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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: Regional Programme and Policy Officer – Accountability to Affected People, Grievance and Redress Advisor – Asia & the Pacific
TYPE OF CONTRACT: International Regular Consultancy, Level II
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme Unit
DUTY STATION: Bangkok, Thailand
DURATION: ASAP – 31 December 2025
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) envisions a world with zero hunger where everyone has equal opportunities, equal access to resources and an equal voice in the decisions that shape their lives including as individuals within households, communities and societies. Robust systems for accessible, inclusive and responsive two-way communication are core to WFP’s efforts to enhance the assurance and accountability of its programmes. These systems, when designed for maximum compatibility, can allow for faster and richer analysis of data collected by WFP and its partners across its community engagement, feedback and monitoring channels – in turn enabling more efficient, timely and effective risk mitigation and programme learning, and effectiveness. As governments turn to WFP as a key partner to enhance the transparency, accountability, quality and efficiency of their social protection programmes – requests to develop feedback, grievance and redress mechanisms are also growing.
In the Asia and Pacific region, WFP is uniquely positioned to accelerate assurance and accountability of food security and social protection programmes. In 2023, WFP’s seventeen (17) country and multi-offices worked to provide direct assistance to 32 million people with dedicated feedback channels in place in more than 10 countries. Across Asia and the Pacific, WFP provides technical assistance and complementary support to/through social protection systems, and in 2024 WFP provided technical advice and support to enhance grievance and redress mechanisms at least 5 countries. Digital innovations spearheaded in 2024 by WFP country offices in Asia and the Pacific, such as unified case management systems and simplified digital tools for in person helpdesks, will enhance WFP’s accountability and assurance systems globally and diversify WFP’s technical assistance offer to governments and partners.
The Regional Accountability to Affected People, Grievance and Redress Advisor (AAP/GRM) will support WFP regional and country office efforts to advance the priorities set out in WFP’s Global Assurance Plan, Global Protection and Accountability Policy, and the Regional Social Protection Implementation Plan. The Advisor will provide technical support for the design and functioning of community feedback and unified case management systems, including advising on the relevant digital solutions and functional requirements; provide a regional oversight function for country offices; and lead the development of strategic guidance and coordinate cross-functional technical support to country offices in their engagement with government grievance and redress mechanisms. The work undertaken through this ToR will enhance WFP’s strategic positioning and visibility in regional and global social protection and AAP fora.
The Advisor may be required to undertake field missions to emergency and hardship duty stations as part of this role.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Within the programme team, the Regional AAP/GRM Advisor will be responsible for providing technical guidance, support and oversight to country offices including in their engagement with government stakeholders, leading regional cross-functional coordination to harness the regional support and oversight to country offices, and advancing WFP’s global knowledge and capacities including the development of regionally relevant strategic guidance. In line with the new WFP frameworks for Assurance when delivering through government systems, the Regional AAP/GRM Advisor will support Country Offices to define regionally relevant guidance and standards for meeting WFP’s global accountability and assurance obligations when relying on a government-led CFM.
The portfolio of work outlined in this ToR will be led by the Regional AAP/GRM advisor, in close coordination with Regional Monitoring, Protection, Data Protection and Privacy, Social Protection, and Digital Solutions expertise.
The Regional AAP/GRM Advisor will provide technical support and oversight to enhance accountability and assurance of WFP’s operations, namely:
1. Provide front line technical support to country offices to design and operate contextually relevant and effective community feedback mechanisms (CFM) and/or unified case management and issue escalation systems, building on best practices and learning. This may include: communication channel section/design, developing effective case management procedures, business process models, SOPs and other training materials, and identifying complementary requirements/capabilities to enable effective feedback systems (e.g. digital solutions for helpdesk feedback).
2. Work in close coordination with the Regional Digital Solutions expert to guide and support the deployment and configuration of digital solutions for CFM and unified case management systems, including (but not limited to) SugarCRM across multiple WFP country offices in Asia and the Pacific.
3. Provide technical support and guidance to country offices before and during implementation of the digital systems to ensure smooth operation and optimal utilization, including troubleshooting and/or escalating any concerns/ issues in a timely manner.
4. Provide oversight and support to COs on the effective use of digital systems including technical bottlenecks. Document these and address in collaboration with the HQ digital Field Monitoring team and in coordination with relevant regional counterparts.
5. Support COs to develop/refine tools and process to strengthen feedback visualization, analysis, and learning to maximize support to programme design, decision-making, and adaptation. This includes, as needed, working with Programme, Monitoring and TEC counterparts to support COs to identify analytical needs and develop contextually relevant analytical products (e.g. dashboards) to best inform programme operation, learning, adaptation, and risk-based management.
6. Manage a regional community of practice and contribute to a global community of practice to share learning and best practices to improve proficiency in utilizing the SugarCRM or other digital solutions for data management, analysis and reporting purposes.
The Regional AAP/GRM Advisor will also lead WFP’s regional strategic guidance and technical support to country offices in their engagement with government grievance and redress mechanisms, in turn contributing to advance WFP’s global learning and positioning in this arena:
1. When WFP is delivering assistance though a government system, support the country office to understand how feedback and cases are managed in order to identify any associated risks and if any gaps remain vis a vis WFP’s own internal assurance and accountability standards. Work with country offices to document risks and develop any required actions, such as an agreed procedure for referring cases related to WFP assistance.
2. Develop regionally specific guidance for country offices on how and when to engage with Governments to enhance their grievance and redress mechanism, including considerations around partnership modalities, bringing together cross functional normative guidance.
3. Provide frontline support to country offices in their technical assistance / advisory role in close collaboration with Regional TEC digital solutions expertise. This may include support to country offices and government counterparts to assess current GRM systems, to design a system including related business processes and functional specific requirements / technical specifications, to advise on digital solutions (including available open-source solutions), to support the development of and training on codes of conduct and related materials; other as needed.
4. Lead Regional level coordinated support across programme, TEC and risk management to ensure a coordinated offer and guidance to country offices. Develop a regional (or cross regional) community of practice on grievance and redress mechanisms. And generate knowledge management on learning and best practices from the region for regional and global learning.
5. Support WFP management at Country and Regional levels to articulate WFP’s value proposition externally, including in WFP’s engagement and advocacy with governments and financial partners (IFIs, private sector and foundations, UN partners).
Other duties as required.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education: Advanced degree in one or more of the following disciplines: social sciences, development studies, public policy / administration, international relations, sociology or other relevant field.
Experience: Required:
• Minimum 7 (seven) years of professional experience in relevant areas including at least 3 (three) years progressively responsible professional experience in international development and/or humanitarian contexts;
• Mandatory experience in leading the design, development and roll out of CFM, including demonstrated leadership in defining the business (programme) and technology (TEC) requirements associated to the system;
• Mandatory familiarity with SugarCRM digital solution;
• Experience in influencing/advising senior management and policy / frameworks on issues related to accountability and assurance; and
• Academic or professional experience and understanding of social protection.
Knowledge & Skills:
• Mandatory: must have knowledge of digital solutions for feedback and case management;
• Understanding of WFP’s work and dual mandate;
• Strong analytical, written and oral communication skills essential;
• Capacity to influence others and to pitch at a strategic level (or to support / advise senior management to this end);
• Client orientation with excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrated ability to build partnerships and influence the work of others, including remotely;
• Experience in building capacity for technical staff as well as supporting senior managers in implementing new concepts;
• Proven ability to produce outputs independently; and • Flexibility to travel when necessary.
Languages: Excellent command of English (written and spoken) is essential.
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: global.inclusion@wfp.org
NO FEE DISCLAIMER
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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.
How to apply
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply directly through this link.
REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
- 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
- Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
- Only shortlisted candidates will be notified