DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
23 August 2026-23:59-GMT-05:00 Eastern Standard Time (Panama)
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).
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:
The position is based in Panama City and reports to the Chief of the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Unit in Rome. The job holder leads the delivery of WFP's corporate Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) approach across the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Bureau (LACRO), supporting Country Offices to identify, prevent and manage food safety and quality risks across diverse operational contexts. LACRO comprises 15 country offices across Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela. The region supports beneficiaries and governments through a range of activities, including emergency response, school feeding, social protection, local and regional food procurement, CBT-linked food assistance, and national capacity strengthening initiatives. Each country presents a distinct combination of operational priorities, supply chain models, regulatory environments and food systems that require tailored FSQA support.
The incumbent will provide technical guidance and leadership tailored to each Country Office's needs and aligned with WFP's organizational FSQA policies.
The role involves frequent travel and engagement with diverse operational contexts and stakeholders.
FSQA is a pillar of WFP’s end-to-end supply chain, ensuring that food safety standards, policies, and procedures are embedded from programme design through sourcing, storage, transport, and final distribution. The function requires collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to manage quality risks and uphold compliance. FSQA activities are aligned with broader supply chain strategies to safeguard beneficiary health and support the integrity of food assistance delivery.
JOB PURPOSE:
To provide regional leadership and technical guidance on food safety and quality across Latin America and the Caribbean, supporting country offices to implement WFP standards, strengthen risk management, and ensure safe, quality food assistance across diverse operational contexts.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):
- Develop and implement policies and procedures to align WFP’s FSQA approach with WFP and supply chain strategies and oversee the implementation of FSQA regulations to ensure compliance.
- Provide expert technical guidance and input to country offices in the design and implementation of WFP food assistance programmes, ensuring that food safety and quality is embedded in all food-related WFP operations.
- Lead the establishment of field operations protocols for risk and incident management and oversee their implementation to enable rapid response to food safety concerns.
- Oversee and facilitate the establishment of field operations systems for the prevention and mitigation of FSQA issues, including guiding product specifications, advising COs to engage with national and regional food authorities regarding national food regulations and implementing risk-based systems for supplier assessment and compliance.
- Develop relationships and collaborate closely with relevant functions to establish and implement policies and guidelines that maintain, monitor and verify food safety and quality throughout the WFP supply chain.
- Provide technical oversight and guidance on supplier food safety and quality management across the region, including supplier assessments, audit follow up, corrective action monitoring, laboratory testing, inspection services, storage, transport and warehouse related quality risks.
- Support country offices in identifying and managing FSQ risks related to local and regional food procurement, CBT linked food delivery, fresh food operations, school feeding and nutrition sensitive programming, including the development of risk matrices and practical mitigation measures.
- Advise country offices on engagement with national and regional food authorities, standards bodies, laboratories and inspection services to support regulatory compliance, strengthen local quality infrastructure and improve risk based food safety controls.
- Support the adoption and effective use of corporate FSQ tools, data systems and reporting mechanisms, ensuring that regional data on incidents, suppliers, audits, testing and corrective actions is accurate, timely and used to inform operational decisions.
- Develop and nurture productive relationships and strategic partnerships with senior stakeholders across UN agencies, NGOs, governments and the private sector to leverage industry best practices and enhance WFP’s capacity to operate effectively.
- Advise on innovative research related to FSQA assurance, packaging, and principles, required for implementing WFP FSQA guidelines and regulations, enabling the organization to provide safe, quality foods and achieve desired programme impacts.
- Provide expert advice and technical guidance to WFP staff at all levels, partners and governments, supporting country operations to build the capacity of local food producers. This may include enhancing quality assurance in food production, establishing suitable food processing facilities, overseeing the acquisition of food processing machinery, and leading product stability studies in line with regulations.
- Lead and provide expert guidance to enhance national food systems by strengthening the capacity of local and regional quality infrastructure institutions. This includes food standards agencies, control systems, laboratory testing facilities, certification and inspection bodies.
- When required by operational structures exceptionally, lead on FSQA-embedded initiatives in the regional office, such as strengthening food systems or improving food diversity for nutrition interventions, in close collaboration with Global HQ FSQA.
- Oversee the preparation of accurate and timely accounting, data collection and reporting to inform decision-making and continuously improve WFP’s FSQA approach and support food safety integration across the supply chain.
- Drive cross-functional collaboration and knowledge exchange across supply chain functions to reinforce an integrated approach to food safety and operational effectiveness.
- Lead and motivate a team providing coaching, training and guidance as required to enable professional development and high performance.
- Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.
- Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs.
- Other as required.
STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:
Education:
- Advanced university degree in Food Technology, Health Sciences, Food Control, Nutrition or other related field highly desirable, or First University degree with two additional years of related work experience in food safety.
Experience:
- Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in Food Safety and Quality and/or working across procurement, logistics, and supply chain management, leading integrated operations, with additional relevant training in food safety and quality.
- Experience working in regional, international or multi-country roles, supporting operations across diverse regulatory and food system environments.
Language:
- Fluency (level C) in both English and Spanish language.
- Knowledge of another second official UN language desirable: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and/or Portuguese (a WFP working language) desirable.
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:
- Experience developing supply chain strategies and policies specifically for food safety and quality management.
- Experience leveraging data to support decision-making and advise senior leadership and partners.
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives.
- Experience developing productive partnerships with external counterparts, positioning WFP as a partner of choice.
- Experience working with food safety and quality systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, including engagement with national food control authorities, suppliers, laboratories, inspection bodies and local food procurement programmes, is highly desirable.
- Experience operating in humanitarian or emergency contexts.
- Demonstrated experience in managing and supervising others, with ability to effectively coach and mentor staff.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
- This is an International Professional position.
- Mobility is and continues to be, a core contractual requirement in WFP. The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed term as well as a rotational contract with a probationary period of one year. This position is open to both internal and external candidates.
- WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel, visa and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. For more information, visit https://icsc.un.org/.
- The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Panama City.
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.
