WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.
ABOUT WFP
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.
At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.
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).
ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT
The Program Assistant (Field) is stationed in the field locations where WFP programs are being implemented. The staff member directly reports the Program Associate (Field Coordination) under the overall supervision of the country program policy officer.
JOB PURPOSE
Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to cyclones, floods, landslides, and droughts, with disasters increasing in frequency and severity. In November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah devastated 22 districts, affecting 2 million people, destroying homes and croplands, and severely damaging irrigation systems. With the anticipated El Niño event in 2026–27 expected to bring both droughts and flooding, communities face heightened risks and limited coping capacity.
To address these challenges, WFP is implementing a USD 7.5 million program to assist 87,000 people (21,750 households) by combining cash transfers for rehabilitating irrigation systems, anticipatory cash support to flood-prone households, pre-positioning of essential non-food items, and strengthened disaster preparedness through coordinated risk assessments and digitalized systems.
The program builds on WFP’s leadership in disaster coordination, enabling rapid deployment within 72–96 hours of an emergency while supporting recovery and resilience, ensuring households are better prepared for future shocks and reinforcing government disaster risk financing systems.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):
- Maintain close collaboration with government counterparts in the field and proactively participate in relevant coordination and planning meetings of interest to WFP and its Country Strategic Plan (CSP).
- Provide monitoring, implementation and coordination support to all WFP projects that are being implemented in the field location
- Verify planned field-level movements and distribution of food or non-food items, resolving routine issues at field and escalating to CO where appropriate to ensure compliance with WFP standards.
- Collect, compile, and analyze field-level programme data (e.g., food assistance needs, resource utilization, performance) and prepare reports to support reviews and informed decision-making.
- Liaise with cooperating partners, government partner, internal counterparts, and community leaders at the field level to gather feedback, discuss distribution and capacity building arrangements, and ensure effective communication flow.
- Suggest improvements to field-level monitoring processes and operational procedures for efficient implementation of assistance and capacity building programmes.
- Arrange and participate in regular field-level meetings with partners and stakeholders on commodity pipeline, food entitlements, and other relevant issues.
- Allocate tasks to any field staff under their supervision, providing guidance and on-the-job training to support their development and high performance.
- Provide standard trainings for cooperating partners at the field level on WFP operational practices, monitoring tools, and methods to enable self-monitoring and enhance programme visibility.
- Perform accurate and timely recording of field-level data within the technical area of work, following corporate standards and guidelines.
- Act as a point of contact at the field level for resolution of general operational queries, requesting assistance from CO where necessary.
- Support communication and coordination with local partners, NGOs, government institutions, and other agencies at the field level to ensure smooth implementation.
- Prepare detailed field mission reports to document programme implementation and outcomes.
- Follow established emergency preparedness and response procedures at the field level to ensure timely deployment of resources during crises.
- Catalyze timely sharing of financial data and completion of financial reconciliation steps by WFP partners at the field level to ensure accountability and compliance with WFP standards.
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:
- Has five (5) years of progressively responsible experience with one year at the lower grade level.
- Has facilitated communication with technical teams (i.e. Social protection, Food Security, nutrition, VAM, etc.).
- Has contributed to implementation of programmes.
- Has observed or assisted with policy discussions.
- Has engaged in field coordination
STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:
Education:
Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area is desirable. A university degree in a related field is an asset.
Language:
Position Title: Programme Assistant SC 5 (Kurunegala)
Contract Type: Service Contract
Duty Station: Kurunegala, Sri Lanka
Nationality: Nationals Only
Date of Publication: 14.08.2026
Deadline of Application: 28.08.2026
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
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
NO FEE DISCLAIMER
The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
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.