Programme Associate, Social Protection

Volunteering Finance & Economy

Overview

Support national hunger and nutrition solutions by enhancing WFP's social protection initiatives.

You have:

• Demonstrated interest or experience (up to 12 months) in international development.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft briefing notes, research reports, etc.
• Good research, analysis, and information organization skills, with a willingness to learn more.
• Strong interest in social protection, development, or related fields.
• Good organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to support coordination tasks.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and willingness to learn new digital tools.

Contract

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In Timor-Leste, WFP is enhancing the capacities of the Government of Timor-Leste and stepping up its work as an enabler of national hunger and nutrition solutions, to complement direct implementation. 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 its new, flagship, nutrition-sensitive social protection programme, the Bolsa de Mae Kondisional or BdMK SANUTRIO programme) and ensure continued excellence in technical and operational support, WFP is seeking a qualified Social Protection Programme Associate. This role will play a key supporting role in enhancing WFP’s contributions to strengthening the national social protection system, advancing project initiatives, and supporting the country team in implementing effective, evidence-based social protection and nutrition programmes.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Policy Officer (PPO) – Social Protection and the overall supervision of the Head of Programme, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Support the coordination of WFP’s social protection activities, assisting the PPO in liaising with WFP teams, government counterparts (MSSI, INETL, MoH). Tasks may include preparing meeting notes, following up on actions, helping organize coordination meetings, and keeping documents and schedules updated.

• Assist in implementing social protection activities, particularly the BDMK SANUTRIO. This includes helping prepare materials, supporting logistics for field missions, assisting with basic information gathering, and learning about programme delivery in the pilot municipalities and during scale‑up preparations.

• Contribute to programme support tasks, such as helping prepare drafts for programme documents, organizing data and files, assisting municipal‑level activities (e.g., outreach, registration, monitoring), and supporting field teams with administrative or coordination needs.

• Support the development and organization of project tools and documents, including helping edit, format, and compile guidance notes, process documents, checklists, and templates used by MSSI, WFP staff, and local partners.

• Assist in maintaining partnerships, helping track engagements with government entities and development partners, preparing briefs or summaries for meetings, maintaining updated contact lists, and supporting smooth communication between stakeholders.

• Contribute to reporting and information sharing by collecting updates from field activities, helping prepare short written inputs, organizing data, photos, and materials, and assisting in drafting presentations or progress summaries.

• Support research, analysis, and learning tasks, such as gathering and organizing background information, summarizing key documents, helping compile lessons learned, and assisting PPO and partners (e.g., ADB) in research or documentation activities.

• Assist with capacity‑building and training initiatives, helping organize workshops or training sessions, preparing materials, coordinating logistics, tracking attendance, and documenting sessions, while availing opportunities to learn about topics such as registration, grievance redress, SBCC, gender and climate considerations, and referral systems.

• Support internal coordination and workflow management, including organizing shared folders, tracking deadlines, preparing agendas, coordinating small tasks across teams, and helping ensure the timely progress of project activities.

• Participate in internal and external meetings, as delegated by the PPO, assisting with note‑taking, preparing summaries, and supporting follow‑up actions.

• Performs any other tasks assigned by the supervisor, contributing to day‑to‑day programme support and gaining hands‑on experience in social protection and programme management.

Accountability Adaptability and Flexibility Building Trust Commitment and Motivation Commitment to Continuous Learning Communication Creativity Ethics and Values Integrity Knowledge Sharing Planning and Organizing Professionalism Respect for Diversity Self-Management Technological Awareness Working in Teams

Demonstrated interest or experience (up to 12 months) in international development.

Skills: • Good written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft briefing notes, research reports, etc. • Good research, analysis, and information‑organization skills, with a willingness to learn more. • Strong interest in social protection, development, or related fields. • Good organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to support coordination tasks. • Ability to work well within a team, adapt to new tasks, and learn in a dynamic environment. • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and willingness to learn new digital tools.

Location of the workplace The office is located in the centre of the capital Dili within a commercial compound that hosts a supermarket, an insurance company, restaurants, and other services. Several ATMs are within walking distance. Commuting to the office from residential places takes around 15-20 min. Having a private vehicle (USD 4,000- USD 12,000 for a used car or USD 2,500 for a scooter/motorbike) is an advantage. For newly joining staff, WFP provides a car to and from the office during the work week for the first 3 months. Staff is not eligible for UN plates. Insurance schemes exist but many drivers do not have a car insurance. Housing (note : Please indicate whether recommended/well-known types of housing are one/two/three bedroom (serviced) apartment/house and how much their average monthly rent is.) There is large variety of housing available, ranging from apartments to full houses. Most international communities live in compounds that ensure a generator in case of power outages. Costs range from USD 800 – USD 2,000 for one bedroom apartments. The apartments are usually serviced and have air-conditioning. Bottled drinking water is available in gallons. The country offers basic infrastructure and especially in Dili, there are basic health service providers in place. Cost of Living As a reference value, Consultants, Experts and Specialists working for WFP receive USD 2,500 as a monthly subsistence living sum additional to the salary, to support living expenses.

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Potential interview questions

Added 2 months ago - Updated 1 day ago - Source: unv.org