Food Technologist P3

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).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Background: The World Food Program seeks to diversify the foods used in humanitarian assistance though the organization already distributes items ranging from basic agriculture commodities to sophisticated nutritious foods. The packaging requirements for grains and pulses is significantly different than those used for fortified pastes such as the lipid-based nutrient supplements and dietary supplements like micronutrient powders. With this diversification, increasingly various packaging solutions will be necessary to protect the food. The humanitarian food supply chain is long and challenging, and therefore packaging plays a critical role in protecting food safety, maintaining food quality and facilitating storage and handling.
Purpose of Assignment: Improve all aspects of packaging used or needed in the humanitarian food supply
chain to ensure a higher degree of safety for consumers, better food quality throughout the product shelf life, and lowered environmental impact

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Lead all R&D and operational packaging-related workstreams in HQ and provide support to the field and food manufacturers;
2. Lead all R&D and operational packaging-related workstreams in HQ and provide support to the field and food manufacturers;
3. Promote packaging improvements within WFP’s portfolio, aiming to withstand the supply chain conditions, maintain proper shelf-life and ensure food is safe for beneficiary consumption;
4. Lead packaging development as part of new projects initiated by WFP’s demand;
5. Act as the packaging technical support to the field – including assistance to incident – solving and loss-reduction in topics that include packaging;
6. Lead sustainability initiatives related to packaging - Review WFP’s existing product range and evaluate the quality of the packaging materials used and assess their suitability for the challenging humanitarian supply chain
7. Develop performance parameters to define packaging integrity in food specifications
8. Update and maintain the packaging specifications, adjusting existing ones and generating new ones, as needed;
9. Lead packaging-related partnerships – including development of scope, technical workstreams, governance, communication with partner and alignment with PGP;
10. Co-lead technical partnership portfolio for SCOQ’s existing partners – packaging and-packaging related, including strategy building, communication to partners and support to technical discussions;
11. Act as a member of the inter-agency working group (USAID, UNICEF, MSF, ICRC and ACF), promoting all packaging and sustainability-related workstreams and harmonization initiatives;

12. Serve as the WFP packaging expert in internal and external forums, including meetings and workshops organized by the humanitarian sector, private sector and government support;
13. Any other duties as required

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• Review WFP’s existing product range and evaluate the quality of the packaging materials used and assess their suitability for the challenging humanitarian supply chain
• Evaluate how packaging is defined in existing specifications.
• Develop performance parameters to define packaging integrity in food specifications
• Identify globally available packaging solutions that protect food safety and maintain food quality for humanitarian foods
• Identify ways to reduce the impact on the environment as a result of food packaging
• Work on projects that will demonstrate the impact of improved on WFP operations

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:
Advanced university degree in Packaging technology, Packaging Engineering or other related field, or First University degree with an additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses.
Experience:
At least 5 years of work experience, preferably in the area of flexible packaging and/or multiple materials. Proven project management experience is critical. Experience in Packaging R&D within the food industry is highly desirable.
Knowledge & Skills:
• Sound theoretical understanding of food technology, especially in the field of packaging.
• Ability to carry out financial and risk analysis as related to packaging.
• Strong commercial knowledge with a good understanding of food commodity markets and supply chain practices.
• Good communication skills with the ability to persuade, influence and adapt communication style to different situations and individuals.
• Ability to supervise and coach staff.
• Knowledge of common business principals and processes and the ability to quickly assimilate UN/WFP specific processes and systems.
Languages:
International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese.

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 recruitment system. We do not accept CVs or spontaneous applications by email.

• If you experience challenges while submitting your online application, please contact us at [email protected] for technical support only.

• Please note that applications sent to this email address cannot be considered.

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

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.