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Call for Applications: School Feeding Programme (Colombia)

Deadline: 18-Dec-2025

The School Feeding Programme is seeking a Cooperating Partner to manage recruitment, contracting, and payment of food handlers and project support staff across 13 municipalities in La Guajira, Colombia. The partner must ensure full compliance with Colombian labor and social security regulations, maintain hygiene standards, manage reporting, and provide territorial coordination from an office in Riohacha. This opportunity requires strong HR management capacity, labor compliance expertise, and experience supporting large-scale programs.

Program Overview

The School Feeding Programme relies on a Cooperating Partner to manage all staffing processes, ensuring safe, efficient, and legally compliant delivery of cafeteria services. The partner oversees recruitment, contracts, payments, training, documentation, and workforce management for food handlers and project support staff.

Core Objectives

  • Ensure all personnel are employed according to Colombian labor and social security regulations

  • Recruit and manage food handlers under part-time schedules matched to the school calendar

  • Guarantee proper social benefits and contributions to the Social Security System

  • Uphold hygiene, sanitation, and food safety standards for all cafeteria operations

  • Recruit full-time administrative, financial, logistical, and territorial staff required for project implementation

Staffing Requirements

Food Handling Personnel

Must be recruited:

  • Under part-time schedules aligned with the academic calendar

  • With proportional legal benefits and social security contributions

  • With strict compliance to hygiene standards, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), and service protocols

Project Support Personnel

Full-time hires include:

  • Administrative and Financial Professional

  • Payroll Assistants

  • Territorial Coordinator/Leader

  • Eleven Territorial Professionals

  • Quality and Logistics staff

All staff must be contracted in accordance with Colombian labor laws.

Geographic Scope

  • Programme implementation in 13 municipalities in La Guajira

  • Mandatory operational office in Riohacha

  • Field presence required through territorial personnel

Labor & Compliance Conditions

  • Standard 8-hour workday

  • Daily payment model where applicable

  • Full compliance with Colombian labor norms and social security rules

  • Social Security affiliation under contributor type 51 allowed under defined conditions

  • Flexible contract lengths for food handlers based on WFP resources

Key Responsibilities of the Cooperating Partner

The selected partner will manage:

  • Recruitment, selection, and contracting of all required staff

  • Employment compliance with labor, health, and safety standards

  • Payroll and payment processing

  • Social Security enrollment and contributions

  • Workforce supervision and timely replacement of staff

  • Training support for hygiene, safety, and food management

  • Database management and personnel documentation

  • Coordination meetings with WFP and local authorities

  • Transportation and logistical arrangements for staff and oversight visits

  • Reporting, monitoring, and accountability

  • Waste management and documentation compliance for food service

Travel Costs

Travel expenses must consider:

  • Distance between sites

  • Municipal distribution

  • Frequency of required visits

  • Distinct urban vs. rural transportation costs

Why This Opportunity Matters

  • Ensures safe and uninterrupted school feeding services

  • Strengthens local employment practices under full legal compliance

  • Enhances food safety and service quality across La Guajira

  • Builds operational capacity through trained staff and territorial presence

  • Supports vulnerable school populations through reliable cafeteria operations

Who Is Eligible?

Organizations must demonstrate:

  • Proven experience in large-scale human resource management

  • Strong understanding of Colombian labor and social security regulations

  • Capacity to manage field operations across multiple municipalities

  • Ability to coordinate with government entities and WFP

  • Administrative infrastructure to operate an office in Riohacha

  • Experience managing food service or community-based programs (preferred)

How to Apply / What to Prepare

  1. Organizational Profile: Demonstrate HR, payroll, and compliance capabilities.

  2. Technical Proposal: Show recruitment systems, labor compliance processes, staff supervision plans, and hygiene implementation strategies.

  3. Operational Plan: Outline staffing structure, training, scheduling, monitoring, and territorial coverage.

  4. Financial Proposal: Include labor costs, administrative expenses, transportation, and Social Security contributions.

  5. Risk Management Plan: Address compliance risks, turnover, and field constraints.

  6. Proof of Experience: Provide documentation of previous large-scale HR or program support roles.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Failing to demonstrate knowledge of Colombian labor law

  • Insufficient territorial presence or lack of Riohacha office

  • Weak recruitment or payroll systems

  • Missing evidence of past HR or program management experience

  • Underestimating transportation or rural access costs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is experience in food service required?
Not mandatory but highly beneficial, especially regarding hygiene and safety protocols.

2. Does the partner need to be based in La Guajira?
They must operate an office in Riohacha and maintain territorial presence across the 13 municipalities.

3. Can multiple organizations apply together?
Yes, but roles must be clearly defined and compliance responsibilities fully assigned.

4. How are food handler contracts determined?
Their contract duration depends on WFP resource availability and school calendar requirements.

5. Are Social Security contributions mandatory for all staff?
Yes, including proportional benefits for part-time food handlers.

6. What hygiene standards must food handlers meet?
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), sanitation protocols, service rules, safety documentation, and proper waste management.

7. What level of reporting is required?
Regular payroll reports, staffing updates, documentation of compliance, and participation in WFP coordination meetings.

Conclusion

This opportunity plays a critical role in ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient delivery of school feeding services across La Guajira. The Cooperating Partner will oversee all human resource processes, enforce labor and hygiene regulations, and maintain strong coordination with WFP. Organizations with solid HR capacity, legal compliance expertise, and territorial experience are well positioned to support the successful implementation of this essential programme.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.