Overview
The Programme Policy Officer (Humanitarian Access Specialist) will support and strengthen WFP’s ability to achieve safe, timely, sustained, and principled humanitarian access to populations affected by emergencies in Northern Ethiopia.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the development, implementation, and review of humanitarian access strategies, plans, and standard operating procedures.
- Provide technical advice on access-related risks, opportunities, and mitigation measures.
- Contribute to contingency planning and preparedness initiatives.
- Monitor, analyze, and report on access trends, security dynamics, political developments, community perceptions, and other factors affecting humanitarian operations.
- Conduct stakeholder and power-mapping analyses.
- Produce regular access reports, risk assessments, briefing notes, and analytical products.
- Establish and maintain constructive relationships with government authorities, local administrations, community leaders, humanitarian partners, and relevant state and non-state actors.
- Support dialogue and negotiations aimed at facilitating humanitarian access and resolving operational constraints.
- Represent WFP in access-related coordination forums, working groups, and meetings.
- Provide operational guidance on access-related issues affecting the implementation of food assistance, nutrition, school feeding, and resilience activities.
- Coordinate with security, programme, logistics, supply chain, and partnership teams.
- Support the identification and resolution of access constraints impacting humanitarian operations.
- Promote adherence to humanitarian principles.
- Ensure access approaches are aligned with WFP policies, duty of care obligations, and risk management frameworks.
- Advise management on potential operational, reputational, and contextual risks.
- Maintain access-related databases, trackers, and information management systems.
- Prepare timely updates, situation reports, analytical assessments, and briefing materials.
- Contribute to lessons learned, after-action reviews, and best-practice documentation.
- Provide training, mentoring, and technical support to WFP staff and cooperating partners on humanitarian access concepts, stakeholder engagement, conflict sensitivity, and negotiation approaches.
- Design and facilitate workshops and capacity-building sessions.
- Support the development of organizational knowledge and best practices related to humanitarian access.
- Strengthen collaboration with UN agencies, NGOs, government counterparts, and humanitarian coordination mechanisms.
- Contribute to inter-agency discussions and initiatives.
- Perform any other access-related duties as assigned.
Required Experience
At least 5 years progressively responsible professional working experience in: Humanitarian access, humanitarian affairs, programme management, civil-military coordination, security risk management, conflict analysis, negotiations, or related fields. Working in complex emergencies, conflict, or fragile settings with humanitarian organizations, UN agencies, NGOs, government institutions, or international organizations. Humanitarian access negotiations, stakeholder engagement, conflict sensitivity, and operational coordination. Conducting context, stakeholder, and risk analysis to support humanitarian operations and decision-making. Supporting and coordinating multi-sectoral humanitarian responses in challenging operational environments. Prior experience in Ethiopia or the Horn of Africa region is highly desirable.
Qualifications
Advanced University degree in International Relations, Political Science, Peace and Conflict Studies, Security Studies, Development Studies, Humanitarian Affairs, Social Sciences, Law, Public Administration, or first-level university degree with additional years of relevant professional experience.
