Programme Policy Officer (markets and Logistics)

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives and building a pathway to peace and prosperity. WFP utilizes food assistance to support people recovering from conflict, disasters, and climate change impacts. The organization values diversity, inclusion, and a high-performing workforce committed to its mission.

Job Purpose

The Programme Policy Officer (Markets and Logistics) will provide strategic and technical support for the Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA) project's close-out phase in Tanzania. This role focuses on Pillar 2 (Markets and Access to Finance), ensuring market continuity, successful graduation of Farmer Service Centres (FSCs), structured trade linkages, and sustainability commitments from government and private sectors. The incumbent will strengthen commercially viable aggregation, logistics, and market service models, foster private sector partnerships for structured trade, and enhance access to finance for farmers and SMEs. Key responsibilities include supporting FSCs and aggregators in meeting WFP supplier readiness standards, managing project implementation, reporting, and coordinating with stakeholders to institutionalize the market access model beyond project closure.

Responsibilities

The Programme Policy Officer (Markets and Logistics) will provide strategic and technical support for the Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA) project's close-out phase, focusing on Pillar 2: Markets and Access to Finance. Key responsibilities include ensuring market continuity mechanisms, facilitating Farmer Service Centre (FSC) graduation, establishing structured trade linkages, and securing sustainability commitments from government and private sector actors. The role involves strengthening commercially viable aggregation, logistics, and storage models, and supporting the transition of mature FSCs into WFP supplier readiness and procurement pathways. This includes establishing and managing partnerships with buyers, processors, traders, and financial institutions, leading structured trade arrangements, and identifying sustainable market opportunities beyond project closure. The officer will also strengthen linkages between FSCs and financing partners, support credit readiness and business case development for FSCs and SMEs, and work with financial institutions to sustain access-to-finance pathways. Additionally, the role requires supporting FSC graduation through business performance reviews and trade readiness assessments, documenting success stories, and providing project management, implementation tracking, and reporting for Pillar 2 interventions. Coordination with government counterparts to institutionalize the FSC market access model is also a key responsibility, alongside contributing to donor reporting and close-out documentation.

Work Experience

Requires 6-8 years of experience in agribusiness, agricultural market systems, value chain development, structured trade, or access to finance. Strong experience with private-sector off-takers, aggregators, financial institutions, and farmer-facing SMEs/FSCs is essential. Experience in project close-out, sustainability planning, or institutionalization of market systems models is highly desirable. Experience in supplier development, aggregation business models, or WFP/local procurement ecosystems is a strong advantage.

Skills

Market Systems Strengthening, Private Sector Partnerships, Access to Finance, Structured Trade, Supplier Development, Project Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Agricultural Value Chains, Financial Inclusion, Sustainability Planning

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