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DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
23 July 2026-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Rome)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).
Consultant (CST-I)
Geospatial and Intelligence Unit (PRG-FG) / Programme Division (PRG)
Remote work from home station with travel expected when feasible
To 31-Dec-2026
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The Geospatial and Intelligence Unit (PRG-FG), part of the Programme (PRG) Division, integrates geospatial analysis and data science capabilities to provide a range of crucial information products in support of WFP food security and emergency operations.
The Unit's work ranges from monitoring of drought or extreme rainfall conditions to detection of changes in infrastructure assets, high-granularity assessments of natural hazard impacts, and mapping of cropland and crop types. This work draws on a wide variety of Earth Observation data — from low-resolution, long-record, high-frequency variables (rainfall, vegetation indices, land surface temperature) to very high sub-meter resolution data, as well as high-frequency, field-scale resolution multispectral and SAR data from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 platforms — processed at scale on the Service's cloud-based computing infrastructure.
A Data Scientist is sought to join the Data Science function in the Unit and contribute to the development of advanced analytical solutions to serve the above operations, as well as make significant contributions to their operational implementation in the Service’s cloud computing infrastructure.
ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The consultant will join the PRG-FG Unit of the Programme Division at WFP HQ and work under the supervision of the Lead Data Scientist, being responsible for:
Data Science:
The consultant will take primary ownership of analytical work leveraging statistical, geo-statistical and machine learning techniques using complex climate, environmental and socio-economic data in support of the Unit’s products and services. These could involve, for example:
Advanced EO time series processing such as filtering, decomposition, lag-correlation analysis, and forecasting.
Methodologies for multi-resolution data fusion (e.g. Landsat / MODIS) and the blending of ground-truth data with remote-sensed signals.
Methodologies for historical, forecasted, and projected climate data processing and modelling.
Analysis of dynamic land cover change patterns relevant for hazard mapping and environmental resource analysis using either classic or machine learning algorithms.
Coordinating with other team members to transition their work from development to production on the Service’s cloud-based infrastructure where/if relevant.
Teamwork:
The Consultant will be a committed and collaborative team member and will contribute to:
- supporting knowledge sharing and common practices within the Data Science function.
managing cross-functional relationships with stakeholders in the rest of the Unit to co-design impactful analytical solutions.
Supported by strategic guidance from the lead data scientist, the consultant will be self-driven and able to carry out their work autonomously.
Communication and dissemination:
The Consultant will be responsible for quality code and documentation of their work and will present their results to stakeholders as needed.
Where the opportunity arises, the consultant will be expected to:
participate in scientific and humanitarian conferences, workshops, and meetings, including to present their work;
contribute to writing technical papers and reports to be submitted to peer-reviewed international journals.
DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
By the end of the consultancy period, the Data Scientist is expected to have delivered the following:
Functioning analytical workflows applying statistical, geo-statistical, and machine learning techniques to climate, environmental, and socio-economic datasets.
High-quality code and comprehensive documentation for developed models and analyses.
Evidence of cross-functional collaboration in co-designing analytical solutions with stakeholders across the Unit.
Evidence of support in transitioning analytical solutions from development to production within the Service’s cloud-based infrastructure, in coordination with other team members.
As the need and/or opportunity arises, presentation of key findings and methodologies within WFP and, where possible, at relevant scientific or humanitarian conferences, workshops, or meetings; and contributions to the preparation of technical papers or reports for submission to peer-reviewed journals.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
University degree in data science, statistics, mathematics, earth sciences or other quantitative degree.
Experience:
At least 3 years in data science related fields.
Experience with United Nations or World Food Programme, or within the field of research, assessment or monitoring, is a plus.
Field experience, including participation in assessments, trainings, and operational missions, is an asset.
Knowledge & Skills:
Essential
At least 3 years in data science related fields.
Demonstrated experience and ability to apply predictive modelling, machine learning and applied statistics to real world problems and applications.
Demonstrated experience with climate, earth observation, remote sensing, agricultural, and/or large geospatial data.
Excellent Python programming skills including experience with data science and raster analysis libraries (e.g. (geo-)pandas, numpy, xarray, etc.) for use in research, data analysis, and/or modeling.
Experience with machine learning algorithms and tools (e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn), artificial intelligence, deep learning and/or predictive analytics.
Advanced experience in usage of Jupyter Notebooks.
Preferred
Experience using software engineering best practices (e.g. CI/CD, testing, git) and agile development practices (continuous delivery, collaboration, iterative development).
Experience working with cloud technologies or distributed computing platforms such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud etc., particularly for machine learning applications.
GIS skills and/or experience (QGIS, GDAL, ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Engine).
Languages:
Fluent English with excellent technical reporting ability; good spoken and written knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) and/or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is an advantage.
Candidate anticipated his BIS from 29/04 to 29/05 and was already informed that he will lose 2% increase as he will not be complete 11 months of service. He was entitled to the 3 months BIS but reduction was approved to 1.5 months (JM/MC). Tentative new EOD is on 15 July.
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.
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