Head of Aden Field Office

Organizational Context

WFP operations in Southern Yemen are conducted in a highly complex, volatile, and high-risk environment. Protracted conflict, economic deterioration, climate shocks, and constrained access to essential services drive widespread humanitarian needs. Approximately one in two people in Government of Yemen controlled areas experience acute food insecurity due to declining purchasing power, inflation, and disrupted livelihoods.

Job Purpose

The Head of Aden Field Office will provide strategic leadership and overall management of field operations in a complex and volatile environment. This role is crucial for ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of high-quality programme activities, aligned with WFP's Interim Country Strategic Plan and organizational policies. A key focus will be on fostering and sustaining strategic partnerships with government authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, and cooperating partners to enhance coordination and maximize programme impact. The incumbent will oversee all aspects of field office operations, including programme implementation, resource management, monitoring, accountability, and security, ensuring compliance with WFP standards and donor requirements. This position demands strong leadership, negotiation skills, and the ability to operate effectively in high-risk settings, ultimately contributing to saving lives and building a pathway to peace and prosperity for vulnerable populations.

Responsibilities

The Head of Aden Field Office is responsible for providing strategic leadership and comprehensive management of field operations in a complex and volatile environment. This role involves ensuring the efficient and effective utilization of human, financial, and operational resources to deliver high-quality program activities in alignment with the Interim Country Strategic Plan and organizational policies. A key aspect of the position is fostering and maintaining strategic partnerships with government authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, and cooperating partners to enhance coordination and maximize program impact. The Head of Field Office will oversee day-to-day program activities, including emergency food assistance, livelihoods, school feeding, and nutrition programs, as well as logistics and warehouse operations. They will also coordinate field-level emergency responses and assessments. The role requires ensuring programs adhere to WFP standards, protection principles, and "Do No Harm" approaches, with a strong emphasis on monitoring, accountability, and protection mainstreaming. Additionally, the incumbent will manage administrative functions, ensure compliance with WFP rules and donor requirements, act as the Security Focal Point, and represent WFP at the local level with various stakeholders. This includes facilitating negotiations, access discussions, and contributing to inter-agency coordination forums.

Work Experience

The role requires at least 5 years of experience in office management, emergency response implementation, field operations management, program execution, and staff supervision. Experience with WFP's in-kind and CBT transfer modalities, SCOPE registrations, Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), protection, and gender in operations is also desired. Fluency in English is mandatory, and Arabic is a plus.

Skills

Leadership, Management, Programme Implementation, Coordination, Monitoring, Budgeting, Compliance, Security Management, External Relations, Negotiation, Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Risk Management, Emergency Response, Logistics, Staff Supervision, Partnership Building, Cross-cultural Communication, Problem-Solving, Decision-Making

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