Organization Mission

Independent since 2002, Timor-Leste – an island nation situated between Indonesia and Australia – is one of the world’s newest countries. It has successfully managed to transition out of conflict and become one of the region’s most stable democracies, with opposing political forces maintaining a peaceful dialogue to resolve differences. Its economy is dependent on oil and gas revenues, but with aspirations to develop agriculture and tourism.

Timor Leste is a young nation. 59 percent of the population is under 25 years of age and women bear children at very early ages: one in four gives birth before turning 20. The right investments in education, employment and the empowerment of women can accelerate development in the course of a generation. Improved nutrition must underpin these efforts.

The Government of Timor-Leste is firmly committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of which it was a staunch supporter during negotiations. However, serious obstacles to the achievement of SDG 2 on Zero Hunger and improved nutrition remain.

WFP works in close collaboration and coordination with the Government of Timor-Leste, with a view to strengthening its capacities for delivering social safety programmes, and with other partners including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).

Context

In Timor-Leste, persistent widespread poverty, high food insecurity, and alarmingly high levels of child malnutrition continue to undermine human capital development and long-term resilience. Timor-Leste has one of the highest rates of child stunting in the East Asia and Pacific region, with nearly half of all children under five affected. This reflects chronic, intergenerational malnutrition driven by limited dietary diversity, poor infant and young child feeding practices, restricted access to quality health and nutrition services, and persistent socioeconomic vulnerabilities—particularly among pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children during the critical first 1,000 days of life. These structural challenges are exacerbated by recurrent climate shocks, exposure to natural disasters, rising food prices, and geographic isolation, which further strain household coping capacities and disproportionately impact women and rural communities.

While the Government of Timor-Leste has made important investments in social protection, coverage and adequacy remain limited. Existing programmes have struggled to reach the poorest households, respond effectively to shocks, or systematically integrate nutrition outcomes. Gaps in social registries, delivery systems, contingency planning, and nutrition-sensitive design constrain the potential of social protection to protect vulnerable households at critical moments—especially during the first 1,000 days of life, when the risk of irreversible malnutrition is highest.

Against this backdrop, WFP is supporting the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), with technical collaboration from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to implement the Integrated Nutrition and Adaptive Social Protection for Increased Resilience (INSPIRE) Technical Assistance (TA) Project. INSPIRE seeks to help transform Timor-Leste’s social protection system into one that is adaptive, shock-responsive, and nutrition-sensitive, while strengthening national systems, institutional capacity, and evidence-based policymaking. A cornerstone of this effort is the rollout of the Government’s flagship nutrition-sensitive programme, Bolsa de Mãe Kondisional – SANUTRIO (BdMK SANUTRIO), which targets pregnant and lactating women and mothers of young children to improve nutrition, health, and resilience outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of Social Protection Programme Policy Officer (Head of Unit), the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Technical documentation and quality assurance

– Support detailed drafting, review, consolidation, and finalization of technical deliverables under the INSPIRE TA, including the SANURIO Operations Manual, the Poverty and Vulnerability Framework, social assistance training manuals, social registry technical documentation, and financing review.

-Systematically address technical comments from ADB reviewers, government counterparts, and other stakeholders, ensuring clarity, coherence, and alignment with agreed objectives and standards.

– Coordinate internal review processes within WFP, facilitating inputs from relevant units and ensuring timely incorporation of feedback.

Research, analysis, and learning

– Conduct desk-based research and analytical reviews related to social protection, adaptive systems, and nutrition-sensitive programming, as required.

– Support the synthesis of evidence and experience to inform programme learning, reporting, and strategic positioning.

Communications and knowledge management (CM)

– Develop and implement a knowledge management and communications plan for the Social Protection portfolio, in close coordination with WFP Communications and Programme teams.

– Identify, document, and package key lessons learned, innovations, and results emerging from BdMK SANUTRIO and INSPIRE implementation.

– Draft high-quality written content, including human-interest stories, technical blogs, briefs, presentations, and learning products for internal and external audiences.

– Support the organization and curation of social protection programme knowledge products, ensuring accessibility and institutional memory.

Programme support

– Provide ad hoc technical and analytical support to the social protection team, including during benefit distributions, trainings, and other major project milestones.

– Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor in support of programme objectives.

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum relevant experience 3 years’ experience in:

– Technical writing, editing, and review of policy or programme documents

– Coordination with government counterparts and development partners

– Design and implementation of development or humanitarian contexts, preferable those related to social protection

Skills in:

– Strong analytical, research, and writing skills, with high attention to detail

– Coordination and stakeholder engagement

– Knowledge management and programme communications.

– Use of common office and collaboration tools (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint)

Core Competencies

Accountability

Adaptability and Flexibility

Building Trust

Client Orientation

Commitment and Motivation

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Communication

Creativity

Empowering Others

Ethics and Values

Integrity

Judgement and Decision-making

Knowledge Sharing

Leadership

Managing Performance

Planning and Organizing

Professionalism

Respect for Diversity

Self-Management

Technological Awareness

Vision

Working in Teams

Living Conditions

Timor-Leste is half of a tropical island on the Australian continental shelf characterized by a rugged mountain chain running east-west that divides the country into a generally warmer north coast and a milder south coast. The capital city, Dili, is located in the north.

Climate: The climate along the coast is relatively warm hot year-round with an annual average temperature of 30°C. There are two distinct seasons: the north-east monsoon season, which runs from November to March, constitutes the rainy season throughout the country. The south-east monsoon season, which runs from March to October, constitutes the dry season with some rain on the southern coast but otherwise dry and windy conditions in the rest of the country. The climate inland with its high mountains can be very cold with an annual average temperature of 15°C.

Health: Public hospital and private clinics provide services to communities. Stamford clinic and DMC serve as a recommended medical facility for UN staff. There is also a national hospital in Dili with some international staff. For more complex medical treatment and assessment, it is necessary to evacuate to neighbouring cities/countries such as Darwin, Denpasar, Bangkok or Singapore. There is currently no reported case of Corona Virus in Timor-Leste.

Diet, Food and Water: Most staple foods can be found in the markets such as rice, meat, vegetables, cooking oil, salt and sugar. There is a variety of food ranging from Western to Southeast Asian fare. You can also find several local restaurants with local and international options. Telecommunications: There are three telecommunication providers in country, Timor Telecom, Telkomcel and Telemor. While Timor Telecom has been long present, Telkomcel and Telemor launched in Timor-Leste, and started operating in February 2013. The SIM cards cost $2-3 and pre-paid/pulsa cards range from $1 to $50. In addition, Starlink entered the market at the end of 2024 and is able to provide fast satellite internet to residents.

Housing: There are numerous compounds in Dili ranging from basic, to full amenity (gym, cleaner, pool). Usually, compounds will have generators that start automatically, and many houses come fully furnished. Dili also offers stand-alone houses, but additional features often need to be installed. Dili is considered a safe city, and it is easy to get around, for example by taxi (metered – usually USD 3-5 per trip). Scooters can be purchased or rented on a monthly basis for around USD 60 per month.

Conditions of Service

The Conditions of Service, available here: https://explore.unv.org/cos, outline the policies and rules governing UN Volunteer assignments. Full information on entitlements at the duty station can be accessed here: https://app.unv.org/calculator.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin, or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity’s policy