DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
4 December 2026-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Rome)
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 world’s 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 extreme weather shocks.
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).
Food Technologist
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Following growing demand for processed and specialized nutrition products, increased interest amongst WFP Country Offices and host governments, private sector funding and food quality identified as a corporate risk, the role of the Food Assurance Unit is evolving. At the same time, under the newly formed Supply Chain and Delivery Division, WFP is strengthening its food quality and safety management by transitioning from end – product testing to quality assurance. This is done through enhanced product specifications, supplier audits and development of effective incident management systems amongst other initiatives. The amount of WFP food specifications has been growing. The Food Safety Assurance unit is standardizing the specifications and their development processes/tools. Additionally, the unit is considering digitally transforming the specification.
With evolving needs of FSA Unit, technical as well as support staff are required to keep step with the growing workload.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Develop and draft specifications according to WFP's template and applicable internal and external rules and regulations.
2. Implement and continuously improve a specification development process: consulting internally and externally with defined stakeholders, mediating discussions and preparing associated documentation;
3. Act as the document manager: update FSQ website specification page and FSA sharepoints
folders of specifications, regulatory benchmarks, standards, and SOPs/memorandums etc.
4. Maintain specifications updated in IT module and act as a focal point to identify and assist on specification-related IT system improvements
5. Provide on-job assistance to CO/RB specification writers
6. Act as the unit's focal point for specification-related inquiries and questions and queries
7. Contribute to the development of food standards set by Codex Alimentarius and other international organizations, ensuring alignment with WFP's food safety and quality objectives
8. Other tasks as required
DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
• Develop professional specifications with clear associated documentation, and keep different stakeholders and systems updated.
• Contribute to digitalization of workstream tools
• Propose ways of working to improve the workstream efficiency, benchmarking against private sector practices.
• Other as necessary
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
• University degree in Food technology, Food Engineering, Food Safety and Quality or other field relevant to the required tasks above enhanced by experience on the relevant topics
Experience:
• 3 years
Knowledge & Skills:
• Demonstrated organisational capability and excellent communication skills;
• Proficiency in Windows, MS Office (i.e. Excel, Outlook)
• IT Systems acquaintance preferred.
Languages:
• English
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
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
All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.
We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.
At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.
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.
