Backend Engineer - Consultant

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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).

JOB TITLE: Backend Engineer - Consultant
TYPE OF CONTRACT: CST
UNIT/DIVISION: PSP
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Berlin, Germany
DURATION:11 months
LINE MANAGER/SUPERVISOR: Ratnesh Pradhan, Lead Backend
Engineering

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. WFP 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. Around 20,000 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly
serving the hungry poor.
To reach a world with zero hunger, WFP is investing in and growing private sector fundraising and
partnerships. Serving as a broker between WFP and the private sector, WFP’s Private Partnerships and
Fundraising Division (PSP) strives to mobilize funding, technical assistance, innovative solutions and
visibility and awareness to help WFP fulfil its mission, while offering companies and the wider public the
opportunity to contribute to a world with zero hunger.
ShareTheMeal is WFP’s fundraising and awareness-raising app. Free to download, the award- winning
app is a pioneering way for people to join our efforts in creating a world with zero hunger. ShareTheMeal
was launched in 2015 as the first pilot of WFP’s Innovation Accelerator, which among other things
supports start-ups and innovators in developing their ideas for zero hunger.
ShareTheMeal currently has more than 9.3 million users worldwide, who have shared more than 160
million meals (US$ 100 million). WFP is pursuing an ambitious growth strategy for individual giving, and
ShareTheMeal is a key driver for this strategy going forward. The team, located in Berlin and remotely,
is focused on increasing the funds raised to help get to zero hunger by further developing the app to
include new and innovative features, increasing the engagement of existing users and growing the user
base through marketing and communication initiatives. As the user base has grown, there is a significant
opportunity to increase funds raised from existing users and deliver an exceptional experience.
to build a long-term relationship with each supporter.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Consultant, reporting to the Lead Backend Engineer for the ShareTheMeal initiative, is expected to:
1. Develop features and improvements to the ShareTheMeal node.js based platform in a secure, well-tested
and performant way.
2. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to maintain a high bar for quality in a fast-paced, iterative
environment.
3. Solve technical problems of high scope and complexity.
4. Contribute to objectives and long-term goals of the Backend Engineering team.
5. Exert technical influence to improve the reliability of our products and systems.

6. Support defining and improving standards for style, maintainability, and best practices for a
high-scale environment of the ShareTheMeal initiative. Maintain and advocate for these
standards through code review.
7. Provide mentorship for team members to help them grow in their technical responsibilities.
8. Confidently ship large sized features and improvements with minimal guidance and support
from other team members.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
- Completed contributions to application architecture and software development as agreed with
the Lead Backend Engineer.
- Stable operations of the backend in responsibility.
- Documentation and handover to the Lead Backend Engineer for the ShareTheMeal initiative.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education: Bachelor’s degree
Experience: At least 6 years of experience in developing and designing backend architectures,
experience building large-scale backends designed to serve thousands or more
concurrently active users.
Knowledge
& Skills:
- Expert knowledge of JS/TS and node.js development
- Embracing principles of clean code, test driven development and agile
development processes.
- User-centered approach to software development
- Strong analytical abilities, both quantitative and qualitative
- Ability to interact with managers with maturity and tact.
- Mature judgment with strong interpersonal skills
- 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.
- Strong time management skills with an ability to plan, anticipate requirements,
problems and obstacles, and an ability to juggle competing priorities
successfully, and to work to tight deadlines.
- Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.
- Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the World Food
Programme
Languages: In addition to a high proficiency in written and spoken English, knowledge of a second
UN language is 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:  [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.