Climate Change and DRR Policy Consultant

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 14 June 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). JOB TITLE: Climate Change and DRR Policy Consultant TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant (CST II) UNIT/DIVISION: Climate & Resilience Service - PRGR DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy (home based) DURATION: 11 monthsBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT: The Climate and Resilience Service (PRGR) in WFP headquarters is leading the implementation of WFP’s Climate Change Policy and managing WFP's engagement on global cimate policy processes, in particular under the UN Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The two units of the Service are providing guidance, technical support and policy engagement on a range of climate and resilience solutions, including programmes to protect the most vulnerable countries and people with insurance solutions; climate risk analyses to help governments better understand the impact of climate risk on food security and nutrition; Forecast-based Financing and climate information services to increase anticipatory action at community level; technical support to help governments access multilateral climate finance for concrete adaptation projects focusing on resilient food systems; and sustainable energy services to address the energy needs related to the production, processing and consumption of food. PRGR has recently updated the WFP Climate Change policy to incorporate recent changes in the external context, convey the evolving cross-cutting nature of WFP climate change actions, and reflect lessons learned and new internal priorities to guide the organization. Reflecting its potential for application across a broader spectrum of activities in WFP, the concept of Disaster Risk Reduction has been re-positioned and mainstreamed across other relevant policies and functions across the organization. The updated Climate Change policy was approved by WFP Executive Board in November 2024, concurrent with the updated Resilience policy. The C&R Service is seeking a consultant to: a) Support the updated policy implementation and the mainstreaming of DRR. b) Support representation of WFP’s climate and DRR programmes in global policy and intergovernmental processes related to Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction, in particular with the UNFCCC and Sendai Framework for DRR, coordinating WFP's engagement in key fora, e.g. Conference of the Parties (CoP), the Subsidary Bodies (SBs), the Santiago Network and the Loss and Damage Fund Board meetings. ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Co-cordinate the implementation of the updated Climate Change Policy, as per the policy's costed implementation plan and in close alignment with WFP's Resilience Policy. 2. Support WFP senior management in strategic and practical aspects related to the policies' updates and their roll-out, including engagement with the Executive Board and other corporate stakeholders. 3. Provide strategic advice in all matters related to the policies' updates and their implementation, among other aspects, to ensure internal and external coherence; enable internal and external positioning; and facilitate strategic partnerships. 4. Ensure the submission of high-level inputs to talking points and briefings for senior management on climate-related topics, and especially on climate policy processes. Draft briefs on climate and DRR topics to inform decision-making on key issues. 5. Coordinate WFP's engagement in CoP processes, and in other relevant international climate policy fora. 6. Represent WFP in loss and damage agenda-related meetings and fora. 7. Building on the mandate to reposition and mainstream WFP's approach to DRR, engage with DRR-related partnerships, policy processes and meetings as required 8. Any other duties as required in the context of climate and DRR-related policy and partnership engagement. DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT: - Communication and advocacy materials related to the Climate Change and Resilience updated policies, their dissemination and their implementation. - Deliverables as per the Climate Change policy's costed implementation plan. - Talking points and briefs for senior management on climate- and resilience-related topics. - Position papers, engagement strategies, outreach and communication materials for CoP30 and other related processes and global meetings. - Submission of a side-event application for CoP30, jointly with other UN agencies. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Education: Advanced University degree in International Development, International Relations, or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience. Experience: 10+ years of relevant international experience. The candidate should be able to demonstrate strong competence in the following areas: - Extensive experience with different UN agencies and bilateral development cooperation agencies. - Excellent writing and communication skills, demonstrated in high-profile evaluations, strategies and similar products. - Experience in consolidating organizational programme strategies and development policies, ideally with exposure to those processes in different multilateral organizations and bilateral development agencies. - Senior level work planning and project management skills demonstrated in a UN or other international context. - Overview of climate change and DRR policy in the UN context - Exposure to the work of WFP Country Offices is a strong asset - Demonstrated research ability and ability to link analysis to programme design. - Has led teams in high-level strategic discussions and facilitated stakeholder consultations effectively. - Demonstrated experience working in an international environment heavily dependent on virtual networking and engaging individuals from a diverse range of geographical and functional areas. Knowledge & Skills: - Solid knowledge of WFP’WFP’s mandate, Country Strategic Planning process, intervention modalities, programme and project lifecycle tools, implementation particularly of climate action, monitoring, and evaluation desirable. - Ability to analyse and consolidate quantitative and qualitative information across a wide range of climate sensitive and specific programming. - Strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavour. - Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written outputs and ability to present in English. Knowledge of a second official UN language is desirable. - Strong communication and conceptual skills. Languages: International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language will be an asset (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese). 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: [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. 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