Programme Policy Officer

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 15 November 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). JOB TITLE: Programme Policy Officer (Food systems and Nutrition) 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: The global burden of malnutrition continues to grow, compounded by increasing humanitarian needs and recurrent shocks. Poor-quality diets are a major contributor, with food systems often failing to provide sufficient, affordable and nutritious foods. As a result, 2.8 billion people are unable to afford even the least-cost healthy diet (SOFI, 2024). WFP’s Nutrition Strategy 2024–2030 aims to safeguard nutrition in humanitarian crises and improve equitable access to healthy, nutritious diets for people at greatest risk of malnutrition. It is delivered through three pathways: (1) combating malnutrition in humanitarian crises; (2) improving diets of those most at risk; and (3) strengthening systems that enable equitable access to healthy diets. Within this framework, the Food Quality & Strategy team leads work on the supply dimensions of healthy diets, including Local Food Solutions. The consultant will primarily support Pathways 2 and 3 by identifying and advancing scalable, locally appropriate solutions that increase access to safe, affordable and nutritious foods. This includes integrating fortified and other nutritious foods into national systems and programmes, strengthening local nutritious food value chains and markets, and supporting innovative Local Food Solutions. The consultant will also contribute to Pathway 1 by supporting the transition associated with the new WHO guidelines for acute malnutrition, including work in priority countries to identify opportunities for sustainable Local Food Solutions in collaboration with governments, UNICEF, FAO, IFAD, the private sector and other partners. Working within the Food Quality & Strategy team and across relevant WFP functions, Regional Bureaux and Country Offices, the consultant will provide strategic and technical support to define and advance WFP’s Local Food Solutions workstream. The responsibilities below remain within the existing scope of work but have been reformulated to align more clearly with WFP’s Nutrition Strategy 2024–2030 and emerging priorities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Lead the development of WFP scalable (local) food solutions to improve access to affordable, safe and healthy diets.
• Lead the development of a narrative reflecting internal consensus on what constitutes healthier diets/healthy diet approach in relation to local food solutions in different WFP programmatic contexts (from nutritional adequacy to healthy diets), WFP role and contribution.
• Establish and manage a database of local food solution initiatives in WFP CSPs/operations and countries.
• Develop a short guide (or checklist) to local food solutions for WFP regional and country level use.
• Coordinate the compilation and testing of a toolkit of analytical and scoping tools for use in (sub)national landscape analyses for the identification of relevant, viable and affordable local food solutions for the management and prevention of acute malnutrition.
• Facilitate (plan, timeline, DoL etc.) a cross-functional team, including selected RBs and COs, to undertake in-depth local food solutions analyses in 2-5 countries (report & roadmap) and a light analysis in 10-13 countries (roadmap & next steps); documenting lessons learned to support activities under b) in an iterative manner.
• Contribute to learning, documentation, and sharing best and emerging practices in relation to local food solutions and HD in different contexts. Enhance collaboration with international partners to support identification and development of local affordable, safe and nutritious food solutions.
• Facilitate a local food solutions initiative in collaboration with key partners including FAO, IFAD, UNICEF (First Food Initiative) and Micronutrient Forum and others – develop joint narrative, advocacy plan, agree on a joint workplan around 4 key areas: 1) Global policy and advocacy 2) Data, research and evidence 3) Country level engagement and coordination 4) Innovation.
• Define a common framework for global and national engagement on local food solutions, build and develop scoping tools and develop an action plan for joint assessment and development of local food solutions at country level; in particular with FAO and IFAD through a joint RBA initiative.
• Enhance collaboration/partnership with foundations and private sector partners to mobilize financial and technical assistance towards the landscaping, production and increased global supply of fortified foods and other nutritious products. Strengthening WFP’s cross-functional coordination, positioning and investment approach for Local Food Solutions
• Establish and convene a cross-functional Local Food Solutions Working Group
- Establish/revitalize a WFP cross-functional Local Food Solutions -Working Group bringing together relevant technical, programme, supply chain, food systems, markets, partnerships, communications and monitoring functions.
- Use the Working Group to develop a shared approach to Local Food Solutions, clarify roles and complementarities across functions, identify opportunities for joint programming, and coordinate technical support to Regional Bureaux and Country Offices.
- Facilitate cross-functional learning and documentation of emerging good practices, operational models and lessons from implementation.
• Develop a clear communication and positioning package for Local Food Solutions
- Develop a concise communication package that clearly articulates what Local Food Solutions are, why they matter for healthy diets and prevention of malnutrition, WFP’s role and comparative contribution, and how Local Food Solutions connect food quality, local food systems, markets and nutrition outcomes.
- Develop adaptable communication products, including key messages, case studies, evidence and examples that can support internal engagement, country-level dialogue and external partnership discussions.
- Ensure consistent positioning and messaging across relevant WFP workstreams and engagement with governments, partners and donors.
• Develop an investment plan for Local Food Solutions
- Develop an investment plan that identifies priority interventions, geographies and delivery pathways; indicative resource requirements; potential financing opportunities and partners; and opportunities for scale-up.
- Work with partnerships and resource mobilization teams to translate the Local Food Solutions approach into compelling investment propositions and multi-sectoral proposals.
- Build an evidence base demonstrating how investments in Local Food Solutions can simultaneously improve the availability, accessibility, affordability and consumption of nutritious foods, while strengthening local markets and food systems.
• Support integration of Local Food Solutions across WFP programmes and operations
- Support the integration of Local Food Solutions into relevant WFP programmes and workstreams, including nutrition-sensitive assets, smallholder support, value-chain development, market access and food systems programming.
- In collaboration with relevant technical teams, provide strategic guidance, capacity strengthening and mentoring to Regional Bureaux and Country Offices on the design, implementation and monitoring of Local Food Solutions.
- Engage supply chain, procurement, food safety and quality teams to identify opportunities arising from local and regional food procurement and strengthen the integration of safe, quality and nutritious locally produced foods into WFP operations.
- Work with SBCC, markets and retail colleagues to better connect supply-side interventions with demand generation, supporting sustainable access to and consumption of Local Food Solutions and healthy diets.
• Strengthen programme design, evidence and measurement
- Support the design and refinement of programmes that increase the supply, availability and accessibility of nutritious local foods for healthy diets and prevention of malnutrition.
- Contribute to theories of change and multi-sectoral proposals linking food systems, markets, food quality and nutrition outcomes.
- Undertake targeted country support and field missions to identify opportunities and strengthen the integration of Local Food Solutions into programmes and food systems approaches.
- In collaboration with MERLIN and relevant technical teams, develop and roll out monitoring frameworks, indicators and metrics to measure the contribution of Local Food Solutions to healthy diets and nutrition outcomes.
- Support nutrition capability enhancement to deliver on local food solution and healthy diets.
- Organize webinars and communities of practice to improve knowledge about local food solutions (barriers, bottlenecks, myths, opportunities, policies, and regulations)
• Perform other tasks as requested and required. DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
• Local Food Solutions guidance package developed, including a guidance note, practical toolkit for Country Office integration, M&E framework, evidence base and lessons learned.
• Advocacy and communication package developed to support consistent positioning and engagement on Local Food Solutions.
• Local Food Solutions investment plan developed, outlining priority areas, scalable opportunities, resource requirements and partnership/financing opportunities.
• Country roadmaps developed based on landscaping analyses, with Local Food Solutions integrated into relevant regional and country programmes.
• Cross-functional coordination mechanisms established, including the Local Food Solutions Working Group and joint frameworks with relevant partners.
• Strategic partnerships and joint workstreams advanced, including RBA collaboration and identified entry points with UNICEF’s First Foods Initiative. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:
An advanced degree in nutrition, agriculture, food security, health, or other area relevant to nutrition-sensitive programming.

Experience:
At least 8 years programming experience, relevant particularly to food-based approaches to nutrition and food systems strengthening (e.g., nutrition-sensitive agriculture, school feeding, social protection, food supply chains, food environment etc.) Experience with different types of programmes (e.g., safety nets, asset creation, pro-smallholder programming, Home Grown School Feeding). Desirable
- related to nutrition and food security. Experience working with national governments. Research, monitoring and evaluation experience required. Experience working across the humanitarian-development nexus desirable. Experience in gender-focused programming desirable. Experience in capacity development desirable. Knowledge &

Skills:
Knowledge of multi-sectoral drivers of malnutrition required. Knowledge of global and country level nutrition architecture required. Knowledge of scientific methods and ability to critically analyse emerging global evidence for robustness, quality, and relevance. Ability to work independently. Good interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work in multicultural setting. Excellent written and oral communication skills required. Languages: Fluency in English, spoken and written Good working knowledge of French desirable 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.