Programme Policy Officer (Adaptive social protection, evidence generation and dissemination) - SC9 - Islamabad

Job Title:  Programme Policy Officer (Adaptive social protection evidence generation and dissemination)

Grade: SC9

Type of contract: Service Contract

Duration:  12 months

Duty Station: Islamabad

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

WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary, social security contribution, 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.

The World Food Programme in Pakistan is supporting the Government at federal and provincial levels roll out the Global Shield against Climate Risks initiative, a groundbreaking effort to strengthen the nexus between social protection and disaster risk financing. Under this framework, WFP Pakistan is advancing a series of strategic activities in close collaboration with federal and provincial stakeholders aiming at ensuring that social protection delivery chains are equipped to address climate shocks more effectively. These activities are underpinned by evidence generation and learning efforts to ensure that programme implementation informs policy and scale-up within Pakistan while supporting replication/adaptation in other contexts. Because of this, WFP Pakistan is at the same time supporting South-South exchange among Asian countries engaged in the Global Shield against Climate Risks initiative to share learning on respective journeys.

Some of the key activities WFP Pakistan will implement include:

• A comprehensive assessment of the interest, feasibility, opportunities and challenges to link social protection and disaster risk financing, with actionable recommendations to inform policy and operational decisions by the Government and WFP. The assessment will be conducted by a research firm, and findings will be disseminated through a structured report and three validation workshops at the federal (one) and provincial (two) levels in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab.

• A feasibility assessment on the use of a parametric insurance scheme to address key climate shocks, linked to social protection, with focus on the federal level and Punjab. The assessment will be conducted by a research firm, and results will be shared through a technical report and a dedicated learning event.

• Periodic learning processes at the provincial level in KP and Punjab to assess not only the feasibility of adaptive social protection but also its effectiveness in improving timeliness, coverage and adequacy of programming.

• Learning exchanges among Government stakeholders in Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines on establishing adaptive social protection systems.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

The incumbent will undertake the following responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate the implementation of WFP’s Pakistan evidence generation and dissemination on adaptive social protection under the Global Shield against Climate Risks initiative in Pakistan, working closely with federal and provincial government counterparts and other key stakeholders to produce reports, technical papers, policy briefs, and learning materials.

• Contribute to WFP Pakistan internal learning, knowledge management, and reporting through timely documentation of lessons learned and best practices.

• In collaboration with an external research firm and key stakeholders, contribute to the assessment on linking social protection systems with disaster risk financing, providing technical guidance on research design, data collection, analysis, and validation processes to ensure policy-relevant and operational outputs.

• In collaboration with an external research firm and key stakeholders, contribute to the feasibility assessment of establishing a parametric insurance scheme linked to social protection, supporting methodological design, analysis, synthesis, and validation of findings.

• Support the design and delivery of provincial-level learning processes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to assess the effectiveness of adaptive social protection, with a focus on timeliness, coverage, and adequacy of shock-responsive assistance.

• Support Government stakeholders in Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines exchanging learning on establishing adaptive social protection systems, under the Global Shield against Climate Risks initiative.

• Support other tasks within the job level of expertise.

Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s) in Social Protection, Public Policy, Development Studies, Economics, Disaster Risk Management, or Climate Change, or first university degree with 2 additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

• Minimum 3 years of progressively responsible experience in social protection, disaster risk management, climate resilience, or related fields.

• Proven track record in conducting analytical research and producing evidence and learning products for policy and programme design, including consultation and validation meetings.

• Demonstrated experience in policy advisory work, supporting governments in aligning national strategies with global frameworks (e.g., SDGs, Global Shield).

• Extensive experience in multi-stakeholder coordination, engaging with government stakeholders, donors, UN agencies, and international partners.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex technical information into clear, actionable recommendations.

• Strong diplomatic and facilitation skills to manage cross-sectoral collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

• Ability to work independently under tight timelines.

Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Urdu. Knowledge of local language of KP or Punjab is desirable.

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