DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

17 November 2026-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Rome)

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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).

JOB TITLE: Coordinator Food Technology for fortification, SNF and LFS

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultant

UNIT/DIVISION: Nutrition & Food Quality, School Meals and Social Protection Service, Programme, Policy & Guidance Division

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy

DURATION: 11 monthsBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

About the Organization:

The WFP Nutrition Strategy, launched in 2024 focuses on supporting countries to achieve zero hunger through improved nutrition, with prevention and treatment of all forms of malnutrition a central part of this policy. In support of this shift in programming, WFP will play a bigger role in addressing micronutrient deficiencies around the world through its food assistance programmes. This includes making sure that nutrient rich rations are provided when WFP distributes food, and making sure that, to the fullest extent possible, the food WFP purchases internationally, regionally, and locally is appropriately fortified for the environment where it will be delivered and maximizes the nutritional impact of interventions.

Further, WFP plans to explore other modalities to encourage governments, assistance programmes, and markets to provide or encourage the use of fortified commodities, and ultimately to encourage local fortification of local crops in contexts where it is appropriate, feasible and cost effective.

Fortified foods, including Fortified Staple foods and Local Food solutions, are an important element in improving nutritional adequacy of diets, which is critical to ensuring a healthy diet for all. This applies to people’s diets anywhere, and particularly where dietary diversity is not meeting food-based dietary guidelines and where healthy diets are unaffordable. Fortification needs to be implemented by processors of staple foods (flours, rice, vegetable oil, salt, etc.) and Specially Formulated Foods (SFF) such as complementary foods, and these foods should be made available through multiple distribution channels, including WFP’s operations (General Food Assistance), National Social Protection and School Meal Programmes, Regional/national strategic grain reserves, the open market, to reach those in need.

Furthermore, fortified foods should always be part of food assistance, whether distributed in-kind or through vouchers or cash. As largest humanitarian agency and being a major player in both food and social protection systems, WFP has a very important contribution to make to increase availability of fortified foods and ensuring it reaches those most in need.

One of WFP’s strategic donor partners in our efforts to scale up food fortification is the Gates Foundation. This partnership has contributed to WFP’s expertise at GHQ, and countries, and ability to increase the availability and use of fortified foods by supporting efforts to enhance the integration of fortified foods in national social protection and school meal programmes. In addition to directly improving the nutrition sensitivity of the national social protection and school meal programmes, these efforts have increased the availability and cost-effectiveness for WFP’s purchase of fortified foods for our own humanitarian assistance programmes.

Under the revised organizational structure for 2026, this position is strategically situated within the Food Quality and Strategy Team of the Nutrition, School Meal and Social Protection (NSMSP) Service.

The Food

Quality portfolio is mandated to provide technical expertise and support for system strengthening in alignment with WFP’s efforts to enhance the utilization of fortified foods and locally sourced food solutions. This applies both to WFP’s direct operations—such as General Food Assistance (GFA)—and to WFP-supported initiatives,



including government-led national social protection and school meal programmes. The portfolio encompasses technical assistance across WFP’s priority nutritious foods, which include, but are not limited to, fortified staple foods (e.g., rice, wheat/maize flour, oil, salt, sorghum, whole grains) and specially formulated products such as Specialized Nutritious Foods (e.g., Super Cereal, Super Cereal Plus, Ready-to-Use Supplementary Foods [RUSF]) and complementary foods..

This position, with a strong background in food technology and nutrition, complemented with demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, implementing large-scale projects, system strengthening of national governments, and good understanding of WFP’s systems, will serve as lead technical resource on food tech and programmatic aspects of planning, implementing and monitoring initiatives aimed at increasing use of food quality portfolio of nutritious foods in WFP’s operations and WFP supported operations.

Purpose of the Position:

The position will serve as a technical and programmatic resource for the Food Quality portfolio, providing global coordination, technical assistance and project oversight across Headquarters, Regional Programme Hubs and Country Offices. Responsibilities will include supporting the integration and local production of fortified and nutritious foods, strengthening national systems, developing technical guidance and workplans, and managing stakeholder and donor engagement.

The role will also provide oversight and coordination of key donor-funded initiatives, including the Gates Foundation and NPL projects, and ensure effective implementation, financial oversight, consolidation of results and timely donor reporting across the portfolio.

The responsibilities and deliverables build on the existing scope of work and are aligned with WFP’s Nutrition Strategy 2024–2030 and current organizational priorities.

The responsibilities outlined below are a reformulation of tasks embedded in the previous TOR and thus remain within the existing scope of work. The responsibilities and deliverables are more explicitly aligned with the newly formulated WFP priorities as set out in the new WFP Strategy to improve diets and address malnutrition 2024–2030 and priorities in 2027

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Consultant will

- Support integration of the Food Quality portfolio into WFP operations
- Provide technical assistance to Country Offices, Regional offices and GHQ on integrating fortified foods into CSPs, WFP operations, Social Protection and School Meals programmes.
- Support strategic engagement with governments and national and regional stakeholders to strengthen the availability, access and affordability of fortified foods.
- Contribute to CSPs, corporate monitoring and reporting requirements, including ACR, APR and donor-specific reporting.
- Provide technical and programmatic support to the Food Quality portfolio
- Provide technical expertise on food fortification and support its integration across relevant WFP programmes and operations.
- Work with Supply Chain and other technical teams to develop standards, specifications, normative guidance, training materials and operational roadmaps.
- Support product development, research, shelf-life studies and validation activities for fortified foods.
- Facilitate the application of relevant global standards, evidence and technical guidance within WFP.
- Manage the WFP–Gates Foundation relationship and related fortification initiatives
- Coordinate with participating Country Offices and Regional offices and undertake oversight missions as required to ensure implementation aligns with donor commitments.
- Maintain oversight of country workplans, implementation progress, deliverables and reporting requirements.
- Coordinate timely donor reporting and grant-related communications.
- Support decision-making between Country Offices, GHQ and the donor on project implementation and adjustments.
- Coordinate relevant subcontracted activities and liaise with Finance to monitor expenditure and effective use of grant resources.
- Contribute to partnership and resource-mobilization opportunities related to the Food Quality portfolio.
- Provide oversight of the NPL project
- Provide overall technical and programmatic oversight of the NPL project, ensuring implementation is aligned with agreed objectives, workplans and deliverables.
- Coordinate implementation across Country Offices, Regional offices, GHQ and relevant partners, including oversight missions where required.
- Monitor implementation progress, workplans, budgets, risks and deliverables and facilitate timely resolution of issues.
- Consolidate results, lessons and reporting from participating countries.
- Coordinate overall donor project monitoring and reporting
- Maintain an overview of donor-funded projects across the Food Quality portfolio, including deliverables, budgets, risks and reporting timelines.
- Coordinate and consolidate narrative and financial reporting in line with donor agreements and WFP requirements.
- Liaise with Country Offices, Regional offices, Finance, Partnerships and other relevant teams to ensure timely implementation, reporting and effective use of resources.
- Support donor engagement, project communications and development of funding and partnership opportunities.
- Representation and communication
- Represent the Nutrition and Food Quality Service at relevant internal and external technical and programme forums, as requested.




- Support project, donor and corporate communications related to the Food Quality portfolio.
- Other duties
- Perform other related tasks as requested by the team lead, the Chief nutrition and Director of Nutrition, School Meals and Social Protection.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
- Key technical documents developed to enhance the use of food quality portfolio of products in WFP and WFP-supported operations.
- Gates Foundation effectively coordinated and delivered, including updated country workplans, implementation oversight, financial monitoring and timely donor reporting.
- NPL project effectively overseen, with implementation progress, workplans, budgets, risks, results and country-level deliverables regularly monitored and consolidated.
- Portfolio-level donor reporting and grant management system maintained, ensuring timely, high-quality narrative and financial reporting and oversight of donor commitments across Food Quality projects.
- Food Quality evidence, partnerships and resource mobilization strengthened, including technical documentation, project results and lessons, strategic engagement with partners, and development of new funding opportunities.
- Coordination across the various country-level project implementation plans, M&E; frameworks, budgets, etc. to ensure successful programme implementation.
- Timely support and assistance provided to Country Offices on technical aspects of food fortification.
- In coordination with PPGN, Social Protection and School Meals Service and PSP Colleagues, ensure appropriate and timely communication and advocacy assets are created and disseminated through WFP communication platforms.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

The candidate must have an advanced degree related to nutrition, public health, or international development.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years of working experience, some of which at WFP and/or in international development.

Knowledge & Skills:

- Strong Communication abilities to engage with various stakeholders from different sectors and backgrounds, ability to interact with leaders and external audience with maturity and tact, ability to interact with vulnerable people groups;
- Experience managing complex programmes at the global level;
- Collaborative spirit able to liaise with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy;
- Outstanding organizational and time-management skills with an ability to plan ahead, anticipate requirements, problems and obstacles, and an ability to juggle competing priorities successfully, and to work to tight deadlines;
- Strong drive, self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy;
- Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme;
- Academic publications in the field of food fortification, health or nutrition a agevolazioni.

Languages: Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language - desirable.

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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: [email protected]

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 [email protected]. 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.

📌 Consultant Nutrition (Roma)
🏢 World Food Programme
📍 Roma