DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
14 June 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 climate change.
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).
POSITION TITLE: Individual Fundraising - Strategic Operations Lead
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Short-Term, Regular Consultant (CST 2)
ORG UNIT: Private Sector Partnerships (PSP)
DUTY STATION: HQ Rome
DURATION: 11 months
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency working to create a world with zero hunger. WFP and its partners believe that no child should go to bed hungry and that individual and collective wellbeing can only be achieved if all children, women and men get the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, dignified lives. Each year, WFP assists 90 million people in 83 countries. Every day, some 5,600 WFP-chartered trucks are on the road, 92 planes are in the air and 20 ships are at sea. These numbers speak to WFP’s unparalleled reputation as an emergency responder, one that is often the first on the scene in the most difficult environments. WFP also works with partners to strengthen the resilience of communities most vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition through long-term development programmes aimed at boosting food security, local economies, education, employment and gender equality. While hunger and malnutrition are the world’s largest solvable issues, the needs are still immense and growing. 821 million people in the world suffer from chronic hunger.
The Private Partnerships Division (PSP) is responsible for working with the private sector to achieve greater impact in WFP’s work. PSP has embarked on an exceptionally ambitious new strategy to raise an additional one 1.3 dollars for hungry or malnourished people in the next five years and to expand the contribution to WFP from the business sector through effective and sustainable long-term partnerships as well as from private individual supporters around the world. This includes securing new high impact technical partnerships, signing significant new corporate deals and growing existing relationships as well as building a base of one million individual supporters.
INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISING
WFP operates one of the fastest-growing global individual fundraising programmes in the humanitarian sector. Initially launched as a lean, digital-focused initiative, the programme has evolved into a major strategic driver of income growth, with an ambition to raise USD 1.3 billion annually by 2030.
The programme has transitioned from a purely digital model to a digital-first, multi-channel approach. While the centralised global team continues to acquire supporters through core digital channels (Meta and Search), it is rapidly scaling additional acquisition channels such as Face-to-Face, Direct TV, Telemarketing, and Direct Mail. This diversification is essential to sustaining growth and strengthening donor lifetime value, but it also introduces increased operational, regulatory, and contractual complexity.
At the same time, the programme is shifting from a largely Western-market focus to a more g-local model. Now operating in seven languages, it enables more locally relevant engagement and is expanding into high-potential strategic markets including Korea, China, Italy, and the Middle East. This expansion requires robust governance frameworks, strong understanding of fundraising regulations, and effective management of contracts with external partners and vendors.
Supporter engagement is delivered through an integrated, multi-channel loyalty ecosystem—including email, SMS, WhatsApp, outbound telephony, and Meta—ensuring a high-quality donor experience that drives long-term engagement and impact.
In this context of rapid growth and increasing complexity, and as part of a broader team restructuring, a new Strategic Operations sub-team is being established to strengthen governance, contractual, and compliance oversight across Individual Giving (IG) and ShareTheMeal (STM). The team will play a critical role in enabling sustainable fundraising expansion while ensuring compliance, consistency, and organizational integrity.
PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The Strategic Operations Lead will report to the Head of the IG Tech & Ops team and will assume responsibility for the entire operational portfolio of Individual Fundraising.
The role is responsible for leading and overseeing key operational processes to ensure efficiency, compliance, and alignment with WFP’s organisational goals. It provides essential operational leadership across three critical Individual Fundraising teams—Individual Giving, ShareTheMeal, and Business Intelligence—and manages a strategic procurement portfolio of more than 40 vendors.
The position oversees the full lifecycle of contracts, including preparation, review, renewals, amendments, and performance monitoring. It also supervises purchasing activities such as purchase requests, contract renewals, vendor coordination, and cost optimisation for a vendor portfolio with annual expenditure exceeding USD 12 million.
Given the ambitious board‑mandated growth targets, the role will also play a critical part in enabling rapid, compliant expansion across priority markets and high‑potential fundraising channels. Ensuring that operational foundations scale at the same pace as programme ambitions will be essential to unlocking growth, reducing bottlenecks, and supporting accelerated market entry and channel development.
Acting as a central operational hub, the Strategic Operations Lead coordinates cross-functional activities and serves as the primary point of contact between fundraising teams and key corporate stakeholders, including Procurement, Legal, Privacy, Technology, Risk Managememt and PSP Finance. The role ensures that contractual, financial, and operational decisions comply with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
Additionally, the role will oversee two roles, one covering Regulatory & Governance streams and the other providing more admin and project management support, while also providing guidance to new team members and TDYers.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
The role is expected to:
• Lead the operational design and rollout of new fundraising activities across emerging channels and markets, ensuring full compliance with organisational, legal, and regulatory frameworks.
• Provide strategic oversight and direction for new fundraising initiatives, ensuring the development of comprehensive operational plans and high-quality supporting documentation.
• Oversee and direct budget management, expenditure tracking, and financial commitments across all contracts and procurement activities, ensuring strategic resource allocation and full financial accountability.
• Monitor financial performance across operational portfolios, identify emerging risks, and implement corrective measures to maintain organisational efficiency, compliance, and fiscal integrity.
• Act as the primary liaison with Legal, the Global Privacy Office, Procurement, the Risk Management Division, and other UN fundraising entities, ensuring alignment of processes, compliance requirements, and strategic priorities across the organisation.
• Champion and represent the strategic needs of the Individual Fundraising (IF) programme within WFP and externally with vendors, partners, and UN agencies, ensuring coherence, influence, and operational synergy during periods of rapid growth.
• Develop, strengthen, and maintain high‑level partnerships with peer UN agencies (e.g., UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM) to exchange insights on risks, mitigation strategies, and operational best practices, and to jointly design strategic initiatives that advance shared organisational objectives.
• Lead cross‑team knowledge‑sharing efforts to ensure all stakeholders have a clear understanding of operational processes, compliance obligations, and fundraising priorities, fostering alignment and informed decision‑making across teams.
• Lead and direct strategic procurement initiatives for fundraising‑related services, ensuring full alignment with organisational priorities, value‑for‑money principles, and long‑term operational sustainability.
• Oversee the development, negotiation, and management of LTAs with more than 40 vendors, guaranteeing compliance with legal, financial, contractual, and data‑protection requirements across all vendor engagements.
• Provide authoritative guidance on procurement strategies, policies, and best practices to ensure transparent, equitable, and compliant vendor selection processes.
• Design and implement robust vendor‑management strategies that secure high‑quality, cost‑efficient partnerships and enable the scalable growth of fundraising operations.
• Lead the identification, assessment, and mitigation of fundraising related risks, ensuring proactive management and alignment with WFP’s enterprise risk frameworks.
• Integrate risk management practices into IF operations and ensure consistency with the PSP Division’s risk register.
• Lead, manage, and mentor a team of operations and compliance specialists, ensuring clear role definition, strong performance management, and continuous professional development.
• Strengthen team capacity by identifying skill gaps and implementing targeted training, coaching, and resource support to enhance technical and operational expertise.
• Cultivate a high‑performing team culture grounded in collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement, ensuring staff remain motivated, empowered, and aligned with organisational priorities.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Education:
University degree in one or more of the following disciplines: Law, Social Sciences, Finance or related fields.
Previous Experience:
6-8 years to include experience in procurement and compliance including experience in project management.
Knowledge & Skills:
Demonstrates solid knowledge of WFP/UN business processes and operational frameworks;
• Possesses a strong understanding of public procurement principles within international and humanitarian contexts.
• Ability to analyse financial data and identify trends and have understanding of cost structures, revenue forecasting, and financial modelling
• Communicates confidently and effectively, including when presenting to small groups or senior leadership.
• Shows strong problem‑solving abilities and exercises good judgement and initiative in diverse and complex situations.
• Exhibits excellent communication skills, with the ability to build rapport, influence stakeholders, negotiate effectively, and support informed decision‑making.
• Builds strong relationships and earns trust and respect at all levels; collaborates effectively as part of a team.
•Demonstrates a proactive, solutions‑oriented mindset, committed to delivering results and driving continuous improvement.
•Upholds high ethical standards and consistently demonstrates personal integrity.
•Shows exceptional attention to detail and strong written and verbal communication skills.
•Brings excellent organisational and administrative capabilities, includingproficiency in Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
•Maintains up‑to‑date knowledge of relevant industry trends and bestpractices.
•Handles sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality,remaining focused and effective under pressure, both independently andas part of a team
Languages
Excellent written and spoken English is required
•Knowledge of another official UN language would be a plus.
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.