Change & Comms Lead One PY, CST HR

World Food Programme

Job Location:

Rome - Italy

Monthly Salary: Not Disclosed

Posted on: 30+ days ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

9 May 2026-23:59-GMT01:00 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 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).

JOB TITLE:

Change & Communications Lead One Payroll Project

TYPE OF CONTRACT:

CST Level II

UNIT/DIVISION:

Technology Division (TEC) One Payroll Programme and in close collaboration with HRM (HR Operations & HRMOI) and CFO

DUTY STATION (City Country):

Rome Italy FULLY REMOTE

DURATION:

Throughout 31 December 2026

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is implementing the One Payroll Project a strategic transformation initiative to consolidate payroll operations onto a single SAP S/4HANA platform aligned with:

UN80 and inter-agency harmonization efforts
Shared services principles
WFPs ERP and digital transformation roadmap

The programme introduces fundamental changes to the payroll operating model including:

Centralization of payroll processing in HQ
Redefinition of roles between HQ and Country Offices
Integration across Workday SAP (WINGS to S/4HANA) UNDP and PASport
New accountability structures across HR Finance and TEC

As highlighted in the programme roadmap and governance structure the transformation spans multiple phases (2026 - 2028) and requires strong orchestration across technical operational and organizational dimensions.

Given the scale and complexity of the transformation a dedicated Change Expert role is required to ensure organizational readiness stakeholder alignment and successful adoption across HQ Regional and Country Offices.

The position is embedded within the TEC programme structure reporting to the Programme Manager while working in close partnership with HR and Finance functional leads.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

The Change Expert is responsible for designing orchestrating and executing the end-to-end management strategy for the One Payroll Project. The role ensures that:

Stakeholders across HQ and the field are prepared for the transition
Changes to roles processes and accountabilities are clearly understood and adopted
The organization is operationally ready at each key milestone (testing parallel run go-live stabilization).

The position acts as the central coordination point for all change-related activities ensuring alignment across workstreams and supporting the successful transition to a new centralized payroll operating model.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

A - Change Strategy & Planning

Develop and maintain the overall change management strategy and plan aligned with programme phases milestones and dependencies.

Translate high-level transformation objectives into structured time-bound change and communication interventions.

Ensure alignment between change & communications activities and technical delivery roadmap (SAP S/4HANA integrations data migration).

B - Stakeholder & Impact Management

Conduct comprehensive stakeholder mapping across: HQ (HR Finance TEC) Regional/Country Offices)

Perform impact assessments identifying:

Changes to roles (e.g. payroll centralization)

Shifts in accountability (HQ vs CO)

Operational risks and resistance points

Define targeted mitigation strategies for high-impact populations.

C. Operating Model Transition & Role Clarity

Translate the future payroll operating model into:

Clear role definitions

Accountability frameworks

Practical guidance for HQ and Country Offices

Support the rollout of the what One Payroll means model ensuring alignment between design and field reality.

Ensure Country Offices understand:

What they retain responsibility for

What is centralized to HQ

D. Readiness & Adoption Management

Define and monitor readiness criteria for each phase: Testing Parallel run Go-live Stabilization.

Develop readiness dashboards and reporting for Programme Leadership and Steering Committee.

Identify adoption risks early and escalate with mitigation proposals.

E. Communications & Engagement

Design and coordinate change communications strategy ensuring:

Consistent messaging across HR TEC and Finance

Clear articulation of why what and how

Develop targeted communication for:

Senior leadership

Heads of HR

Payroll focal points in Country Offices

Ensure timely and structured information flow to all impacted stakeholders.

F. Training & Capability Enablement

Coordinate with HR and functional leads to ensure delivery of:

Training materials

User guidance

Operational playbooks

Ensure training is aligned with:

New processes

System changes (SAP Workday interactions)

New roles and responsibilities

Support capability-building for HR and payroll users in the field.

G. Change Governance & Programme Integration

Establish and maintain change governance structures aligned with programme governance L1/L2/L3).

Act as the central coordination point across workstreams ensuring:

Alignment between technical HR and finance streams

Visibility of dependencies and risks

Support Programme Manager in preparing:

Steering Committee materials

Decision points

Status updates

H. Transition to Business-as-Usual

Support transition from project to operations ensuring:

Clear ownership of processes

Sustainable support model

Capture lessons learned and integrated into future phases (Phase 2 PASport rollout).

Ensure stabilization phase includes structured feedback loops from Country Offices.

KEY DELIVERABLES:

Comprehensive Change Management Strategy & Plan

Stakeholder mapping and impact assessment outputs

Readiness framework and go-live readiness reporting

Communication and engagement materials

Training coordination and enablement support

Transition and stabilization documentation

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Advanced university degrees in Human Resources Economics Engineering Computer Science Business Administration Mathematics or Finance or First level university degree with additional relevant work experience.

Experience:

At least five years of post-graduate professional experience in Human Resources with an interest in international humanitarian development.
Minimum 3 years of experience in change management preferably in: ERP implementations (SAP Workday) HR / Finance transformations
Proven experience in large-scale cross-functional transformation programmes
Experience in international and decentralized organizations.

Knowledge & Skills:

Knowledge and exposure to corporate information systems working with Workday and SAP HR modules and change management frameworks.
Strong analytical skills (advanced level of Excel and PowerPoint is an asset).
Good interpersonal and communication skills for stakeholder engagement.
Attention to details and strong coordinating skills for organizational readiness.
Ability to translate complex technical transformations into business impact.
Strong coordination and programme integration skills.
Excellent communication and executive-level presentation skills

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English required intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic Chinese French Russian and Spanish) is an asset.

Date:

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.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS9 May 2026-23:59-GMT01:00 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...