Legal Officer
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Rome
Italy
December 11, 2025
Full-timeDecember 11, 2025
World Food Programme (WFP) About
Founded in 1961 and assisting 80 million people in around 80 countries each year, the World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.
WFP’s efforts focus on emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, development aid and special operations. Two-thirds of its work is in conflict-affected countries where people are three times more likely to be undernourished than those living in countries without conflict.
In emergencies, WFP is often first on the scene, providing food assistance to the victims of war, civil conflict, drought, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, crop failures and natural disasters. When the emergency subsides, WFP helps communities rebuild shattered lives and livelihoods. WFP also works to strengthen the resilience of people and communities affected by protracted crises by applying a development lens in its humanitarian response.
WFP is the largest humanitarian organisation implementing school feeding programmes worldwide and has been doing so for over 50 years. Each year, WFP provides school meals to between 20 and 25 million children across 63 countries, often in the hardest-to-reach areas.
Job Description
Job Posting Organization:
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, established to save lives in emergencies and to use food assistance as a means to build pathways to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impacts of climate change. WFP operates globally, with a mission centered around the values of Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion. The organization is committed to diversity and equal employment opportunities, encouraging qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply. WFP has a diverse workforce and is recognized for its inclusive and multicultural working environment, investing in the personal and professional development of its employees through various training and mobility opportunities. WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, highlighting its significant contributions to humanitarian efforts worldwide. The organization operates in numerous countries, providing effective humanitarian assistance to millions of people globally. For more information, visit their website at https://www.wfp.org.
Job Overview:
The Budget and Programming Officer role is integral to the operations of the School Meals Accelerator (SMA), a new initiative aimed at supporting low- and lower-middle-income countries in enhancing their national school meal programs. This position involves comprehensive planning, budgeting, and reporting to ensure that SMA meets its strategic objectives. The officer will work independently within an assigned area, utilizing technical expertise to analyze data, prepare reports, and provide solutions to challenges. The role requires collaboration with managers to implement best practices for resource utilization, ensuring compliance and efficiency in operations. The Budget and Programming Officer will be responsible for delivering budget and resource analysis, managing programming activities, and supporting the SMA's mission to enhance school meal programs, ultimately aiming to reach an additional 100 million children by 2030 with nutritious meals in schools.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the Budget and Programming Officer include:
Required Qualifications:
The required qualifications for the Budget and Programming Officer position include:
Educational Background:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree in Business Administration, Statistics, Finance, Economics, or a related field. Alternatively, a first university degree in the same subjects combined with relevant work experience is acceptable. Additional professional training in financial management, project management, statistical analysis, and operational planning is highly desirable.
Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in finance, financial management, resource management, or budgeting. Candidates should have successfully managed operations of moderate complexity and demonstrated experience in cross-functional collaboration to address resource management issues. Experience in influencing decision-making at the Director level is also necessary.
Languages:
Fluency in English (level C) is mandatory. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, or Portuguese is desirable, as these are working languages of WFP.
Additional Notes:
This is an International Professional position open to candidates of all nationalities. The selected candidate will be appointed on a fixed-term contract for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of renewal based on operational requirements, performance, and funding availability. The probationary period is one year. The position is open to both internal and external applicants, and specific return rights will be shared with candidates currently employed at WFP on a Fixed-Term Contract if shortlisted. WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days of annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Rome, Italy, to take up this assignment.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, established to save lives in emergencies and to use food assistance as a means to build pathways to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impacts of climate change. WFP operates globally, with a mission centered around the values of Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion. The organization is committed to diversity and equal employment opportunities, encouraging qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply. WFP has a diverse workforce and is recognized for its inclusive and multicultural working environment, investing in the personal and professional development of its employees through various training and mobility opportunities. WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, highlighting its significant contributions to humanitarian efforts worldwide. The organization operates in numerous countries, providing effective humanitarian assistance to millions of people globally. For more information, visit their website at https://www.wfp.org.
Job Overview:
The Budget and Programming Officer role is integral to the operations of the School Meals Accelerator (SMA), a new initiative aimed at supporting low- and lower-middle-income countries in enhancing their national school meal programs. This position involves comprehensive planning, budgeting, and reporting to ensure that SMA meets its strategic objectives. The officer will work independently within an assigned area, utilizing technical expertise to analyze data, prepare reports, and provide solutions to challenges. The role requires collaboration with managers to implement best practices for resource utilization, ensuring compliance and efficiency in operations. The Budget and Programming Officer will be responsible for delivering budget and resource analysis, managing programming activities, and supporting the SMA's mission to enhance school meal programs, ultimately aiming to reach an additional 100 million children by 2030 with nutritious meals in schools.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the Budget and Programming Officer include:
- Budget Planning and Management: Identify and implement policies for budget and programming activities aligned with SMA operational strategies; support the preparation and review of budgets for accuracy and cost-effectiveness; review funding proposals and provide recommendations; guide budgetary adjustments for optimal resource utilization; coordinate with WFP Budget and Programming for compliance management of the SMA Trust Fund.
- Funds and Performance Management: Collate inputs for the SMA Resource Management/Governance Committee; advise on complex programming requests and fund utilization; coordinate the preparation of reports as required by contribution agreements; monitor performance against the approved budget and provide advice on necessary adjustments.
- Leadership: Support the SMA Director in managing the SMA Trust Fund; develop internal business processes and training materials; supervise and guide SMA Business Support Assistants.
- Coordination: Coordinate data analysis efforts and develop SMA-specific reports; identify opportunities for enhancing systems and processes for improved monitoring and reporting of budgets and resources; represent the unit in internal meetings and provide technical recommendations.
Required Qualifications:
The required qualifications for the Budget and Programming Officer position include:
- Education: An advanced university degree in Business Administration, Statistics, Finance, Economics, or a related field, or a first university degree in the same subjects with equivalent relevant work experience. Additional professional training in financial management, project management, or operational planning is desirable.
- Experience: A minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in finance, financial management, resource management, or budgeting. Experience in managing small to medium-sized operations and overseeing project performance against resources is essential. Demonstrated experience in cross-functional collaboration and influencing decision-making at the Director level is also required.
Educational Background:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree in Business Administration, Statistics, Finance, Economics, or a related field. Alternatively, a first university degree in the same subjects combined with relevant work experience is acceptable. Additional professional training in financial management, project management, statistical analysis, and operational planning is highly desirable.
Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in finance, financial management, resource management, or budgeting. Candidates should have successfully managed operations of moderate complexity and demonstrated experience in cross-functional collaboration to address resource management issues. Experience in influencing decision-making at the Director level is also necessary.
Languages:
Fluency in English (level C) is mandatory. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, or Portuguese is desirable, as these are working languages of WFP.
Additional Notes:
This is an International Professional position open to candidates of all nationalities. The selected candidate will be appointed on a fixed-term contract for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of renewal based on operational requirements, performance, and funding availability. The probationary period is one year. The position is open to both internal and external applicants, and specific return rights will be shared with candidates currently employed at WFP on a Fixed-Term Contract if shortlisted. WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days of annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Rome, Italy, to take up this assignment.
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We are not liable for any decisions or actions taken by applicants in response to this job listing. By applying, you agree that all application processes, interviews, and potential job offers are managed exclusively by the listed employer or organization.
Beware of fraudulent job offers. Do not provide sensitive personal information or make any payments to secure a job.
