Programme Policy Officer (Government Partnership) - NOB - Karachi, Pakistan

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

25 December 2025-23:59-GMT+05:00 Pakistan Standard Time (Karachi)

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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.

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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).
  
  

About The Job

Job Title: Programme Policy Officer (Government Partnership)

Grade: NOB

Type of contract: Fixed Term

Duration: 12 Months (with possibility of extension)

Duty Station: Karachi, Pakistan

Date of Publication: 11 December 2025

Deadline for Application: 25 December 2025

This Vacancy Announcement is for Pakistani Nationals Only.

Note: This vacancy announcement will also be used to build a roster of prequalified applicants for future opportunities for the same job profile at the current or lower grade in Pakistan.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary, pension, medical insurance, annual leave, parental leave, among other benefits.

Important: All educational documents must be verified/attested by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Appointment will be subject to submission of HEC-verified degrees.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

Out of the 71 million school aged children in Pakistan, 26 million are out of school. In response to this staggering number, and the associated widespread deficiencies in learning outcomes, the Government of Pakistan declared an education emergency in 2024, and a number of provincial governments, who hold the responsibility for school meals, are slowly beginning to launch school meals pilot projects. Sindh is one of these provinces. The World Food Programme (WFP) is launching a five-year school meals program to target 100,000 children from 614 government schools in the impoverished and peri-urban districts of Melir and Keamari in greater Karachi, starting in 2026. The programme will provide daily hot cooked meals while also providing complementary literacy and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions. Based on lessons learned from previous attempts at setting up school meal programs using the approach of cooking meals at schools, WFP will use the central kitchen modality where the meals are prepared in commercial kitchens and then lunchboxes are dispatched to schools on a daily basis. This method controls food safety and quality, ensures consistency.

This project’s objectives are twofold: at the school level, it focuses on improved enrollment and attendance, increased literacy, improved access to safe drinking water, safe sanitation and hygiene practices, and improved health and nutrition of primary school children. At the provincial government level, the project provides targeted capacity strengthening aimed at process and systems strengthening and ultimately, creating an adaptable and scalable school meals program which can be financed and managed by the Government of Sindh.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Programme Policy Officer will be working closely with the School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) in Karachi throughout the project lifecycle as several of the supporting activities of the project are focused on establishing standards and norms and governance for school meals implementation in the province.

This position is vital for ensuring the operational excellence and strategic alignment of the McGovern-Dole programme through the development of comprehensive guidelines for central kitchen operations, local procurement, and school meal planning. It facilitates coordination with government institutions and service providers to uphold food safety, nutrition standards, and delivery efficiency. The role also supports high-level advocacy, technical committees, and stakeholder engagement, while managing official communications and documentation and will be outposted within SELD. By identifying opportunities for collaboration and resolving operational challenges, the officer strengthens programme impact, visibility, and sustainability. The incumbent will be reporting to the international Programme Policy Officer who will be the Project Manager based in the WFP Sindh Provincial Office in Karachi.

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

• Contribute towards the development of a wide variety of projects, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider programme policies and guidance.
• Provide project management support to specific and defined programmes and projects of considerable size/complexity, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes that complies with WFP standards and procedures.
• Develop and coordinate data gathering and monitoring systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.
• Research and analyse a range of policy and operational issues to inform the development of policies, programmes and activities.
• Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
• Liaise with internal and external counterparts to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing projects and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
• Support the identification, development and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to improved food assistance packages.
• Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and national government to develop policies, guidelines and governance mechanisms to manage provincial school meals programmes.
• Guide more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with analysis and queries.
• Any other task in line with the position level and expertise.
• Perform any other tasks aligned with the role and the job level of expertise.
  
  

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Based within the School Education and Literacy Department with day to day reporting to the school meals project manager, the Government Partnerships Officer will:

Coordination, technical and operational support to the School Education and Literacy Department

• Maintain and liaise with Government institutions including the SELD, Ministry of Health, Food Regulatory Authority and others to resolve issues that affect WFP operations;
• Organize and provide substantive and practical support to various consultations, meetings, seminars and workshops focused on capacity strengthening;
• Support and coordinate technical committees and other events jointly organized with the Government;
• Identify issues and opportunities and develop strategies through policy, advocacy and/or programming efforts;
• Prepare talking points, analytical documents, background notes and other official communications to relevant government bodies for senior management.
• Manage official documents/records and maintain electronic databases in accordance with the established procedures.
  
  

Development of operational guidance and school meals governance documents for the Government of Sindh

• Lead the preparation of Guidelines for Central Kitchen Operations including training modules for government staff and catering companies related to food safety, health, hygiene, food handling, and storage.
• Lead the preparation of Guidelines on Local Procurement to ensure quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of sourcing ingredients.
• Lead the development of a comprehensive guide for school meal planning and preparation aligned with nutritional standards and the local context to be presented to the Government of Sindh;
• Lead preparation operational guidance for packaging, transportation, and delivery of school meals in collaboration with contracted service providers, including catering and transportation companies.
  
  

Education & Experience

Education:

• Advanced University degree in Political Science, International Development, Development Economics, International Relations, Law, Marketing, Communications or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional two (2) years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
  
  

Experience:

• Three (3) years of post-graduate professional or managerial experience working in a government ministry or department.
• Experience of preparing technical documents such as MoUs, SOPs and guidance materials.
• Previous experience of working for UN or another international agency in Pakistan is desirable.
  
  

Knowledge & Skills:

• Excellent writing skills and ability to lead the preparation of documents and guidelines; be diplomatic, tactful and a skilled negotiator.
  
  

Language:

• Fluent in English and Urdu; working knowledge of Sindhi is a plus.
  
  

How To Apply

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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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

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REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruitment system. We do not accept CVs or spontaneous applications by email.
• If you experience challenges while submitting your online application, please contact us at [email protected] for technical support only.
• Please note that applications sent to this email address cannot be considered.
• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
  
  

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.