Programme Policy Officer (Project Manager School Meals) CST II Karachi, Pakistan

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• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive diverse and multicultural working environment.

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• 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).

ABOUT THE JOB

Job Title: Programme Policy Officer (Project Manager: School Meals)

Grade: CST II

Type of contract:International Consultancy

Duration: 11 months(renewable)

Duty Station: Karachi Pakistan

Date of Publication: 10 February 2026

Deadline of Application: 24 February 2026

This Vacancy Announcement is Open to Non-Pakistani Nationals Only

TERMS & CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary medical insurance among other applicable benefits.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:
Out of the 71 million school aged children in Pakistan 26 million are out of 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 100000 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 projects 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 Project Manager 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 overall management operational planning implementation and supporting monitoring and evaluation and reporting functions. The incumbent will be reporting to the Head of Programme in WFP Country Office in Islamabad and will be supported by a team of qualified national staff in Karachi.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide program leadership direction and supervision including oversight of project staff consultants and partners monitoring and evaluation and program implementation.

• Collaborate effectively with WFP teams in Islamabad Rome and Washington DC to provide regular updates request support and notify of challenges.

• Ensure implementation of technical interventions resulting in concrete and specific outcomes.

• Lead regular work plan budget and implementation reviews to facilitate the cost-effective and timely achievement of contract deliverables.

• Be responsible to finalize Field Level Agreements with cooperating partners including respective budgets and ensure they implement according to the agreement. Also ensure completion of annual partner performance evaluations in a timely manner.

• Lead manage and mentor team members including highly specialized technical staff to ensure that the project is implemented according to the workplan. Make adjustments as needed.

• Ensure with the cooperating partner the projects methodological coordination of activities related to its three main objectives: literacy health and school feeding.

• Ensure project activities maximize impact and are completed in compliance with WFP government and donor rules regulations local laws and donor agreement requirements.

• Working with the Country Office and Washington DC office ensure that technical and financial reports are prepared approved and submitted on time.

• Work with the project Monitoring & Evaluation team and Country Office evaluation manager to ensure that baseline midline and endline evaluations are completed on time and that they meet the corporate DQAS requirements.

• Ensure central kitchens are constructed according to schedule and that they meet required WFP standards in coordination with the WFP Engineering teams.

• Ensure implementation of food safety and quality protocols in the central kitchens in cooperation with WFP Food Technologists and the Sindh Food Authority.

• Lead risk analysis activities in partnership with Risk and Compliance Unit and ensure that all issues are reported according to WFP rules and regulations.

• Ensure that WFPs community feedback mechanism number is posted at all schools and take the lead in reviewing addressing and closing all feedback received through the system in partnership with the Protection and Accountability Unit in the Country Office.

• Any other task in line with the position level and expertise.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

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:

• 8 years of post-graduate professional or managerial experience working in a government ministry or department.

• Experience as a project manager; experience working in urban settings a plus.

• Experience of working in the education sector school meals field operations and working with host governments.

• Previous experience of working for UN or another international agency in south Asia is desirable.

Knowledge & Skills:
Excellent writing skills and ability to lead the preparation of reports and other documents and guidelines; be diplomatic tactful and a skilled negotiator.

Languages:
Fluent in written and spoken English.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered interested candidates are invited to apply via ( Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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