Programme Associate (Smallholder Agricultural Market Support), Juba

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The World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization 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.

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WHY JOIN WFP?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE: Programme Associate - Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SAMS)

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Service Contract level 6 (SC-6)

UNIT/DIVISION: Programme- Food Systems and Resilience

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Juba, South Sudan

DURATION: 12 months (Renewable subject to performance and funding availability)

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) South Sudan is strengthening its resilience and food systems portfolio through the Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS) function. SAMS supports smallholder farmers through improved productivity, aggregation, post-harvest management, and access to structured markets. The function plays an important role in promoting sustainable livelihoods and strengthening food systems resilience through market-oriented agriculture and private sector engagement.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of SAMS, the Programme Associate (SC6) will provide operational, coordination, monitoring, and implementation support to ensure effective delivery of SAMS activities across field locations. The position will contribute to programme quality, stakeholder engagement, performance monitoring, knowledge management, and capacity strengthening of cooperating partners and farmer organizations. This role supports the implementation of resilience-focused interventions and contributes to the achievement of WFP's strategic objectives in South Sudan.

JOB PURPOSE

The Programme Associate (SC6) will support the implementation, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS) activities, ensuring quality delivery of interventions that strengthen farmer organizations, improve market access, reduce post-harvest losses, and promote inclusive and climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES / RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent will undertake the following functions (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive): Programme implementation and coordination

• Support planning and implementation of SAMS activities in line with approved workplans and budgets.
• Assist in coordinating interventions with field offices, cooperating partners, government institutions, and private sector actors.
• Monitor implementation progress and identify operational challenges requiring corrective actions.
• Support preparation of annual workplans, implementation schedules, and activity tracking tools.
• Facilitate implementation of standardized operational procedures and technical guidance.

Farmer organizations and Market linkages

• Support strengthening of farmer organizations (producer groups and cooperatives), and aggregation structures.
• Assist in facilitating structured market linkages between smallholder farmers and buyers, including institutional procurement opportunities.
• Support engagement with traders, financial service providers, processors, and other market actors.
• Contribute to initiatives that reduce post-harvest losses and improve market competitiveness.

Monitoring, Reporting and Knowledge management

• Collect, compile, analyze, and report programme performance data.

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Social Issues & Advocacy

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Poverty & Hunger

• Support field monitoring visits and post-distribution monitoring activities.
• Maintain programme databases and tracking systems.
• Assist in preparation of donor reports, situation reports, success stories, fact sheets, and programme updates.
• Document lessons learned and best practices for knowledge sharing and programme improvement.

Capacity strengthening

• Support training and mentoring of field staff, cooperating partners, and farmer organizations.
• Assist in organizing workshops, learning events, field missions, and technical reviews.
• Provide technical guidance on the use of SAMS tools, templates, and reporting requirements.

Partnerships and stakeholder engagement

• Maintain regular communication with government counterparts, NGOs, private sector actors, and development partners.
• Support coordination meetings and stakeholder consultations.
• Prepare briefing materials, meeting notes, presentations, and follow-up actions.

Resource management and administrative support

• Assist in budget monitoring and expenditure tracking.
• Support procurement planning and operational coordination for SAMS activities.
• Contribute to proposal development, concept notes, and resource mobilization initiatives.
• Ensure documentation and compliance requirements are maintained.

Cross-cutting priorities

• Promote integration of gender, youth, disability inclusion, and accountability to affected populations in all programme activities.
• Support environmental and social safeguard compliance.
• Ensure conflict sensitivity and protection considerations are incorporated into implementation.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Improved implementation quality and timely delivery of SAMS activities.
• Strengthened farmer organizations and market linkages.
• Enhanced monitoring, reporting, and data availability for decision-making.
• Improved stakeholder coordination and partner engagement.
• Increased capacity of field teams and cooperating partners.
• Effective documentation of programme achievements and lessons learned

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Completion of secondary education is required. A post-secondary certificate, diploma, or university degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Economics, Rural Development, Value Chain Development and any other related disciplines is highly desirable

Experience:

Minimum 6 years of progressively responsible experience in agricultural development programmes, livelihoods and resilience programming, market systems development, farmer organization strengthening, programme implementation and monitoring, and/or community-based development initiatives.

Stakeholder engagement and coordination are essential.

Experience in South Sudan or similar humanitarian-development contexts is highly desirable.

Knowledge and Skills

• Good programme management and coordination skills.
• Strong analytical and reporting abilities.
• Experience in data management and monitoring systems.
• Knowledge of agricultural value chains and market development approaches.
• Ability to work effectively with government and partner organizations.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and digital technologies relevant to programme management, data analysis, knowledge management, monitoring, and reporting.
• Knowledge of South Sudan's agricultural and food systems context is an advantage.

Competencies

Teamwork, Action management, Client orientation, Partnerships, Communication, Results focus, Problem solving

Languages:

Fluency (Level C) in spoken and written English

Remark: The recruitment / VA will also serve as a roster for the same or lower grade level, different contract modality and possible placement in different duty stations, in case of future operational need.

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

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REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: global.inclusion@wfp.org

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REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.
• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.
• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.