Economist

Vedi l’offerta su Go Lavoro: golavoro.it/annuncio-lavoro/7anpcs

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

9 August 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: Economist (P4)
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Short Term Professional
UNIT/DIVISION: Economic and Markets Unit (PRGFE) / Programme Division (PRG)
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy
DURATION: 07.09.2026 - 31.12.2026

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The Economic and Markets Unit (PRGFE) of the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service (PRGF of the Programme Division (PRG) of the World Food Programme (WFP) seeks to fill an economist position, which will be based at the Headquarters of the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome, Italy. The PRGF Service in WFP Headquarters leads WFP’s food security analysis, supporting a large network of analysts in Regional Offices (ROs) and Country Offices (COs). Food security analysis is a cornerstone of the organization’s work. It provides WFP, governments and partners with the essential information to identify populations in need and target the most appropriate type and scale of interventions as well as with the necessary knowledge to inform policy decisions and advocacy efforts. Analyses span emergency assessments, in-depth household surveys, food security monitoring, early warning and forecasting, spatial analysis and economic and market analysis. PRGFE leverages economic analysis to support operational decision-making and evidence-driven advocacy. The unit provides tools, guidance, and support to WFP COs to enhance their capacity to monitor food prices, assess markets, analyze essential needs and adjust programmes in contexts of economic volatility, ensuring that interventions are both timely and effective. PRGFE further monitors economic trends and risks, analyzes food security implications of global economic shocks and runs scenario simulations,



based on cutting-edge economic research.
Within PRGFE, the Economist will lead the following: 1) the development and implementation of innovative methodologies to support market assessments ensuring technical support and continuous scale-up and validation of the Market Functionality Index (MFI); 2) advanced modelling techniques for food security scenario simulations, including scale-up, expansion of use cases and validation of the Shock & Assistance Platform for Economy-wide Simulations (SHAPES) to provide credible, relevant and timely evidence for strategic and operational decision-making to alleviate hunger and malnutrition by simulating the impact of negative shocks on households and the local economy, combined with assessing the direct and indirect benefits of assistance provided to households to offset those shocks.
When required, the Economist will also provide technical supervision and advice on other PRGFE initiatives and conduct on-demand research work and country support.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the supervision of the Head of PRGFE, the Economist will specifically undertake the following tasks:
• Lead the development and roll out of SHAPES, the finalization of the online platform, its validation and further methodological developments, the development of a sustainable funding scheme, the scale-up in different WFP ROs and COs, and support to ad hoc requests;
• Lead the validation of the MFI and ensure continuous support to COs;
• Lead the development and roll-out of the MFI for nutritious products (MFI-N) in coordination with the Supply Chain & Delivery Division and the Nutrition & Food Quality Service;
• Lead market-related field missions and analyses to support WFP operations or backstop market assessments;
• Support the PRGF’s Service’s efforts on economic analysis and research on food security and policy implications;
• Lead market analysis capacity building for WFP CO and RB staff as well as to partner staff;
• Provide technical support, supervision and business advice on integrating and visualizing economic and market data within PRGF’s data ecosystems Contribute to fundraising activities by drafting funding proposals or sections thereof;
• Supervise other team members;
• Perform any other duties and responsibilities of PRGFE as assigned.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
The key outputs of the consultant are expected to be:
1. Roll-out of SHAPES.
2. Research for methodological improvements of SHAPES.
3. Continued MFI scale-up and validation study published in a peer-reviewed journal.
4. Release and roll-out of MFI-N.
5. Technical supervision and advice provided in the methodological improvement of market and price analyses and visualization.
6. Market assessment reports and economic briefs as requested.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
• Advanced degree (MSc) in economics or agricultural economics or similar relevant discipline. PhD in Economics is an advantage
Experience:
• At least 7 years of professional progressively responsible experience in the field of macro and micro-economics, market assessments, food security analysis, vulnerability analysis, emergency needs assessment, quantitative and econometric analyses, humanitarian operations, or a closely related area





• Field experience with organizations dealing with food security and emergency operations, and experience in management and inter-agency coordination are desirable
• Experience working with price, economic and household survey data
Knowledge & Skills:
• Exceptional analytical and conceptual skills
• Excellent command of Stata or SPSS and MS office; R considered plus
• Strong econometric skills are desirable
• Good analytical skills
• Strong writing skills with a demonstrated ability to research and write clear, concise analysis briefs
• Problem-solving attitude and creativity
• Ability to work both with minimal supervision and as part of a team
• Ability to establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds
Languages:
• Fluent written and spoken English (level C)
• Working knowledge (level B) of French, Arabic or Spanish is an advantage

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 hidden)

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 hidden). 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.

Vedi l’offerta su Go Lavoro: golavoro.it/annuncio-lavoro/7anpcs