WHY JOIN WFP?
COUNTRY CONTEXT AND RESPONSE
Syria stands at a pivotal moment. After over a decade of conflict, sanctions, and economic collapse, the country is now experiencing early signs of potential recovery. The formation of an interim government more aligned with global markets and international development frameworks has opened up avenues for transformative change, particularly in building sustainable and nationally owned social protection systems.
Despite this momentum, the challenges are immense: widespread poverty, economic contraction, collapsing purchasing power, climate-related shocks, and massive displacement. Syria's social fabric remains fragile, with 90% of the population below the poverty line and nearly 14 million people facing food insecurity, 3 million of which are severely food insecure. Social protection interventions are essential to prevent the widening of the poverty gap, address child malnutrition, and ensure a transition from emergency response to long-term human capital investment.
WFP is uniquely positioned to lead this shift. Leveraging its extensive operational reach, data systems, trusted partnerships, and evidence-based programming, WFP is supporting the Government in reforming and operationalising inclusive, adaptive, and nationally owned social protection systems.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Social protection is an increasingly popular strategy for governments to reduce extreme poverty, hunger and inequality.
As a global leader in fighting hunger and malnutrition worldwide, often in very difficult contexts, the World Food Programme (WFP) is increasingly called upon by governments to support national social protection systems. In 2019, WFP partnered with governments in 75 countries to support their national social protection systems, making support to social protection an integral part of WFP's activities in most of the countries where it operates.
Since the Syria transition in December 2024, social protection in Syria has undergone rapid and profound changes. The immediate removal of subsidies on essentials like bread, cooking and heating fuel, and fuel for vehicles has been the most significant shift. Due to liquidity issues. pension payments are delayed due to investigations into ghost caseload. A temporary freeze on bank transactions further strains finances, and ongoing liquidity. The Government of Syria is currently adapting and putting in place new social protection schemes for its citizens.
Through its triple role as a technical advisor, service provider and complementary actor, WFP is supporting these efforts, as it works with governments to extend the coverage, comprehensiveness, adequacy and quality of national social protection systems, with the aim to ensure that all people have access, throughout their lives, to strong national social protection systems that safeguard and foster their ability to meet their food security, nutrition and associated essential needs, and to reduce and address the risks and shocks they face.
JOB PURPOSE
To deliver against the above, the Country Office is seeking a Social Protection Programme Policy Officer (NOC) to support manage its social protection programmes. The incumbent will operate under the direct supervision of the Team Lead for Social Protection. The incumbent is required to advance WFP Syria's social protection strategy and programming, guiding the shift from humanitarian assistance to a nationally led social protection framework. This includes policy dialogue with the interim government, design and scale-up of transitional safety nets, technical assistance to national systems (e.g., registries, targeting, shock-responsive mechanisms), and integration of school feeding and nutrition into broader human capital investments.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Education: Advanced University degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, International Development, International Relations, Sociology, or other fields relevant to social protection, or a First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
Experience: 5 or more years of professional experience relevant to social protection, preferably contributing to food security and/or nutrition objectives:
Knowledge & Skills:
Language: Fluency (level C) in English language and the duty station’s language, if different.
The UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization working towards zero hunger by 2030, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. Powered by the passion, dedication and professionalism of our 20,000 staff worldwide, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) works in over 80 countries to bring life-saving food to people displaced by conflict and made destitute by disasters, and help individuals and communities find life-changing solutions to the multiple challenges they face in building better futures. In 2020, WFP assisted 115.5 million people – the largest number since 2012. On any given day, WFP has 5,600 trucks, 30 ships and nearly 100 planes on the move, delivering food and other assistance to those in most need. Every year, we distribute more than 15 billion rations at an estimated average cost per ration of US$ 0.61. We work to enhance nutrition in women and children, support smallholder farmers in improving productivity and reducing losses, help countries and communities prepare for and cope with climate-related shocks, and boost human capital through school feeding programmes. In conflict situations, we bring relief to exhausted populations and use food assistance to build pathways to peace and stability. For its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.