Programme Policy Officer (emergency Preparedness and Response)

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives in emergencies and building peace through food assistance. WFP Philippines focuses on strengthening national and local systems to enhance resilience, particularly in disaster-prone areas. The organization works to improve food security, nutrition, and the well-being of vulnerable populations, aligning with the Philippines Country Strategic Plan.

Job Purpose

The Programme Policy Officer (Emergency Preparedness and Response) will lead and coordinate disaster risk management activities within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). This role involves developing and implementing preparedness, anticipatory action, and response plans, ensuring alignment with WFP policies and the BARMM Development Plan. The officer will build strong relationships with government counterparts and operational partners, supporting the institutionalization of effective disaster risk reduction and management frameworks. Key responsibilities include strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, supporting risk-informed financing, and co-designing capacity-building initiatives. The position requires project management, coordination across WFP functions, and reporting on activities to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and operational targets, ultimately enhancing WFP's readiness to respond to crises in the region.

Responsibilities

The Programme Policy Officer (Emergency Preparedness and Response) is responsible for providing specialized expertise to develop and implement emergency preparedness and response activities, plans, and processes. This role involves ensuring alignment with wider WFP policies and local development plans, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). A key responsibility is building and maintaining strong relationships with government operational and strategic partners, including disaster risk reduction and management councils, to support the institutionalization of coherent and effective DRRM and Anticipatory Action (AA) policies. The officer will also focus on strengthening monitoring, evaluation, learning, and compliance mechanisms, and supporting the operationalization of risk-informed DRRM financing. Strategic opportunities to enhance the government's DRRM system, including preparedness, anticipatory action, and response across WFP's functions, will be identified. This includes co-designing capacity-building activities and operational plans with partners, providing project management, and preparing detailed reports and data analysis. The role also entails monitoring hazards, escalating early warning signals, coordinating with internal and external counterparts to strengthen local readiness for rapid response, and facilitating updates to preparedness procedures. During emergencies, the officer may deploy to lead assessment missions and establish field operations, forge inter-agency linkages, and act as an escalation point for complex queries. Additionally, the position involves supervising and guiding junior staff.

Work Experience

Requires at least five years of postgraduate professional experience in disaster management, emergency preparedness, or resilience within UN agencies, NGOs, government, or the private sector. Seven or more years of experience, including at least two years in the field (preferably BARMM), is advantageous.

Skills

Disaster Risk Management, Emergency Preparedness, Response Planning, Capacity Building, Policy Development, Project Management, Data Analysis, Inter-agency Coordination, Humanitarian Assistance, Food Security, Nutrition, Conflict Monitoring, Natural Hazard Monitoring, Team Supervision, Partnership Building, International Development, Resilience Building, Social Protection, Food Systems Strengthening, Anticipatory Action

Explore related opportunities