Food Safety and Quality Assurance Lead

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 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 ensuring that people are at the heart of everything it does. The organization is committed to diversity and equal employment opportunities, encouraging qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply. WFP has a workforce that is diverse, skilled, and high-performing, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, and living by its core values of Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion. WFP has received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, highlighting its significant contributions to humanitarian efforts worldwide. The organization invests in the personal and professional development of its employees through various training and mentorship programs, offering exciting career paths across its numerous country, regional, and global offices.

Job Overview:
The Food Safety and Quality Assurance Lead role at WFP is pivotal in providing strategic leadership and expert oversight for the organization’s global Food Safety and Quality systems. This position is responsible for ensuring the highest standards of safety, quality, and compliance across all WFP operations. The role involves leading the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of Food Safety and Quality (FSQ) systems, which includes managing Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, as well as Food and Packaging Research and Development. The incumbent will oversee the integration of FSQ systems into all operations, ensuring robust governance, risk management, and compliance. This position also requires driving cross-functional collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that FSQ systems are contextually relevant and effective. The role is based in Rome and reports directly to the director" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Deputy Director of Supply Chain, making it a critical position within the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The key accountabilities for the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Lead include leading the global development and implementation of FSQ systems, setting and updating FSQ policies and standards, overseeing the integration of FSQ systems into operations, managing partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders, and providing operational FSQ support and guidance to field offices. The incumbent will also lead the food incident management program, prepare and deliver FSQ reports to WFP Management, act as the key FSQ subject matter expert, and lead workstreams related to food fraud prevention. Additionally, the role involves managing the FSQ supplier management program, performing critical reviews of supplier-related information, leading product traceability improvements, and supervising FSQ staff in Global HQ. Financial management activities within the FSQ unit, including budget planning and optimization, are also part of the responsibilities.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree in food or science-related areas such as Food Science, Engineering, Microbiology, or Food Technology. A PhD in a relevant discipline is considered an asset. The role requires a minimum of 11 years of progressively responsible experience in developing, implementing, and managing corporate food safety and quality systems and policies. Significant experience in humanitarian operations, particularly in FSQ, Regulatory Affairs, and Food/Packaging R&D systems, is essential. Training on internationally recognized FSQ auditing schemes (GFSI) is also required. Candidates should demonstrate technical knowledge in food science, contaminants, statistics, microbiology, and toxicology, along with expertise in risk management and incident management. Strong analytical, communication, negotiation, and leadership skills are necessary, as well as experience with digital transformation of FSQ systems and advanced data analytics.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced university degree in food science or related fields. Candidates with a PhD in relevant disciplines will have an advantage. The educational qualifications should reflect a strong foundation in food safety, quality assurance, and related scientific areas, ensuring that the candidate is well-equipped to handle the complexities of food safety and quality management in a humanitarian context.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 11 years of progressively responsible experience in the field of food safety and quality assurance. Candidates should have substantial experience in developing and managing food safety and quality systems, particularly within humanitarian operations. Experience in regulatory affairs, food and packaging research and development, and leading cross-functional teams is essential. The role also demands hands-on experience with food safety audits and a proven track record of building technical partnerships with stakeholders in both public and private sectors. Candidates should be adept at managing complex projects in emergency and non-emergency contexts.

Languages:
Fluency in English (level C) is mandatory for this position. Additionally, candidates should have intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language, which could include Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, or Portuguese. Proficiency in these languages will enhance communication and collaboration within the diverse WFP environment.

Additional Notes:
This position is classified as an International Professional role and is open to candidates of all nationalities. Mobility is a core contractual requirement, although this specific position is classified as 'non-rotational,' meaning the incumbent will not be subject to regular reassignment unless the position is reclassified. The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a one-year probationary period. WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards, including a basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, and various allowances. The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Rome, Italy, to take up this assignment.