestine face compounding crises driven by conflict, fragility, and environmental degradation, making it imperative to adopt proactive strategies to prevent further humanitarian catastrophes.

WFP’s AA initiatives in the MENAEE region aim to strengthen the capacity of governments and communities to respond to climate risks. By embedding AA within national systems, WFP is helping countries develop early warning systems that trigger actions before a disaster hits, such as distributing cash transfers, pre-positioning food stocks, or reinforcing social protection systems. In doing so, WFP not only reduces the human and economic toll of disasters but also enhances the resilience of vulnerable populations.

In the region, WFP is playing a leading role in multi-stakeholder partnerships, including its co-convener role with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the MENA Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory Action. Additionally, WFP is working with key donors such as Swiss and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to deliver critical projects like the Weather and Climate Information Services for Africa (WISER) initiative in Yemen and Iraq. The