Localization Specialist

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

2 October 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.

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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: Localization Specialist
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultant level II
UNIT/DIVISION: Gender Protection and Inclusion Unit/ PO
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy
DURATION: 11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger and malnutrition worldwide. In June 2025, WFP’s Executive Board approved the Localization Policy, and its costed implementation plan to operationalize and guide implementation. The policy affirms WFP’s commitment to placing local and national actors at the center of our work. This means recognizing local and national actors, not as transactional partners, but as leaders and owners of humanitarian response and other efforts to combat food insecurity and malnutrition. Localization is defined as “a process that shifts the way that WFP’s humanitarian and development work is designed, delivered, and funded to better support locally led efforts that are responsive to the unique needs and priorities of affected people.” Key localization actors are identified as both state and non-state actors, with a focus on local and national NGOs (specifically NGO cooperating partners), community-based organizations, private sector enterprises and entrepreneurs in local supply chains and markets, and government (national and sub-national). The policy is guided by principles of mutual respect and trust, and supports the goals of the humanitarian reset by enhancing programme quality and efficiency, and by elevating local and national actors as frontline leaders, supporting a more devolved humanitarian system. WFP’s commitment to localization is further reflected in the WFP Strategic Plan, where promoting localization has been elevated as a cross-cutting priority across the organization’s work. 

The policy includes four main objectives, including:

Progress from transactional to collaborative partnerships with local and national non-state cooperating partners.   Strengthen engagement with community-based organizations as technical partners in food security and nutrition.   Increase the roles of local entrepreneurs and small enterprises in supply chains and markets.   Strengthen the influence of local and national actors in shaping policies, operations and coordination spaces.  

Across each objective, the policy also identifies key pathways of change: leveraging, strengthening and sharing capacities; strengthening participatory approaches and systematic inclusion; facilitating agile partnership models and flexible funding; and promoting mutual accountability and risk sharing.

At present, work under Objective 2 has been operationalized through a 2-year US funded programme to create systems for better and more efficient on-boarding of CBOs. Under this project, foundational research involving 111 CBOs across 3 varied contexts was completed in 2025. Stemming from this research, a “menu of options” for strengthening CBO engagement and partnership was developed, and 12 countries were identified for piloting a range of activities related to contractual modalities, financial mechanisms, and partnership models.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical level leadership, steering, and coordination to implement Objectives 2, as well as support wider localization policy coordination as needed.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The consultant will sit within the Gender, Protection, and Inclusion Unit and report to the Localization Policy Coordinator. The consultant will be responsible for:

Lead/coordinate implementation of Objective 2 - Strengthen engagement with community-based organizations as technical partners in food security and nutrition. This entails:

• Lead implementation of key activities, provide technical advice, and coordinate across relevant headquarters divisions toward the adaptation of corporate frameworks (including financial and risk frameworks), partnership modalities, capacity strengthening approaches, risk management, due diligence and audit processes, among others, to better enable WFP to formally partner with and/or meaningfully engage community-based organizations, including women-led organizations, organizations for people with disabilities, refugee-led organizations, and others;
• Consolidate lessons learned from pilot activities related to CBO engagement across 11+ country offices (expected to be completed in 2026) and develop or refine corporate guidance based on lessons;
• Advise and provide technical assistance to country offices to identify, articulate, implement approaches and activities related to strengthening the engagement of community-based organizations;
• Conduct or contribute to relevant studies and/or analyses to strengthen WFP’s engagement with CBO;
• Contribute to better organizational measurement and tracking of both the quantity and quality of engagement with CBOs, including through Corporate Results Framework indicators

Support the implementation of Objective 4 in relation to CBOs - Strengthen the influence of local and national actors in shaping policies, operations and coordination spaces.

• Develop guidance in collaboration with Global Headquarters divisions and Country Offices and provide technical advice to Country Offices to better identify opportunities and strengthen representation, engagement, visibility, and amplify local voices through CBOs in relevant national and international mechanisms and processes;
• Advocate and engage with other UN agencies, humanitarian coordination mechanisms, and international organizations, as relevant, in knowledge exchanges and other activities in support of more harmonized UN approaches toward engaging with CBOs

Contribute to communications products, funding proposals, donor engagements, reporting, and broader coordination tasks, as needed and assigned by the Localization Coordinator. Take responsibility for incorporating gender, protection, and inclusion perspectives in all areas of work.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

Final Consultancy Report Practical Guidance Document for Engaging CBOs within WFP

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Advanced University degree in International Development, Economics, Social Science, or other field relevant to international development assistance

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience (of which at least 3 are international) of postgraduate professional experience in international development or humanitarian work
• Demonstrated experience in working or partnering with community-based organizations, especially community-based representative groups, including women-led organizations, organizations for people with disabilities, refugee-led organizations, or similar, in humanitarian and/or development settings
• Demonstrated experience working within an international organization, including areas related to partner management, grant management, or other areas relevant to working with NGOs, CBOs, and other civil society actors

Knowledge & Skills:

• Demonstrated knowledge of community-based organizations, how they operate, their strengths and challenges, including women-led organizations, organizations for people with disabilities, refugee-led organizations; or similar in the context of WFP’s operations and broader humanitarian settings.
• Knowledge of community-driven mutual aid practices and approaches, and organizational development practices, especially in the context of grassroots movements and community-based organizations is an advantage
• Knowledge of organizational development and partnership principles, practices, and localization in a donor-funded environment
• Demonstrated skills in navigating and/or managing partnership, grant management, or related areas within an international organization
• Demonstrated ability to strategically engage and advise key stakeholders within an organization, including field level teams, at a mid to senior level
• Proven expertise in coordination and/or project management, as well as working across multi-disciplinary teams
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to gain the assistance and cooperation of others toward shared goals
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills, able to translate broader aims and evidence into actionable plans to move a project forward
• Knowledge of gender, disability inclusion dynamics, and protection issues in humanitarian settings

Languages:

International Professional: Fluency (level C) in oral and written English language. Knowledge of French or Spanish is an asset, but not required.

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.

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• 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.