Staff Development Officer

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

28 October 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).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization fighting hunger and supporting progress towards Zero Hunger. Through its global operations, WFP works to ensure that vulnerable people can access the food and nutrition they need.

The Programme Operations Staffing Coordination and Capacity Service (POS), reporting to the Assistant Executive Director for Programme Operations, supports staffing coordination, workforce planning, talent management and capacity development across Programme Operations. POS helps align people, roles and skills to strengthen programme delivery and organizational effectiveness. POS also coordinates cross-functional learning initiatives within the Programme Operations Department to strengthen staff capabilities, support mobility across functions, and ensure staff have the skills and knowledge required to perform effectively. To support this work, WFP is seeking a Learning and Development Specialist to lead and coordinate the learning and capacity development advisory services for WFP Programme Operations functions. The specialist will work as part of the POS team and collaborate with functional and staffing coordination colleagues to ensure learning activities respond to identified needs and gaps and align with operational priorities.

The position leads a team and reports to the Staffing Coordinator (or delegate) within POS and works closely with other L&D colleagues, based at WFP Headquarters in Rome, Italy.

JOB PURPOSE

The position will provide specialized support and lead global Programme Operations learning initiatives, assure effective learning experiences and continuous enhancement of the Programme Operations Learning & Development approach.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

Under the direct supervision of the Staffing Coordinator (or delegate) within POS the Staff Development Officer will work in close collaboration and coordination with the HRMTC branch and will have responsibilities as outlined below:

• Leveraging available learning resources – lead the design, development and implementation of appropriate learning solutions so that Programme Operations staff can perform their work optimally to deliver WFP’s mandate and adjust to industry best-practice developments relevant for the humanitarian sector.
• Oversight on technical, cross-cutting and soft skills trainings to enable a cohesive approach.
• Facilitate the coordination between key stakeholders such as internal functional experts, trainers and instructional designer and/or vendor, staffing coordinator.
• Develop guidelines for streamlining functional learning and development processes applicable to both Global HQ and field colleagues.
• Support the development of strategic learning structures that would adapt to evolving needs.
• Continuously monitor progress and provide feedback and evaluation of the different learning activities to the Staffing Coordination team.
• Measure and evaluate effectiveness of learning events and products which feed into Programme Operations’ integrated workforce management and informed decision-making processes.
• Provide inputs to the L&D component of the workforce planning and update information accordingly.
• Support the development of a comprehensive annual learning plan for Programme Operations to ensure that training requirements, needs, and expectations are met.
• Drive learning and develop innovation ideas and projects with a strategic focus on enhanced and improved performance.
• Research the viability of new programme offerings, market potential, and competitive pricing models, developing unique programming in response to wider humanitarian community needs and interests in collaboration with the corporate learning and development team in HR.
• Design and lead the roll-out of cross-functional learning pathways and learning journeys to support mobility and capability development across Programme Operations functions.
• Maintain and update the L&D dashboards, contributing and leading relevant improvements, recommendations, and change in order to effectively communicate the strategic relevance of L&D on the Programme Operations mandate.
• Provide strategic advice to Programme Operations functions on learning and development priorities, capability gaps and appropriate interventions.
• Develop the terms of reference, coordinate and moderate a network of regional training focal points for the design and coordination of regional training plans for Programme Operations.
• Manage and guide the work of the learning and development team, ensuring delivery of agreed objectives and outputs.
• Establish and maintain partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to enhance learning and development approaches and initiatives.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing across Programme Operations.
• Perform other duties as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• Professional L&D activities are rolled out at global level in a harmonized way.
• Enhanced visibility of L&D within Programme Operations.
• Improved communication and relevance of L&D being incorporated into Staffing Coordinator actions, contributing to talent management.
• An established network of Programme Operations focal points.
• An established comprehensive annual training plan that is renewable and adaptable to future needs.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education:

University degree in learning and Development, Adult Education, Human Resources, Instructional Design or related field:

Advance degree and postgraduate studies in the above fields an advantage

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of post-graduate, professionally relevant experience.
• Proven experience in leading and developing training events for a diverse audience in an international organization operating in humanitarian and/or development contexts, specific experience in developing and designing learning and development resources related to emergency preparedness and response is an asset.
• Experience in developing and running online/virtual and simulation-based trainings in humanitarian contexts.
• Experience in coaching and mentoring approaches.
• Practical experience in developing humanitarian team capacities in resource-limited contexts.
• Work experience in instructional design (assessing training needs, writing training/learning objectives, designing training, evaluating training, assessing participant learning).
• Experience with peer-to-peer learning and self-assessment.
• Work experience with an international humanitarian or development organization or specifically with WFP/UN and other UN Agencies highly desirable.
• Experience designing and delivering field programmes is desirable.
• Knowledge of commercial Learning Management Systems and Authoring tools is desirable.
• Familiarity with the UN procurement process system, related to vendor selection and management.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work both with minimal supervision and as part of a team.
• Ability to establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to coordinate and facilitate multi-day trainings with large multi-cultural groups.
• Strong time management skills with an ability to plan, anticipate requirements, problems and obstacles and an ability to handle competing priorities successfully and to work to tight deadlines.
• Ability to balance speed of work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Collaborative spirit and reliable team player.
• Able to liaise with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.
• Ability to interact with senior leaders with maturity and tact.

Language:

Fluency (level C) in English language. Knowledge of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese, will be an advantage.

Eligible for occasional telecommuting as defined in the WFP Human Resources Manual Chapter V Sections 7.8.

Travel to field locations as necessary.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

• This is an International Professional position and is open to all nationalities.
• The selected candidate will be employed on a limited fixed-term contract of one year renewable.
• Limited Fixed-Term Appointment (LFT) position is a non-mobile staff appointment in the international professional category for a limited period for up to 4 years. The position is based in Rome and the selected candidate will be expected to relocate. Incumbents of LFT positions are not eligible to apply for other mobile positions advertised internally through the Reassignment.
• WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel, visa and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. For more information, visit https://icsc.un.org/.
  

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.