Consultant Information Technology

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: Product Manager Consultant
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular consultant (CST) Level II
UNIT/DIVISION: Digital Services (TECD)
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Remote
DURATION: 31/12/2026

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.
The Technology Division of WFP partners with units across the organization to digitally transform WFP. We design, develop, enhance and maintain a variety of digital products. The Digital Solutions Delivery Branch (TECD) oversees solution delivery activities, covering both the introduction of new products as well as the evolution of existing ones. Each product being delivered has a Product Manager.
Reporting to the ERP Platforms Team Business Analysts Lead, the Product Manager is the custodian of the vision of the product, accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Product Team. The Product Manager aims for an IT solution which achieves the highest quality in terms of technical usability, user acceptability, and domain suitability.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Apply strong knowledge of Supply Chain business processes to develop IT solutions in line with User needs by identifying new opportunities, evolution or integrations across the different IT systems and tools
• Proactively engage the TEC and Business Stakeholders to propose and prioritise process optimisations with the aim to improve Supply Chain processes through Digital Technology.
• Communicate business objectives, user needs and processes, to ensure common understanding and prioritization between stakeholders ensuring availability and sharing timely information with both internal and external parties.
▪ Act as Product Manager:
▪ Create and maintain the Improvement Canvas outlining the vision of the product
▪ Create and maintain the Product Roadmap outlining the evolution of the product
▪ Prepare the Assessment and Intake forms for endorsement by the TEC Assessment Meetings
▪ Perform the role of Scrum Product Owner:
✓ Develop and explicitly communicate the Product Goal
✓ Gather and validate requirements following a HCD approach
✓ Ensure that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood
✓ Communicate requirements inwards to the Product Team

o Identify and categorize stakeholders/customers/users/subject-matter experts
o Decompose high-level requirements
o Create and clearly communicate Product Backlog Items (PBI), partnering closely with Stakeholders and the Product Team to ensure everyone understands the items in the backlog
o Ensure the PBIs pass the “Definition of Ready” criteria
o Facilitate the Just-In-Time (JIT) detailed requirements delivery
o Determine whether PBIs were satisfactorily delivered; and
o Give the Product Team clear guidance on which features to deliver next.
✓ Communication outwards to Stakeholders:
o Communicate estimates, dependencies and technical issues after grooming sessions, informing and negotiating with the Stakeholders
o Make decisions, in consultation with Stakeholders, regarding the priority of PBIs
o Inform of progress and host demonstrations to Stakeholders; and
o Be the first point of contact between Stakeholders and the Product Team.
✓ Decide when to deploy the product with the predisposition towards frequent releases
✓ Take care of Backlog Grooming: regularly review items on the backlog to ensure the backlog contains the appropriate items, that they are prioritized, and that the items at the top of the backlog are ready for delivery
✓ Participate in the Sprint Planning session; a team planning meeting that determines what to complete in the coming Sprint
✓ Listen-in at the Daily Stand-up session: a 15-minute mini-meeting for the team to sync-up.
✓ Chair the Sprint Demo session: A sharing meeting where the team shows what was produced during the Sprint; and
✓ Participate in the Sprint Retrospective session: a review of what did and did not go well during the Sprint, with actions to make the next Sprint better
▪ Manage the product budget (including support & maintenance costs), and prepare cost estimates based on the IT Solution Architect’s high-level effort estimates
▪ Keep track of the consumption of purchased time-and-materials quotas
▪ Provide guidance to vendors concerning the submission of consumption reports and invoices
▪ Approve consumption reports for the insertion the corresponding Service Entry Sheets; and
▪ In collaboration with the TEC’s Head of Sourcing, create and renew Purchase Orders
▪ When required, act as Project Manager reporting periodically on progress to the project management office, informing them of any issues/risks requiring attention. Identify and escalate issues that could affect the product outcomes, timeline or budget.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
• A well-defined Product Vision and an up-to-date Product Roadmap fully aligned with Business Roadmaps and the needs of end-users.
• A well-managed Product Backlog, duly groomed and with Product Backlog Items (PBIs) passing the Definition of Ready criteria.

• A product which achieves the highest quality in terms of technical usability, user acceptability, and domain suitability.
• A high level of satisfaction of the Stakeholders, IT Solution Architect, and Development Teams in relation to soft skills such as effective communication, conflict management, strategic contributions to product’s success, leadership skills, etc.
• Contribution to improvement of shared processes and tools.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
Advanced University Degree and/or advanced courses/training with emphasis in one or more of the following disciplines: Economics, Information Technology, Mathematics, Statistics, Business Administration, or another related technical field.
Experience:
Minimum 6 years post graduate, progressively responsible professional experience as Business Analyst within an organization and proven record of accomplishment in development and implementation of IT applications.
Experience in process orientation, process adherence, and process documentation creation.
Knowledge & Skills:
Business analysis: creation and review of business, functional and non-functional requirements for IT solutions.
IT solution development: Requirements, Design, Development, Implementation
Research and Analysis: Best practice, Gartner, etc. Knowledge of Product and Project Management methodologies and tools. Ability to influence cross-functionally to manage projects within a matrix environment; Ability to manage budget, resources and risks. Ability to manage Stakeholders also at senior levels.
Languages:
Fluency in oral and written English with an intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is desirable.

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.