About this opportunity

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

31 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.org and 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: Impact Evaluation Specialist

TYPE OF CONTRACT: CSLT Regular (Level 2)

UNIT/DIVISION: Office of Evaluation, Impact Evaluation Unit

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy

DURATION: 11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

As the largest humanitarian agency in the world, WFP is committed to generating rigorous impact evaluation evidence to better understand the needs of the people they serve and to support them in transitioning out of food insecurity.

WFP’s 2022 Evaluation Policy defines impact evaluations as measuring changes in development outcomes of interest for a target population that can be attributed to a specific programme or policy through a credible counterfactual.

Impact evaluations have already significantly altered the way the world understands poverty and the effectiveness of development interventions. But humanitarian and transitional development contexts have not yet benefitted from the same level of impact evaluation evidence. The Impact Evaluation Strategy (2019-2026) lays out WFP's vision for increasing the coverage and use of rigorous impact evaluations in humanitarian and development settings, highlighting the organization's renewed commitment to generating operationally relevant evidence of global significance.

This position will help WFP respond to growing demand from host countries, donors and policymakers for high-quality impact evaluation evidence. Impact evaluations are delivered by WFP’s Office of Evaluation (OEV) at the request of country offices. They are usually undertaken during programme implementation over a multi-year period.

Impact evaluations are delivered in line with corporate evidence priorities through impact evaluation “windows”. These windows are portfolios of impact evaluations in specific priority evidence areas, agreed with WFP management, which will be updated over time as the organization’s evidence priorities change. Current impact evaluation windows include: 1) cash-based transfer and gender; 2) climate and resilience; 3) school-based programmes. This position will primarily support the Climate and Resilience Window.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The main accountabilities and responsibilities are:

1. Support the coordination and management of the WFP’s Climate and Resilience Impact Evaluation Window (20%):

• Together with the team and other stakeholders, contribute to defining future evidence priorities and impact evaluation research questions.

• Lead or support the delivery of window level deliverables, including data management and analysis, briefs, and academic papers.

• Develop and maintain IE management tools, data banks, e-library, information,      and    archive systems for assigned work (including in SharePoint and Teams).

2. Lead or contribute to the delivery of impact evaluations under the Climate and Resilience Window (70%):

• Lead the design of the impact evaluation in accordance with best practices as well as WFP Process Guide. Impact evaluations should use context appropriate methods of analysis and data collection tools and innovate accordingly whenever necessary.

• Lead or contribute to the procurement of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals.

• Support the procurement of data collection firms and support data collection activities in a manner that is best suited for the impact evaluation and has the potential for meeting other WFP monitoring and evaluation needs. 

• Assist in the design, revision, and support the programming of household survey questionnaires.

• Lead or support data analysis in accordance with agreed impact evaluation designs and within timeframes that maximise the opportunity for evidence to be used in WFP and other partners decision-making processes. 

• Lead the day-to-day engagement with field coordinators and other stakeholders at country and regional office level.

• Produce or review detailed reports that outline impact evaluation activities and findings at the inception, mid-line(s), and end line of each impact evaluation, in accordance with WFP guidance and templates.  

• Support the quality assurance and peer review processes for impact evaluation reports. 

• Lead or support the design and dissemination workshops and undertake field visits as required to support impact evaluation related activities.

3. Any other duties assigned by the Head of the Impact Evaluation Unit (10%).

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

1. Effective engagements with country offices and stakeholders to deliver on the climate and resilience window deliverables;

2. Effective feasibility discussions with the priority countries to co-create impact evaluations;

3. Successful management of 3 to 4 impact evaluations;

4. Clear and effective impact evaluation communications outputs.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

·       Masters degree in academic disciplines relevant to the assignment (economics, political science, development studies, etc.). A doctoral degree is considered an advantage.

Experience:

·       A minimum of 6 years’ professional experience supporting the delivery and quality of impact evaluations, and preferably with exposure to climate/resilience impact evaluations or research.

·       Experience managing Randomized Control Trials in the field is considered a plus.

·       Experience working with UN and multilateral agencies is considered a plus.

Knowledge & Skills:

·       Excellent research skills

·       Solid knowledge of quantitative methods used for identifying and measuring impacts (e.g. survey design, implicit association tests, etc.).  

·       Proficiency in using statistical software packages (Stata, R, SPSS, etc.). 

·       Fully computer-literate with excellent skills in Word, Excel, Power Point and database management.  

·       Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively in diverse teams. Experience working with government partners is desirable.  

·       Strong organizational and planning skills to manage multi‑partner workplans. Ability to track implementation progress and ensure timely follow‑up.

·       Adapt in bringing together diverse stakeholders and facilitating collaborative decision‑making

·       Excellent written, verbal and visual communication skills. Ability to effectively bridge academic and practitioner audiences.  

·       Well organised and systematic. 

Languages:

·       Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language is a requirement.

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:  global.inclusion@wfp.org

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 global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. 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.

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Source: World Food Programme — worldwide official careers