Fellow - Ecosystem, Community Infrastructure and Livelihoods - Hanna Paulsen

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).

Ecological degradation and extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, represent a major threat to vulnerable communities’ food security and livelihoods. Ecosystems, Community infrastructure and Livelihoods (ECL) interventions, also known as Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) are one of WFP’s main tools to address the root causes of food insecurity and strengthen resilience in global hotspots for fragility and hunger.

ECL/FFA focuses on restoring degraded land, biodiversity, soil fertility and water cycles, and on strengthening local infrastructure and livelihoods. Through regenerative design of ecosystems, WFP works hand in hand with communities to implement interventions that retain water and nutrients in the land, favoring agricultural production and buffering them from extreme weather events such as drought or floods. Restoring the productive potential of land results in more abundant, diverse, and nutritious food.

Our activities have been one of the cornerstones of WFP’s interventions following humanitarian crises. In the aftermath of an emergency, ECL/FFA interventions provide food assistance while rehabilitating critical small-scale infrastructure, clearing debris from after extreme weather events or earthquakes, and helping to kickstart livelihoods activities again. ECL/FFA activities are also at the center of WFP’s longer-term efforts to strengthen resilience and the main pillar of WFP’s strategy on climate change adaptation. Food assistance (cash, in-kind, vouchers, etc…) can be combined with activities that help prevent and adapt to shocks, improve natural resource management and productivity, and create new sources of income. Over the past decade alone, ECL/FFA activities have contributed to the immediate food security of almost 80 million people, with more than 8.5 million people reached each year on average with food assistance.

ECL/FFA activities analyze evidence to improve programming and understand impacts through the Assets Impact Monitoring from Space (AIMS) tool. AIMS is a high-tech, data-driven, remote monitoring service that uses satellite imagery and landscape monitoring techniques. Its outcomes now represent one of the pillars of evidence-based programming decisions.

The Community Infrastructure, Livelihoods and Regenerative Practices Team are looking for a motivated and proactive individual graduating, or that has recently graduated, to support the work within the ECL /FFA workstream, be exposed to and directly contribute to this challenging yet rewarding field.

GENERAL INFORMATION
• Title of Post: Ecosystem, Community Infrastructure and Livelihoods Fellowship
• Supervisor: Programme Policy Officer
• Unit: Climate and Resilience Service, PPGR
• City and Country of assignment: Rome, Italy
• Working arrangement: In person
• Duration of assignment: 6 months (flexible)
• Expected Starting Date: Spring 2026
• Number of available positions: 1

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
 Data collection and analysis: collect and analyze data from Country Strategic Plan (CSP) and Annual Country Reports (ACRs), Decentralized Evaluations, studies or other sources to provide insights and inform reports or communication material on asset creation and livelihoods.
 Technical support: support the drafting of infotechs, guidance, strategies and manuals, articles, guidance and other technical materials
 Fundraising support: support the drafting of concept notes, proposals and other promotion materials
 Knowledge management: Support the Knowledge Management Focal point in the Team in managing and maintaining the Team’s knowledge management platforms (Teamwork Space, Teams, WFP.go, Go.docs and Doc360), focusing on ECL/FFA programmes, and support the revision efforts of the FFA Manual.
 Liaising with WFP offices and partners: Support team members in setting up regular and occasional meetings and organize webinars with WFP’s RBx, COs and other partners and writing note for the records for such meetings, regularly updating the contact information for CO and RB focal points.
 Communications: Support team members in developing relevant communication materials.
 ECL evidence and advocacy material stock take: Stock take evaluations, good practices, fact sheets and briefs, and other pieces of evidence available in WFP/externally, which demonstrate positive outcomes and impact of ECL programmes.
 AIMS supports following up COs subscribing to the service with the creation of Story Maps as deliverables describing the output analysis outputs and relevant context, as well as preparing workshops and advocacy material for AIMS.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
• Be a Master's student or a graduate in Environmental Sciences, Economics, Public Management, Business Management, International Relations or related fields from a recognized university.
• Previous experience with communications, knowledge management, research/study development, reviews, and/or database management.
• Fields of expertise/study: Natural Resource Management, Agroecology, Environmental Science, Ecology.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Publisher, Outlook).
• Good communication skills (written and oral).
• Good analytical skills.
• GIS skills and experience is considered and asset.

WORKING LANGUAGES
Excellent written and spoken English is required (proficiency/level C). Proficiency in Arabic, French and Spanish are desirable but not required.

SUPERVISION
Under the direct supervision of the fellow within the Community Infrastructure, Livelihoods and Regenerative Practices Team, and under the oversight of the Team Leader, the incumbent will be provided with close mentoring, guidance, and technical supervision. Performance planning and reviews as well as learning and development discussions will be an elemental part of the supervision.
The fellow will work closely with the other team members as well and interact with other colleagues within PPGR and specifically, with the Skills for Livelihoods and Opportunities (SLO, also known as FFT) team and the Smallholder Agriculture and Market Support (SAMS) Unit. Frequent interactions with other units within the programme division (Gender, Protection and Inclusion – GPI, the Forced Displacement team, etc.), the Management Service Engineering Unit (MSDE), Regional Offices (ROs) within the Global HQ and Country Offices (COs) are expected.

TRAINING COMPONENTS
Throughout their assignment, WFP fellows have access to an industry leading learning platform, WeLearn. Depending on opportunities and availability of funds, he/she may participate in WFP workshops or seminars, as appropriate.

LEARNING ELEMENTS
At the end of the assignment, the fellow should:
• Have a good understanding of WFP’s asset creation programmes, supporting the food security of millions of people every year by rehabilitating landscapes, improving natural resource management, and building small scale infrastructure and skills.
• Have a general understanding of what resilience building means within WFP and what are the key priorities for the humanitarian and development sector to address recurrent crisis.
• Have a broad understanding of the work of an action-oriented UN organization such as WFP, its key corporate processes and main long-term development
• Have experienced working as part of a multi-cultural team including field-based colleagues.
• Be acquainted with the challenges and opportunities of interacting and working with multiple country offices and regional offices.

TYPE OF ASSIGNMENT
This opportunity is particularly well-suited for students or recent graduates seeking practical experience in an international organization. It offers valuable exposure to WFP’s operations and the chance to contribute meaningfully to its mission.
The selected candidate will receive IT equipment and training material; however, financial compensation and medical coverage are not provided by WFP. Applicants may seek alternative funding opportunities, such as university grants or external scholarships, to support their assignment.
 

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

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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.