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PROGRAMME POLICY OFFICER (SCHOOL MEALS) - NOB
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ABOUT THE JOB
Job Title: Programme Policy Officer (School Meals)
Grade: NOB
Type of contract: Fixed Term
Duration: 12 Months (with possibility of extension)
Duty Station: Karachi, Pakistan
This Vacancy Announcement is for Pakistani Nationals Only.
Note: This vacancy announcement will also be used to build a roster of prequalified applicants for future opportunities for the same job profile at the current or lower grade in Pakistan.
TERMS & CONDITIONSWFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary, pension, 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.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Out of the 71 million school aged children in Pakistan, 26 million are out of school. In response to this staggering number, and the associated widespread deficiencies in learning outcomes, the Government of Pakistan declared an education emergency in 2024, and a number of provincial governments, who hold the responsibility for school meals, are slowly beginning to launch school meals pilot projects. Sindh is one of these provinces. The World Food Programme (WFP) is launching a five-year school meals program to target 100,000 children from 614 government schools in the impoverished and peri-urban districts of Melir and Keamari in greater Karachi, starting in 2026. The programme will provide daily hot cooked meals while also providing complementary literacy and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions. Based on lessons learned from previous attempts at setting up school meal programs using the approach of cooking meals at schools, WFP will use the central kitchen modality where the meals are prepared in commercial kitchens and then lunchboxes are dispatched to schools on a daily basis. This method controls food safety and quality, ensures consistency.
This project’s objectives are twofold: at the school level, it focuses on improved enrollment and attendance, increased literacy, improved access to safe drinking water, safe sanitation and hygiene practices, and improved health and nutrition of primary school children. At the provincial government level, the project provides targeted capacity strengthening aimed at process and systems strengthening and ultimately, creating an adaptable and scalable school meals program which can be financed and managed by the Government of Sindh.
JOB PURPOSE
The Programme Policy Officer will be based in WFP Sindh Provincial Office in Karachi. This position is vital for ensuring the operational excellence of the McGovern-Dole School Meals programme with a focus on operational planning, overseeing implementation and supporting monitoring and evaluation and reporting functions. The incumbent will be reporting to the international Programme Policy Officer who will be the Project Manager and will deputize this position and serve as the national counterpart.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority)
- Contribute towards the development of projects, plans and processes around school meals, ensuring alignment with WFP and USDA programme policies and guidance.
- Provide project management support to the McGovern Dole School Meals Project, which is of considerable size/complexity, ensuring a coordinated approach with other WFP-supported school meals programmes in Pakistan.
- Collaborate with M&E on development of data gathering and monitoring systems for the school meals programme, ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.
- Support the research and analysis of a range of policy and operational issues to inform the development of policies and governance documents supporting the Government of Sindh’s capacity to manage provincial school meals programmes.
- Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programmes and activities that enable informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders such as the School Education and Literacy Department, the US Department of Agriculture (UDSA) and WFP global offices.
- Liaise with internal and external counterparts, including Save the Children, to ensure effective collaboration, monitor ongoing projects and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
- Support the identification, development and management of potential partnerships to collaborative working leading to improved school meals programmes.
- Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and provincial government to develop policies, guidelines and governance mechanisms to manage provincial school meals programmes.
- Guide more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with analysis and queries.
- Any other task in line with the position level and expertise.
OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Based within the WFP Provincial Office in Karachi with day to day reporting to the school meals project manager, the incumbent will:
- Coordinate and support McGovern-Dole implementation, including review of annual work plans, budget and implementation plans.
- Contribute to timely and accurate reporting to inform decision-making and ensure consistency for stakeholders.
- Coordinate with cooperating partners to ensure Literacy and WASH interventions are on track.
- Liaise with internal teams to ensure effective collaboration and monitor ongoing programmatic activities.
- Support the development and updating of SOPs, tools, and training materials.
- Coordinate community mobilization efforts for the onboarding of new schools.
- Conduct regular field visits to provide technical support and engage with partners and government counterparts.
- Support all inputs on written reports and presentations of the program.
- Coordinate with all units to gather inputs on key narrative reports to be submitted to USDA.
- Any other task in line with the position level and expertise.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Education
Advanced University degree in Political Science, International Development, Development Economics, International Relations, Law, Marketing, Communications or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional 2 years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
Experience
- A minimum of 3 years of post-graduate professional or managerial experience working in a government ministry or department.
- Experience of preparing technical documents such as MoUs, SOPs and guidance materials.
- Previous experience of working for UN or other international agency in Pakistan is desirable.
- Prior experience working in Karachi is also desirable.
Knowledge & Skills
Excellent writing skills and ability to lead the preparation of documents and guidelines; be diplomatic, tactful and a skilled negotiator.
TOTAL POSITIONS
1
POSTED ON
January 7, 2026
EXPIRY DATE
January 21, 2026
BUSINESS
WFP
CATEGORY
Project Management
JOB TYPE
Full Time/Permanent
MINIMUM EDUCATION
Masters
CAREER LEVEL
NOB
MINIMUM EXPERIENCE
3 Years(A minimum of 3 years of post-graduate professional or managerial experience working in a government ministry or department.)
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