Consultant Programme Policy

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 11 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). JOB TITLE: Research, Publications and Policy Consultant TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant UNIT/DIVISION: Research and Policy Unit/Nutrition, School Meals and Social Protection DUTY STATION (City, Country): WFP HQ, Rome (Remote) DURATION: 4 months BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT: The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading organization fighting hunger worldwide, working with communities to improve nutrition, build resilience and address the growing challenges posed by climate change and rising inequality. For more than 50 years, WFP has been the leading organization in supporting countries with their school feeding programmes, which are widely prevalent throughout the world. Almost every country in the world has a national school meal programme, making it the most widespread safety net. The interventions reach an estimated 466 million children and adolescents globally. Of these, WFP supports about 21 million children annually and also provides technical assistance to governments ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of government investments. To strengthen its global support for school feeding, WFP has established a new Nutrition, School Meals and Social Protection Services within the Programme Division at its Headquarters in Rome. The Nutrition, School Meals and Social Protection Services will support WFP’s engagement in school feeding across four workstreams identified in WFP’s new School Feeding Strategy 2020-2030: 1. Generating and sharing knowledge and best practices globally 2. Increasing the investment in school feeding 3. Acting in partnership to improve and advocate for school health and nutrition 4. Strengthening programmatic approaches in key areas Purpose of the assignment In 2021, WFP helped to launch the School Meals Coalition (SMC) at the Food Systems Summit. The Coalition, which is a country-led initiative, brings together more than 80 countries that have pledged to ensure that every child receives a healthy and nutritious meal in school by 2030. It also includes more than 90 partners who have agreed to support these governments. As the Coalition grows, it is expected to become a powerful network of stakeholders producing knowledge, evidence, advocacy, and technical support, and collectively advancing a joint agenda. WFP is the coordinating body (secretariat) of the School Meals Coalition. As the Secretariat of the Coalition, WFP is expected to provide the thought leadership for this area of work globally, position the initiative at the highest levels, and support and coordinate the entire membership of the Coalition, with the ultimate objective of helping individual countries move forward with their own national school meals programmes. There are initiatives under the Coalition, to support countries with their implementation challenges. These are: i) a Research Consortium led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical ii) Sustainable Finance Initiative led Learning Generation Initiative (LGI) at Education Development Centre ; iii) a Data and Monitoring Initiative hosted by WFP iv) Cities Feeding the Future Initiative led by the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Secretariat and v) School Meals Accelerator (SMA) hosted by WFP. This consultancy is related to workstream 1 of the Strategy, described above: “generating and sharing knowledge and best practices globally”. As the leading international agency supporting school feeding, WFP has the responsibility to house and make available global knowledge so that countries can use that information to improve programmes and provide adequate support to vulnerable children. WFP will work with partners to establish a research and evidence agenda for school feeding for the next ten years, based on a mapping of learning needs, to ensure that global gaps in the knowledge base are being filled and that research and action on child health and development evolve from a narrow emphasis on the first 1,000 days to holistic concern over the first 8,000 days; from an age-siloed approach to an approach that embraces the needs across the life cycle. The Research, Publications and Policy consultant will support the Nutrition, School Meals and Social Protection research and evidence generation efforts for school feeding, school health and nutrition, including but not limited to WFP programmes. To ensure the attainment of the School Meals Coalition goal, that every child has the opportunity to receive a healthy, nutritious meal in school by 2030, the Research, Publications and Policy consultant will keep abreast of research and evidence on school feeding from the various Initiatives and support the mobilization of relevant knowledge to support the work of the School Meals and Social Protection Services – Research & Policy, Programme Support, and Partnerships – in line with the new WFP School Feeding Strategy and the research agenda of the SMC. Reporting to the Head of Data and Monitoring Initiative, the holder of the role is expected to provide guidance to countries and partners on their research and evidence generation agenda keeping in mind the goal of the SMC and strategic direction of SBP. As a key member of the editorial team of 2026 edition of the publication of WFP’s flagship State of School Feeding Worldwide 2026, s/he will also support this publication effort and lead the coordination of the drafting of regional or other global publications. ACCOUNTABILITIES/ RESPONSIBILITIES School Meals Coalition (Research and Data and Monitoring Initiative) •Lead alignment with the Research Consortium on research and evidence needs, providing support to outposted services and country offices on Value of Money studies or any related research. •Manage contractual agreements with Research Consortium (including proposal reviews) and ensure timely reporting and dissemination of knowledge products on WFP/donor funded projects being implemented by Research Consortium. •Support the establishment and maintenance connections between the Data and Monitoring Initiative (DMI) and other initiatives within the SMC to optimize the delivery of objectives and activities. •Support the dissemination of key information within the DMI to relevant stakeholders as required. Support the State of School Feeding Worldwide 2026 Publication, African Union Biennial Report and Knowledge Management •Serve as key member of the editorial team for State of School Feeding Worldwide 2026 ✓Focal point for coordinating planning, drafting, and coordination the publication. ✓Support the convening and reporting back to the Editorial Board for the publication. ✓Coordinate the review of completed chapters; ensure peer review feedback, editorial board and management feedback are incorporated into the report. ✓Support dissemination efforts through presentations, webinars, and other channels as necessary. •Lead the coordination of any regional or global publication on school meals. ✓Lead the convening and reporting back to the editorial team of the publication. ✓Support the dissemination of the published report. •Any other business as required. DELIVERABLES (i) A coordination plan to ensure the effective delivery Research Consortium’s projects/activities, keeping track of all commitments made to different stakeholders. (ii) Implementation of this coordination plan. •Tracking of Country Office/ Regional Bureau requests relating to SMC research, evidence and or data needs, along with identified solution, and focal point going forward. •Liaise with the SMC Secretariat on associated press releases and media activity including update appropriate communications channels and platforms and website, email newsletters and listservs, and social media. •Coordinate the dissemination and communication of DMI outputs, including publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at conferences and meetings. •Support forums and other public engagement activities organized by or in collaboration with the SMC Secretariat and other initiatives •Published regional report •Any other responsibilities or duties as required by the head of unit QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Education: Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in social sciences, educational science, agronomy, economics, international development, international relations or related fields Experience: Have at least three (3) years of postgraduate experience in the field of humanitarian and development project management. Background in research and knowledge of school feeding is a plus Knowledge & Skills: -Excellent organizational skills and ability to coordinate and prioritize a complex workload, meet multiple, tight deadlines, and manage projects to deliver successful outcomes -Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment -High level of personal motivation and flexibility; ability to work independently and as part of a team, -Exposure to WFP systems and excellent information technology skills (Microsoft Office Package, SharePoint, Teams is a plus. -Proven analytical and communication skills (written and oral); strong writer and able to draft high-quality documents in English quickly. -Strong attention to details Languages: Fluency in English and one other UN language. 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