Lead Software Developer Consultant

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 worlds 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 WFPs 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: 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).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The Forecasting and Early Warning Unit at the World Food Programme (WFP) plays a critical role in anticipating and mitigating the impacts of food insecurity worldwide. By leveraging cutting-edge data analytics forecasting models and real-time information the unit supports decision-making processes to preempt crises and ensure timely interventions in vulnerable regions. Key tools like HungerMapLIVE enable WFP and its partners to monitor global food security trends predict potential crises and respond proactively to emerging threats ultimately helping to safeguard the livelihoods of millions of people.
As the Lead Software Developer you will be responsible for maintaining and enhancing existing tools such as HungerMapLIVE ensuring they continue to provide reliable and actionable insights. Beyond maintaining current systems you will drive the development of a comprehensive end-to-end early warning system that integrates various data sources predictive models and analytics. This system will empower WFPs country operations to act swiftly and effectively in response to emerging food security risks making a tangible difference in the lives of those in need.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
The consultant will join the Units team in Rome under the direct supervision of the Head of Unit and will be responsible for the following activities:

ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Technical Leadership System Design and Management:

• Lead the end-to-end design development and integration of an early warning tool building upon the HungerMapLIVE ecosystem and other relevant WFP tools.
• Provide technical direction and supervise the development team ensuring that all solutions are aligned with best practices for scalability performance and security.

Software Development and Architecture:

• Architect design and implement cloud-based solutions using AWS Python and ReactJS ensuring they are efficient maintainable and capable of supporting the growth of the HungerMapLIVE ecosystem.
• Optimize the system architecture for new and existing features to ensure seamless integration with other WFP platforms and tools.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including data scientists analysts and other stakeholders to ensure technical solutions meet business and operational requirements.
• Translate complex user needs into actionable technical requirements and ensure the alignment of development efforts with WFPs corporate IT architecture and guidelines.
• Innovation and Problem-Solving:
• Proactively identify technical challenges and develop robust solutions to address them with a focus on continuous improvement and the integration of innovative technologies.
• Explore and implement new technologies frameworks and methodologies to enhance the capabilities of HungerMapLIVE and other related tools.

Code Quality Security and Compliance:

• Establish and maintain high standards for code quality security and documentation across all development efforts.
• Ensure that all solutions adhere to WFPs security policies and relevant data privacy regulations with a particular focus on protecting sensitive information related to food security monitoring.
• Perform any other task as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
Development and Deployment of Enhanced Early Warning System: Delivery of an initial version of the integrated early warning tool within a defined timeframe capable of processing real-time data and offering predictive insights aligned with HungerMapLIVE and WFP requirements.
Comprehensive Technical Documentation and Codebase Standards: Submission of detailed technical documentation covering system architecture development processes and code standards to ensure continuity and quality across future updates and maintenance efforts
System Integration and Testing Reports: Delivery of a fully integrated and tested system that seamlessly interacts with other WFP platforms and tools accompanied by regular testing reports to ensure functionality performance and security.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education:
Bachelors degree in engineering computer science physics mathematics or similar. Masters degree preferred.

Experience:
At least 8 years of relevant progressively responsible experience in IT related fields more specifically software engineering and architecture
Knowledge & Skills:

Technical Proficiency:

• Advanced knowledge of AWS: Deep understanding of AWS services (e.g. EC2 Lambda S3 RDS etc.) and their application in developing scalable secure cloud-based solutions.
• Expertise in Python: Proficiency in Python with experience building and deploying data-driven applications APIs and microservices. Experience with libraries relevant to big data and machine learning is a plus.
• ReactJS Expertise: Strong proficiency in front-end development using ReactJS including experience with state management component-based architecture and building responsive user-friendly interfaces.
• System Architecture and Design:
• Experience designing and implementing distributed systems with a strong focus on scalability fault tolerance and high availability.
• Familiarity with modern software design patterns and practices including microservices serverless architectures and event-driven programming.

Leadership and Mentorship:

• Proven experience leading software development teams providing technical direction setting development standards and fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.
• Ability to mentor junior developers and foster a culture of continuous learning within the team.

Collaboration and Communication:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience working in cross-functional teams particularly with data scientists UX/UI designers and product managers ensuring alignment across technical and business objectives..

Agile Methodologies:

• Familiarity with Agile development practices including Scrum or Kanban and experience leading teams in an Agile environment.
• Security and Compliance:
• Strong understanding of security best practices particularly in the context of cloud infrastructure and web applications.
• Experience ensuring compliance with relevant data protection regulations and security standards.
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD):
• Proficiency in CI/CD tools and practices with experience automating build testing and deployment pipelines to ensure efficient and reliable code delivery.

Language:
Excellent spoken and written English; spoken and written French highly desired.

Certified by Hiring Manager (name/title) & signature):
Date:
Kyriacos Koupparis Head of Unit PRG - FF 31.07.2026

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:

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 . 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.