DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS19 July 2025-23:59-GMT+06:00 Kyrgyzstan Time (Bishkek)
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 worldโs 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).
PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Supporting the National School Meals Programme with technical assistance and structural improvements, WFPโs โschools as platformโ approach aims to not only foster farm-to-school linkages, but also spreading knowledge on planet-friendly healthy diets, ultimately changing consumer behaviours beyond school nutrition education to support the food systems transformation. In this assignment, an expert advisor with ideally anthropologist background will support the phases of the Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) programme cycle, which includes strategy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based, inclusive and innovative social behavior change strategies, helping accelerate deliverables of the WFP team, connecting with existing national Social Behavior Change (SBC) strategies and platforms such as the work of the health promotion center and ensuring complementarity or integration with SBC initiatives ongoing by other partners, feeding formative research results to academic platforms for maximum outreach and scale. Candidates with the ability to leverage existing capacities at country level are especially welcome.
As this timeline coincides with WFPโs Country Strategic Plan mid-term review, which critically looks into evidence -generation and internal learning processes, the Consultant may also be asked to contribute to analysing the SBC integration pathways and any stumbling blocks in Programme implementation for climate- and nutrition-focused behaviour change to help inform programmatic adjustments.
With comprehensive country capacity strengthening objectives of the office, deliverables also include advisory and technical assistance work for national partners.
Supervision: The SBCC Expert directly reports to the Head of RAM unit and will work in close collaboration with the Research Officer of the RAM unit and the School Meals Programme Team on School Meals Outcome specific deliverables, with guidance on SBC integration received from Head of RAM and relevant colleagues in the office.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):
1. Design, implement, and/or participate in SBC situation analyses and formative research to identify social and behavioral drivers in collaboration with sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and other UN/NGO partners.
2. Initiate, commission, and manage qualitative and quantitative research using methods and approaches such as behavioural analysis, human centred design, social listening, behavioural insights, and/or participatory research.
3. Collate and summarize data, evidence and trends for social and behavioural issues to inform evidence-based SBC strategies, plans and activities.
4. Ensure SBCC activities are applicable in the context of both development settings and humanitarian emergencies, where possible, and have effective linkage to national related programmes and initiatives.
5. Conduct trainings for interviewers on the full data collection process, including ethical considerations, informed consent, interview techniques, ensuring data quality.
6. Participate in capacity strengthening / training sessions for WFP staff, partners and implementers, and contribute school meals programme objectives from the SBCC side.
7. Applying social and behavioral science and communication approaches: generate and utilize rapid research/assessments, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes in humanitarian emergency and development contexts and to build the evidence base for SBC; harmonize communication materials messages and approaches across response pillars.
8. Feed the learning of the assignment into the Mid-term Review and upon request support with interview or review tasks that inform course adjustments in CSP implementation for effective SBCC.
9. Provide relevant documents on the data, analyses and research mentioned above and strengthen the WFP staff capacities for handover by the end of the duties.
10. Any other business as requested.
SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS
Contribute to designing, implementing, and evaluating SBCC Strategy for the following country strategic plan Outcome 4:
- Outcome 4: By 2027, schools in the Kyrgyz Republic have strengthened capacity to provide healthy meals to children and create sustainable school feeding solutions for improved health, nutrition, education and food security outcomes.
- And for the following programmatic areas:
- Nutrition-sensitive programming
- Social protection
- Gender and Womenโs Empowerment
- Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene! (WASH)
- School-based programming (school feeding),
- Climate change adaptation, including seasonal all-hazard shocks.
- Candidate must possess a sensitivity to and understanding of the gender equality and social inclusion, โleave no one behindโ and people-centred approach, and other socio-economic, political and cultural factors.
TASKS and DELIVERABLES
1. Inception - Inception report (including methodology) and desk review findings
2. Data collection qualitative - Data sets, questionary forms, data analysis
3. Data collection quantitative - Data collection tool, output tables, data analysis
4. Formative research - Formative research, report
5. Strategy development and tools - SBCC strategy document with tools
6. Capacity strengthening - Participate in capacity strengthening meetings
7. Meetings - Interpretation meeting and Dissemination meeting
8. MTR - Provide inputs to Mid-term review from SMP SBCC perspective
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:
Education:
A university degree in one of the following fields: Social and behavioural science, including sociology, anthropology, communication studies/communication for development, public relation, communication, psychology and/or any related field (essential).
Work Experience:
- A minimum of 6 years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, social and behaviour change and anthropological research, public advocacy or another related area.
- Relevant experience in Central Asian context will be considered as an asset.
- Relevant experience in nutrition will be considered an asset.
- Relevant experience in strategic review, qualitative analysis techniques and monitoring will be considered an asset.
- Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English and Russian is required. Knowledge of local languages is an asset.
Competencies:
In order to carry out the work described above, successful suppliers will demonstrate skills and technical expertise in the following areas:
- Formative research with mixed methods to design SBC strategies, including community-led participatory planning, human centered design, behavioral barrier analysis, supporting specific behavioral objectives by addressing multiple factors governing behaviors at policy, community and individual levels.
- Designing and implementing theory and evidence-based strategies in consultation with stakeholders in a range of contexts including frameworks for monitoring and evaluating outcomes and impact
- Preparing and SBCC road maps and work plans as well as project management
- Developing and implementing targeted capacity strengthening and technical assistance for government and non-government partners on SBCC and related methodologies
- Evaluating the contribution of SBCC strategiesโ in achieving programme objectives, as part of national programming and directly implemented programming.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
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Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework
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
We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
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.