Head of Operations | International Consultancy Level 3 | Gaza, Palestine

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

29 July 2026-23:59-GMT+02:00 Israel Time (Jerusalem)

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).

📌 Type of Contract: Consultant, CST III

➡️ Unit / Division: Management/ WFP Palestine

📍 Duty Station: Gaza

➡️ Duration: 6 months

❗You are required to fill in all mandatory fields on Workday in English and upload your English CV. Your application would be otherwise disqualified.

What will you do in this position?

The Head of Operations oversees the Supply Chain and Programme functions of Gaza Operations to ensure the effective delivery of WFP programs and activities. In addition to operational oversight, the role will have a large emphasis upon building and maintaining relationships with local government, civil societies, UN agencies and other partners in Gaza to reinforce WFP’s visibility. The Head of Operations will act as the Officer in Charge in the absence of the Emergency Coordinator/ Head of Office.

Why work with WFP Palestine?

For decades, Palestine has been facing a protracted and complex protection and humanitarian crisis. The humanitarian situation worsened alarmingly after an upsurge in violence from October 2023.

WFP, through our dual mandate in humanitarian and development, provides life-saving food assistance to the most vulnerable and food insecure non-refugee Palestinians.

WFP provides logistics support to humanitarian and development partners, allowing them to reach more people faster, and at a lower cost to donors and the environment. By offering our cash-based transfer platform to the wider humanitarian and development community, coordinating logistics, and developing an inter-agency common feedback mechanism, WFP contributes to wider humanitarian efforts.

How can you make a difference?

• Play a key role in development and implementation of country strategies, policies and plans aligned with regional, WFP and wider UN strategy, policies and processes to meet the complex food assistance needs of beneficiaries in Gaza.
• Under the delegated authority, hold accountability for the effective management of operations and related resources within the strip.
• Provide coaching and support to Supply Chain and Programme staff as well as other functional units to enable effective performance.
• Provide effective leadership to ensure the continued development of a cohesive and high performing team.
• Play a key role in building cohesive and collaborative cross-functional relationships to ensure uniform approach to WFP’s programme delivery within Palestine.
• Hold accountability for comprehensive and accurate operational reports on Gaza situations and performance for both internal and external audiences to provide required donor information and to inform strategic directions, operational planning and decisions.
• Develop productive relationships with local partners to enable the effective positioning of WFP to meet country goals.
• Support the Emergency Coordinator in planning and implementation of operations work plan including the implementation and evaluation of audit and compliance recommendations.
• Play a key role in strategic direction, operational guidance, and leadership for the implementation of the emergency response strategy in the affected area.
• Engage with local authorities and beneficiaries to ensure compliance with WFP policies and that progress is made in the achievement of objectives.
• Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.
• Deploy frequently to the field to monitor the humanitarian situation on the ground and ensure teams are adequately capacitated, working effectively and in line with WFP values and standards of conduct.
• Forge and nurture external partnerships to improve assistance packages, develop and sustain liaison with local government authorities, international and local NGOs, civil societies, UN agencies, donors, beneficiaries and other partners and media engaged in the field of food security.
• Ensure the delivery modalities for in-kind and cash transfer include clearing the procurement plan for the emergency operation.
• Other as required

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: Advanced University degree in Economics, International Development or Social Sciences or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses.

Language: Proficient in English is required. Intermediate proficiency in Arabic in desirable.

Experience: Typically, more than 10 years of experience (of which six international) of senior level experience in large scale emergency operations with a background and interest in international humanitarian development. Extensive experience leading multicultural teams in complex contexts and improving performance.

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.