The World Food Programme (WFP) is recruiting a Project Manager for the Digital Services unit of its Information Technology Division, on an 11-month Regular consultancy contract (CST) Level II with remote working and the vacancy listed under Rome, Italy. Candidates need a university degree and at least 5 years of project management experience, and applications close on 15 November 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the full vacancy and broke down every responsibility and requirement below.
About the World Food Programme
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 extreme weather shocks.
At WFP, people are at the heart of everything the organization does. Its vision of the future workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
The Values WFP Teams Live By
🧭 Integrity
🤝 Collaboration
💪 Commitment
❤️ Humanity
🫶 Inclusion
Reasons to Join WFP
🏅 WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
🎨 It offers a highly inclusive, diverse and multicultural working environment.
📚 It invests in the personal and professional development of its employees through training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship and other programs, as well as internal mobility opportunities.
✈️ A career path at WFP is an opportunity to work across country, regional and global offices around the world, with passionate colleagues who work to ensure effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
💼 WFP mentions an attractive compensation package, described in the Terms and Conditions section of its vacancy announcement.
The Assignment in Brief
📌 Job title: Project Manager
📃 Type of contract: Regular consultancy contract (CST) Level II
🏢 Unit/Division: Digital Services, Information Technology Division
🏠 Duty station: Remote working
⏱️ Duration: 11 months
Why WFP Is Investing in Digital Transformation
Technology and connectivity are rapidly reaching some of the most vulnerable people and places affected by crisis, and they are also expanding to the services responding to those same crises. As one of the main humanitarian actors, WFP has the opportunity and the obligation to leverage data and technology to better know and serve those in need by digitally transforming the way it works.
Purpose of the Project Manager Role
The Project Manager reports to the Project Manager lead and is expected to oversee relevant TEC stakeholders and external implementing partners, aiming for IT solutions that achieve the highest quality in terms of:
🖱️ Technical usability.
🙋 User acceptability.
🎯 Domain suitability.
The incumbent leads teams to deliver projects that span one or more business units, managing resources, schedules, financials and deadlines throughout the whole project management cycle. This includes the management of issues, risks and project change requests to ensure successful and on-time project delivery.
Leading a Portfolio of Complex Projects
The first accountability is to lead and coordinate a portfolio of complex initiatives and projects encompassing one or multiple business lines:
🎼 Become business partners' central focal point in TEC, working with the business to orchestrate workflows across TEC teams.
🔄 Liaise with Business Engagement Managers to understand project requirements, needs, change requests and the interdependencies between technology, operations and business objectives.
Project Management Activities and Roll-Out Preparation
The Project Manager leads project management activities, ensures all documentation is in place and available for all stakeholders, and prepares for the roll-out:
📥 Ensure the gathering and validation of requirements follows a Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach, along with time and cost estimates related to scope implementation.
🧱 Help define the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with a focus on value delivery.
🏛️ Design and implement the project governance structure.
📣 Design and implement a communication plan.
👷 Establish a work plan for staffing and, in coordination with the IT Solution Owner, establish a Product Team.
🔀 Implement a change management plan.
🔧 Ensure project delivery includes not only the main working IT deliverables but also the mechanisms and processes for product maintenance, evolution and full roll-out once the MVP has been delivered.
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Managing the Work Plan, Risks and Issues
📊 Monitor, track and report the project's progress against the project baselines, identify key success factors and potential issues and risks that threaten performance, and decide how best to implement corrective actions.
📋 Identify, track and manage divisional risks through corporate documents such as the risk register, and develop a corresponding response plan.
🧩 Discuss and support the resolution of issues and questions raised by the technical and functional teams of the project.
🗣️ Communicate clearly and manage stakeholders' expectations about the project's timeline, risks, quality and costs, keeping them informed of progress, challenges and achievements.
🧷 Identify internal and external dependencies that may impact the project.
💡 Work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment, demonstrating teamwork, innovation and excellence.
📝 Assess development change requests and gather feasibility and impact assessments related to changes in the scope of requirements.
✅ Ensure the technical work of the teams complies with IT guidelines and procedures (for example SDLC, Scrum, test methodology) and that all technical documentation meets the expected quality standards.
Budget and Resource Management
🧮 Prepare an accurate budget estimate for the project.
🤲 Liaise with other technical teams to consolidate the complete project budget estimate.
🖊️ Ensure business agreement on the budget proposal and ensure that funds are transferred accordingly.
🧾 Monitor budget availability across all project stages and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure the placement of Purchase Orders.
📉 Track resource allocation and consumption against the forecasted budget and escalate any deviations.
Guardian of the PMO Methodology
The Project Manager acts as a guardian of the project management methodology established by the Project Management Office (PMO):
📐 Ensure projects adhere to PMO standards in areas such as definition, costing, implementation, documentation and reporting.
🏗️ Guide and contribute to the development of practices, frameworks and processes that expand and strengthen the project management methodology.
➕ Other duties as required.
Education Required
🎓 University degree in Business Administration, Economics, Information Technology or related fields.
📜 Project Management education or certification is desirable.
Experience Required
🗓️ Minimum 5 years of professional experience in project management within an organisation.
🔁 A proven record of management and delivery of the full cycle of projects, ideally IT-related projects.
Knowledge and Skills
⚙️ Knowledge and experience with project management methodologies, both Waterfall and Agile, and project management software tools.
💾 IT background or solid knowledge of IT software development and data & analytics.
👥 Experience managing cross-functional teams.
🪜 Ability to interact comfortably with different levels of management, senior stakeholders and functional teams.
🏭 Experience with multi-vendor projects, delivery coordination and management.
⏰ Initiative and drive to meet deliverables on time and within budget.
🔬 Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment, demonstrating teamwork, innovation and excellence.
✍️ Excellent written and oral communication skills.
🔎 Organized, with attention to detail to ensure projects run efficiently.
🧠 Personal effectiveness: strategic and analytical thinking, results orientation, commitment to excellence, appropriate and transparent decision making.
⚡ Ability to prioritize effectively and execute under pressure.
🛎️ Strong customer service orientation.
🌏 Ability to work in multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environments.
Language Requirements
🇬🇧 Fluency (level C) in English is required.
🗨️ Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) and/or WFP's working language, Portuguese, is desirable.
WFP Leadership Framework
The WFP Leadership Framework sets the common standards of behavior that guide how WFP staff work together to accomplish the organization's mission.
Diversity and Reasonable Accommodation
WFP celebrates and embraces diversity and is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees. Qualified candidates are encouraged 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.
WFP is also committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. The contact address for accommodation requests is listed in the Links section.
How to Apply
🕛 The deadline for applications is 23:59 Central European Time (Rome, GMT+01:00) on 15 November 2026.
🖥️ All applications must be submitted exclusively through WFP's online recruiting system. CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn or any other channel are not considered.
👤 WFP strongly recommends that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, with all sections filled in, including employment history, academic qualifications, language skills and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is complete, apply and submit your application.
📎 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.
🆘 If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, a dedicated support address is available. It is only for technical issues: unsolicited applications or documents sent there will not receive a reply.
Selection and Background Checks
📬 Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited 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 an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority, so all selected candidates undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
🚫 No appointment under any kind of contract is 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 similar UN oversight bodies, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.
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. If you receive a request for payment of a fee, disregard it. Emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced, so take particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the WFP Project Manager role remote?
Yes. The duty station is listed as remote working, and the vacancy is published under Rome, Italy. The position sits in the Digital Services unit of WFP's Information Technology Division.
What contract does WFP offer for this position?
The role is offered on a Regular consultancy contract (CST) Level II. The duration is 11 months.
Who does the Project Manager report to?
The Project Manager reports to the Project Manager lead. The role oversees relevant TEC stakeholders and external implementing partners.
How much experience do I need?
You need a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in project management within an organisation. A proven record of delivering the full project cycle, ideally for IT-related projects, is also required.
Which project management methods should I know?
WFP asks for knowledge and experience with both Waterfall and Agile methodologies and project management software tools. The role also follows IT guidelines such as SDLC, Scrum and test methodology.
What degree is required?
A university degree in Business Administration, Economics, Information Technology or a related field is required. Project management education or certification is desirable.
Which languages are required?
Fluency (level C) in English is required. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language or Portuguese is desirable.
What documents do I need to apply?
At the application stage, only your CV and Cover Letter are required. Other documents may be requested later in the process.
Can I send my application by email?
No. WFP only accepts applications submitted through its online recruiting system. Applications sent by email, LinkedIn or any other channel are not considered.
Does WFP charge a fee to apply?
No. The United Nations does not charge any fee at any stage of the application or recruitment process. Any request for payment should be disregarded.
Deadline
⏳ 15 November 2026
Links
🔗 Apply on the WFP online recruiting system: https://wd3.myworkdaysite.com/recruiting/wfp/job_openings/job/Rome-Italy/Project-Manager_JR126329
🌐 WFP website: https://www.wfp.org
♿ Reasonable accommodation requests: global.inclusion@wfp.org
🛠️ Technical issues with an application: global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org
