Special Assistant to the Country Director

Job Description

Special Assistant to the Country Director | World Food Programme

The Tone:
This is an International Regular Consultant Level 2 (CST-II) role at the World Food Programme, located in Juba, South Sudan. The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict and disasters. This role is crucial for the effective management and coordination of the Country Director’s Office, providing high-quality operational planning, analysis, briefing support, and meeting coordination in a dynamic and challenging operational environment. The incumbent ensures the effective execution of the Country Director’s priorities and engagements, fostering accountability and timely escalation of critical matters.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: International Regular Consultant Level 2 (CST-II), 11 months renewable
• Location: In-person Juba, South Sudan
• Team: Management (Office of the Country Director); reports directly to the Country Director
• Mission: Support the effective management and coordination of the Country Director’s Office, ensuring the timely execution of priorities and escalation of complex matters in a dynamic operational environment.
• Tech Stack: Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

What You’ll Actually Do
• Strategic Coordination: Prepare, review, and coordinate high-quality briefing notes, analytical briefs, talking points, speeches, and presentations on operational context for senior leadership.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Support senior-level engagement by preparing strategic background documents, providing context, and coordinating interactions with government authorities, UN agencies, and partners.
• Office Management: Coordinate and oversee the daily workflow, priorities, and planning of the Country Director’s Office, ensuring timely follow-up on matters assigned by the Country Director.
• Operational Oversight: Provide cross-functional coordination support, tracking decisions, driving progress on actions involving multiple stakeholders, and escalating issues for leadership attention.
• Mission Planning: Plan and organize the Country Director’s missions, including the timely preparation of mission files, background documents, and logistics arrangements.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Advanced university degree (Master’s) in Economics, International Development, Social Sciences, Public Administration, International Relations, Arts, Communications, or a related field.
• Experience: At least five years of progressively responsible professional postgraduate experience in programme or operational coordination, executive or senior management support, external relations, or governance within the UN system or a humanitarian organization. Required operational experience in a large-scale, complex, emergency, and/or conflict-affected environment comparable to South Sudan.
• Skills: Strong interpersonal skills and sound judgment; ability to work independently, accurately, and under tight deadlines with personal accountability; good drafting, editing, and communication skills; tact, discretion, and confidentiality in handling sensitive information.
• Bonus: Experience in programme implementation, supply chain operations, and cross-functional operational coordination. Strong knowledge of South Sudan’s political, socio-economic, cultural, security, and humanitarian context. Working knowledge of another official UN language and/or a relevant local language.