Program Assistant

Description

Position Summary: Program Assistant to support standard operational processes and the effective delivery of services in a humanitarian setting. Key Highlights: 1. Opportunity to contribute to the global fight against hunger. 2. Work in a diverse and multicultural environment. 3. Continuous personal and professional development. **DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS** 25 June 2026\-23:59\-GMT\-05:00 Colombia Standard Time (Bogota)*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 **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). **POSITION TITLE:** Program Assistant **CONTRACT TYPE:** Special Services Agreement (SSA) **UNIT:** Field Offices **WORK LOCATION:** Pasto. **CONTRACT DURATION:** Until 31 October 2026 **REMUNERATION LEVEL**: SSA L4 **BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:** The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. In Colombia, WFP’s support to the national government aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 and 17, utilizing innovative tools such as cash transfers and local food procurement through farmer associations. WFP’s activities in Colombia focus on the most vulnerable populations, including victims of violence, marginalized communities, and ethnic groups. The objective is to rebuild and strengthen their livelihoods, ensuring adequate and continuous access to nutritious and diverse diets, and enhancing their capacity to recover from and adapt to climate change. This is achieved progressively through building the capacity of local authorities to implement responsible programs contributing to reduced food insecurity and malnutrition. Under the supervision of the Senior Programme Associate, the incumbent must carry out organized and accurate work with minimal supervision, handling specific operational support activities. They may also provide guidance on standard practices to less experienced staff within their functional area. **OBJECTIVE:** To complete standard operational support processes within a specific professional area to facilitate the effective delivery of services. **RESPONSIBILITIES:** 1\. Collect information explicitly intended to serve as the basis for document drafting and report preparation by other staff members. 2\. Respond to inquiries and refer them, where appropriate, to higher levels to ensure timely and accurate service delivery to clients. 3\. Support the processing and management of routine administrative and financial tasks across various functional areas to contribute to the efficient and timely management of resources. 4\. Provide review and editing services for standard documents to support the production of accurate documentation. 5\. Maintain established standard systems and files to ensure information accuracy and easy availability for the relevant function. 6\. Identify simple discrepancies in statistics and data, such as missing information, and report them to senior officials to assist clients in carrying out their work. 7\. Ensure data integrity to facilitate the availability of accurate information in institutional systems. 8\. Provide guidance on standard operational support methods and practices to less experienced colleagues to ensure consistent and requirement-compliant service delivery. 9\. Work with a wide variety of people, gathering feedback where appropriate to support operational assistance to staff. 10\. Perform other duties as requested by the supervisor, aligned with the purpose of the position. **REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE** **Education:** Completion of secondary education. A post-secondary diploma in social sciences, administrative, accounting, or related fields is desirable. **Desirable Specific Experience** Minimum four (4\) years of experience in the operational area corresponding to the programmatic field, with experience in general administrative tasks. Experience performing similar functions within humanitarian and/or development programs and projects will be viewed favorably. Field operations experience—preferably in complex contexts, humanitarian assistance, or emergency situations—with emphasis on migrant populations, ethnic groups, victims, and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) contexts is preferred. Familiarity with the Field Office’s coverage area. Computer and office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) proficiency. Experience using web-based systems and corporate platforms. **Languages:** Fluency in Spanish, both spoken and written. Intermediate level of English. **WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK** WFP Leadership Framework guides 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.*