Information Technology Consultant

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

29 May 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 climate change.

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: ​IT Consultant

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant Level 2

UNIT/DIVISION: Technology Division, TECM Connectivity Services Team

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Under the direct supervision of the Team Leader for Network Operations and the overall guidance of the Head of Unit, the IT Consultant will play a senior technical and coordination role in driving the evolution of WFP's global network services.

The consultant will be responsible for leading the design optimization, deployment, and lifecycle management of edge devices across field offices, while ensuring the scalability, performance, and resilience of the SD-WAN infrastructure.

The consultant will act as a technical reference point, contributing to strategic initiatives, governance, and continuous improvement.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Consultant will be responsible for:

•  Oversee and coordinate external consultants and Service Desk teams implementing network upgrades.
• Lead global decommissioning of legacy network infrastructure.
• Provide technical leadership in deployment of new network infrastructure.
• Lead SD-WAN upgrades, planning and rollout.
• Drive optimization of SD-WAN configuration and performance.
• Oversee day-to-day operations and ticketing workflows.
• Act as senior liaison with field IT officers.
• Provide mentoring on firewalls, network infrastructure devices and monitoring tools.
• Ensure monitoring governance via WhatsUp Gold.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity team on policy enforcement.
• Support centralized authentication and NAC rollout.
• Contribute to network architecture and requirements definition.
• Enhance capacity planning reporting systems.
• Design and maintain SD-WAN lab environment.
• Lead testing in constrained environments (VSAT scenarios).
• Oversee logistics for global firewall and network infrastructure device deployments.
• Support and lead field missions as required.
• Other duties as required.

Documentation of Network:

• Lead structured documentation framework development.
• Define and enforce Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Ensure continuous improvement of technical documentation.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

University degree in Computer Science/Engineering or Information Systems or equivalent working experience. Cisco and Fortinet certifications desirable.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of relevant experience with IT network Administration, support and services.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong organizational, written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task
• Experience in IT Operations environments, preferably in large international organizations
• Cisco CCNP certification or proven same level of knowledge
• Fortinet NSE4 and NSE5 certification or proven same level of Knowledge
• Knowledge of ITIL foundation principle would be an asset

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English, knowledge of additional UN language is desirable (Arabic, French, Spanish primarily)

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:  [email protected]

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 [email protected]. 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.