Change & Transition Lead, One Payroll Programme

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

14 October 2026-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Rome)

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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.

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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: Change and Transition Lead, One Payroll Programme

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant Contract, Level 2

UNIT/DIVISION: Technology Division, Digital Services

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy (HQ)

DURATION: 11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

 

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, working towards achieving a world with zero hunger.

WFP is seeking to bring improvement and modernization to its admin and HR processes. The One Payroll Programme consolidates three payroll populations, onto a single SAP S/4HANA platform. Phase 1 will go-live in 2027. Phase 2 extends the solution to additional employee populations in 2028. The programme runs through implementation, go-live, and stabilization to its close at the end of 2028.

The programme is in its active build phase. Configuration begins following the enterprise platform upgrade, and the period ahead moves the programme from design into implementation, testing, parallel run, go-live, and the stabilization that follows. This is a delivery role. It is concerned with converting an agreed design into an operating reality across a large and decentralized organization.

The programme introduces the shift from payroll processing distributed across Country Offices to increased centralized processing at Headquarters. Managing this transition, and the readiness and confidence of the field through it, is the central purpose of this role.

The Change and Transition Lead is accountable for organizational readiness and adoption of the One Payroll solution across its implementation, from the current build phase through Phase 1 and Phase 2 go-live and into stabilization.

The role ensures that the organizational implications of the technical build are identified and addressed ahead of each go-live, that the functions and offices affected are prepared for the change to their operating model, and that programme governance receives an independent assessment of organizational readiness at each critical decision point. It operates across the technical, human resources, and finance workstreams, and engages counterparts from the working level to director level across those functions.

Beyond the delivery of change, the role provides advice to the Programme Manager and to the divisional leads on the organizational dimension of the programme. It shapes the programme's governance rhythm, designs the agendas and decision flows for the Steering Committee and Advisory Panel, and brings forward the structures, work streams, and interventions the programme requires as organizational needs emerge, including where these extend beyond communication and training into how the affected functions are optimized for the new operating model.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

A. Change strategy and planning

• Maintain and deliver the change management strategy and plan for the programme, aligned to programme phases, milestones, and dependencies.

• Translate the programme's objectives into structured, time bound change and engagement interventions, sequenced against the technical delivery roadmap.

• Maintain a clear view of cumulative change on affected populations, and advise programme leadership where sequencing requires adjustment.

B. Stakeholder engagement and impact management

• Maintain stakeholder mapping across Headquarters divisions, Regional Offices, and Country Offices.

• Conduct organizational impact assessments identifying changes to roles, shifts in accountability from the field to Headquarters, operational risk, and points of resistance.

• Define and direct mitigation for the populations most affected by the centralization of payroll processing.

• Represent the programme in engagement with staff representative bodies and with affected employee populations.

C. Operating model transition and role clarity

• Translate the future state operating model into clear role definitions, accountability frameworks, and practical guidance for Headquarters and Country Offices.

• Ensure that Country Offices understand what they retain, what moves to Headquarters, and what changes in the way their work is performed.

• Support the business process work that underpins configuration, ensuring that current and future state processes are validated with the functions that own them.

D. Readiness and adoption

• Define readiness criteria for each phase, covering testing, parallel run, go-live, and stabilization, and assess the organization against them.

• Provide the Programme Manager, the Advisory Panel, and the Steering Committee with an independent assessment of organizational readiness at each go-live decision point, including where readiness does not support a proposed date.

• Identify adoption risk early and escalate it with mitigation proposals.

• Establish and monitor adoption measures following each go-live.

E. Strategic advice, governance, and programme design

• Advise the Programme Manager and the divisional leads on the organizational dimension of the programme, and bring forward the interventions, work streams, and structures the programme requires as needs emerge.

• Design the programme's governance rhythm, including the agendas, decision flows, and supporting material for the Steering Committee and Advisory Panel, so that governance is equipped to take the decisions the programme depends on.

• Identify where the organizational readiness of the affected functions requires more than communication and training, and design the work needed to prepare them for the new operating model, including the associated capability and data quality work.

• Establish the supporting structures the programme needs to engage the organization effectively, including cross functional working arrangements between Headquarters and the field.

 F. Communications and engagement

• Direct the communications strategy for the programme, ensuring consistent messaging across the divisions involved and a clear articulation of the rationale, the change, and its implications.

• Develop and deliver material for senior leadership, including Executive Management and divisional directors.

• Ensure structured and timely information flow to affected populations across Headquarters and the field, in the relevant working languages.

G. Training and enablement

• Direct the training and enablement approach, ensuring alignment between the new processes, the system changes, and the revised roles.

• Establish sustainable capability within the functions that will operate the new solution, including the data quality capability on which payroll outcomes depend.

H. Change governance and workstream integration

• Maintain change governance aligned to programme governance, and act as the coordination point across the technical, human resources, and finance workstreams.

• Prepare and present material for Steering Committee and Advisory Panel decision points, including options analysis and recommendations. 
• Maintain visibility of cross workstream dependencies and risk, and advise leadership where interdependencies are not adequately governed.

• Provide direction to consultants, contracted resources, and functional focal points engaged in change and engagement activity.

I. Transition to business as usual

• Direct the transition from programme delivery to operations, ensuring clear ownership of processes and a sustainable support model.

• Establish structured feedback from Country Offices during stabilization and act on what they report.

• Capture lessons learned across the phases so that experience is retained by the organization at programme close.

 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

 

Education:

• Advanced university degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Finance, or a related field, or a first level university degree with additional years of relevant professional experience.

Experience:

• At least eight years of progressively responsible professional experience in change management, organizational transformation, or programme delivery.
• Demonstrated experience leading the change and adoption dimension of enterprise system implementations and corporate transformation projects.
• Experience in international, decentralized organizations, including engagement with field operations.
• Experience engaging and advising senior leadership at director level and above.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Established command of change management methodologies and their practical application in complex organizations.
• Working knowledge of corporate information systems, including SAP human capital and payroll modules and Workday.
• Ability to translate complex technical change into operational impact for non technical audiences.
• Strong analytical capability, including the structuring of impact, readiness, and stakeholder analysis.
• Excellent written and oral communication, including executive level briefing.
• Sound judgement and the standing to hold an independent position on organizational readiness.

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English is required. Intermediate knowledge of another official United Nations language, being Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish, is an asset.

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.