External Relations Officer

World Food Programme; Roma; On-site; EUR 48,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

World Food Programme in Rome invites applications for an External Relations Officer (REG Consultant II) within the Aviation Service / Supply Chain & Delivery. The role supports external relations activities and donor engagement to strengthen partnerships and visibility in humanitarian aviation.

The successful candidate will have at least five years in external relations in humanitarian settings, a relevant advanced degree, and fluency in English plus another UN language.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in external relations practices within the humanitarian context.
• Previous experience in leading external relations activities in Aviation.
• Advanced degree requirement or equivalent experience in relevant field.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical advice and oversight to UNHAS field operations on integration of information management.
• Oversee and approve collation and dissemination of political and humanitarian analysis for donor policies and trends.
• Engage with other divisions to develop donor-facing content aligned with policy dialogue.
• Support alignment of partner engagement across HQ and field operations.
• Prepare quality briefing materials for senior management; highlight opportunities and issues.

Education

Advanced university degree in International Relations, Communications, Diplomacy or other relevant field, or first degree with additional years of work experience.

Job description

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

25 October 2026-23:59-GMT+01:00 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 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 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 WFP’s 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: https://www.wfp.organd 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: External Relations Officer

TYPE OF CONTRACT: REG Consultant II

UNIT/DIVISION : Aviation Service / Supply Chain & Delivery

DUTY STATION: Rome, Italy

DURATION : 11 months

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme saves lives in emergencies and changes the lives of millions of people around the world. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger by 2030. Every day, WFP works to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need to thrive. WFP Aviation manages the only UN-mandated air transport services dedicated to aid workers, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). UNHAS moves essential supplies over vast distances quickly, offering the last mile air transport solutions to reach places that are nearly impossible to get to - conflict settings, isolated areas with damaged or extremely poor infrastructures.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Responsible for supporting the implementation of the Aviation Service Communications and Partnerships strategies, using technical experience to enhance visibility and drive innovation. The job holder reports to the Head of Information Management & External Relations Unit.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES and ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Head of IM&ER:

1. Provide technical advice and oversight to UNHAS field operations on the integration of IM into established systems to drive the quality, consistency, standardisation of information management and performance reporting across all AFOs.
2. Oversee and approve the collation, drafting and dissemination of political and humanitarian analysis pertaining to WFP current or future responses and donor policies, trends and preferences.
3. Engage with other functional divisions, to develop content and language that speak to individual donor audiences and align with on-going global policy dialogue
4. Support alignment of partner engagement across the HQ and field operations.
5. Facilitate corporate dialogue with partners through preparation of quality briefing materials; Proactively highlight strategic opportunities and issues to senior management and propose options for the best course of action to nurture trust and interest in the work of WFP Aviation.
6. Facilitate partnership growth, by exploring opportunities to expand existing partnerships and scope of new partners, guided by assessments, analysis and due diligence; Present recommendations to senior management and ensure follow-up.
7. Contribute to the preparation of partnership proposals, strategic agreements, joint strategies and/or MOU, considering corporate norms, processes and external regulations; Ensure quality control of content by engaging with relevant functional units and field operations.
8. contribute to advancing the positioning of WFP Aviation as a facilitator of global humanitarian response and the lead in humanitarian aviation.
9. Prepare communications products that effectively convey the desired message to targeted audience(s).
10. Proactively contribute to the generation of donor specific visibility content in order to support HQ led and field operations led fundraising activities, ensuring consistency with corporate messages.
11. Other as required by the Supervisor.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• Excellent relations are developed / maintained with donors and key partners
• Enhanced positioning of WFP Aviation as an indispensable facilitator of global humanitarian response.
• The incumbent has performed his/her role in accordance with the guidance from the Head of IM&ER and at a satisfactory level through the PACE.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Minimum 5 years of professional experience in external relations practices within the humanitarian context. Previous experience in leading external relations activities in Aviation.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Advanced university degree in International Relations, Communications, Diplomacy or other relevant field, or first degree with additional years of work experience.

Languages : Fluent in English Language (Level C) and a second UN language as per WFP requirements.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

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: [e-mail]

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.

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.