Programme Assistant (Social Protection)

Programme & Policy

Overview

Support implementation of social protection activities and enhance project operations.

You have:

• Minimum 5 years relevant work experiences.
• Relevant experience working with government institutions, international organizations, or development partners in project management, coordination, or capacity building roles.
• Relevant experience in project management, including planning, implementation, and monitoring of multi-stakeholder projects.
• Experience in official translation and communication between English and Tetum.
• Completion of secondary school education.
• A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area is desirable.
• Fluency (level C) in English language and Tetum.
• Knowledge in Portuguese is a plus.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

29 July 2026-23:59-GMT+09:00 East Timor Time (Dili)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.

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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).

JOB TITLE: Programme Assistant (Social Protection), SC5 TYPE OF CONTRACT: Service Contract UNIT/DIVISION: Programme, Social Protection DUTY STATION: Dili, Timor – Leste (with field visits as required) DURATION: 12 monthsBackground

To effectively address the challenge of food and nutrition insecurity and the impact of large-scale shocks and stressors, while contributing to long-term efforts to end hunger, WFP supports national social protection systems by working with host governments and development partners to strengthen their strategies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, particularly those focused on zero hunger and malnutrition.

Guided by its Country Strategic Plan (2026-2030), WFP’s support in Timor-Leste is closely aligned with the national Strategic Development Plan 2011–2030, working in partnership with the Government to strengthen national systems for food security, nutrition, and social protection in support of national development priorities. The Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), with technical support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and WFP, is implementing the Integrated Nutrition and Adaptive Social Protection for Increased Resilience (INSPIRE) project. This project aims to develop an effective and adaptive social protection model that integrates nutrition-sensitive interventions, strengthens maternal and child health, and enhances resilience to economic and environmental shocks.

To support the Government in implementing the INSPIRE project and ensure continued excellence in technical and operational support, WFP is seeking a qualified Programme Officer with expertise in programme management and coordination. This role will play a key part in enhancing WFP’s contributions to advancing project initiatives and strengthening the national social protection system.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Programme Assistant (Social Protection) will report to the Social Protection Team Lead (Programme Policy Officer) and will support the WFP Social Protection team and MSSI staff with routine implementation, coordination, and administrative tasks related to social protection activities. The role focuses on supporting day‑to‑day project operations, including documentation, logistics, information sharing, coordination, and follow‑up, in line with instructions from supervisors. Specifically, the Programme Assistant will be responsible for the following:

• Provide administrative and operational support to MSSI and WFP teams in the implementation of social protection activities, including assisting with activities related to the implementation of the Bolsa de Mae Kondisional SANUTRIO programme, the national poverty and vulnerability framework, the social registry, and related capacity strengthening activities.
• Support the planning and implementation of social protection activities by assisting with activity scheduling, coordination, and routine tracking under the guidance of senior staff.
• Assist with the preparation, formatting, and updating of operational manuals, guidelines, and project tools for targeting, registration, grievance redress, and process monitoring, as directed.
• Support coordination and information sharing between MSSI, WFP, and other development partners by facilitating communication, organizing meetings, and following up on routine requests.
• Support the organization and logistics of project events, workshops, and municipal coordination meetings, including preparation of materials, participant coordination, note‑taking, and dissemination of information.
• Support the preparation of progress reports and documentation by drafting inputs, compiling data, and preparing meeting summaries and basic technical notes for review by senior staff.
• Track project activities and milestones using corporate tools and promptly flag implementation issues or delays to supervisors for follow‑up.
• Support monitoring and reporting activities by assisting with data collection, consolidation, and basic analysis for M&E purposes, under supervision.
• Assist in documenting lessons learned and good practices from pilot activities, including consolidating feedback from national and municipal stakeholders.
• Support capacity‑building activities by assisting with training preparations, logistics, documentation, and on‑the‑job learning activities for MSSI and municipal partners.
• Provide translation and basic interpretation support for routine project documents, reports, and communications between English and Tetum, as required.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor in support of project implementation

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Minimum 5 years relevant work experiences.
• Relevant experience working with government institutions, international organizations, or development partners in project management, coordination, or capacity building roles.
• Relevant experience in project management, including planning, implementation, and monitoring of multi-stakeholder projects.
• Experience in official translation and communication between English and Tetum.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area is desirable.

Language:

Fluency (level C) in English language and Tetum. Knowledge in Portuguese is a plus.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

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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.

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Potential interview questions

Added 15 hours ago - Updated 5 hours ago - Source: wfp.org