DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
19 June 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
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).
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
This role is located in the Legal Office in Headquarters (HQ) and report to the Division Director or the designate.
At this level, job holders operate with a high level of operational independence for issuing legal advice and dealing client’s legal issues. They perform a high degree of specialized legal work and deal with complex and sensitive legal issues. In addition, particularly in larger legal groups, it is common for the P-4 job holder to be a team leader providing guidance, leadership and mentoring for other Legal Officers. At this level, job holders originate new policies or programs in a specific subject area or field of work. Work involves specialist expertise that goes beyond established procedures or models. Job holders work with minimal supervision and are expected to pursue new areas of activities within a broad program framework combining credible capacity with independent responsibility for developing specific program initiatives and creates opportunities for developing new client relationships.
This position sits within the Contractual and Constitutional Law Branch (LEGC), in a team that provides legal support on private sector partnerships, communication, finance, cash-based transfer (CBT), Data and Personal Data, technology, in support of relevant HQ units and field implementation. The role will primarily focus on the provision of legal support on CBT — including procurement of financial service providers — technology, innovative finance initiatives, and privacy. The holder will also be expected to assist the wider Legal Office on Spanish-language matters pertaining to international law, privileges and immunities, and procurement.
THE ROLE
To provide sound legal advice, services and representation on complex legal matters in accordance with applicable legal policies, rules and practices, to protect the interest of the organization and minimize liabilities.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):
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Serve as a lead officer in one or more areas of concentration, and independently handle a wide range of multi-discipline and highly complex legal matters including interpretation and application of various legal instruments in the relevant area of concentration to ensure the provision of comprehensive legal services.
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Contribute to determination of strategy and approach to legal matters, to ensure provision of solid recommendations and cohesive legal services.
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Develop policies, directives, guidelines, procedures and other internal or corporate documents to provide organization with appropriate regulatory framework.
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Provide legal advice on diverse and complex procedural questions, draft and negotiate complex contracts, agreements, institutional and operational modalities, other corporate legal documents including development of new legal modalities to meet unique client requirements.
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Provide advice and participate in negotiations and settlement of claims and disputes with public and private entities to ensure WFP’s position is explained and defended.
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Undertake extensive legal research and analysis and prepare legal opinions, studies, briefs, reports and complex correspondence to enable the provision of comprehensive legal services.
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Provide efficient legal services on various standing boards, committees, working groups and task forces and represent organization at meetings, conferences and other events including complex cases in tribunals or administrative proceedings to ensure the efficient exchange of technical discussions and that WFP’s interests are protected.
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Facilitate increased awareness of potential liability exposure and proactive minimization of risk to enable well-informed decisions.
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Build productive partnerships with other Legal Offices across UN system to ensure consistency in legal information and to complement WFP provided legal services.
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Supervise, coach and build capacity of other staff.
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Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Education:
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Advanced University degree in Law, or First University degree in Law with additional relevant experience and training in private, commercial or public Law.
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Must be qualified to practice or admitted to practice by a recognized national or state bar or law society.
Experience:
At least eight years or more of relevant progressively responsible experience as a lawyer in a law firm, in a private-sector legal department with international exposure, or in an international organization, with strong expertise in contract and commercial law, including support to innovative financing arrangements and non-traditional funding mechanisms.
Language: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or Portuguese (a WFP working language).
MORE ABOUT YOU:
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Experience of intellectual property law, particularly in relation to technology-related contracts, digital services, and data protection considerations
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Public and/or private international law experience, including privileges and immunities
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Experience or demonstrated exposure to technology law, including the review of IT-related contracts and emerging regulatory considerations
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Familiarity with or contribution to the establishment and use of AI-supported systems in legal or administrative functions (e.g. document management, legal research tools, workflow automation), ensuring compliance with organizational policies on confidentiality, data protection, and ethical standards
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Experience with or exposure to innovative financing models, non-traditional funding mechanisms, and partnership structuring in an international or development context
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Experience in procurement law, including negotiation and oversight of contracts with financial service providers and commercial vendors in an international organization setting
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Demonstrated ability to provide legal services in Spanish and Fluency (level C) in Spanish language is desirable
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Experience advising on cash-based transfer programmes and related delivery mechanisms, including mobile money, digital wallets, and financial inclusion instruments
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In depth expertise in legal principles, concepts, procedures and terminology for review, examination and processing of a range of legal documents, evidence gathering
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Knowledge of various legal research sources, techniques and ability to interpret and apply complex legislative instruments and draft legal papers.
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Demonstrated ability to design new concepts, policies and applications.
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Strong initiative-taker and demonstrated ability to take independent decisions.
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Strong business acumen and ability to think strategically.
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Solid communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills.
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Strong time management and priorities management skills.
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Practical knowledge of tribunal processes and procedures.
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General knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations and procedures.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
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This is an International Professional position and is open to all nationalities. Mobility is and continues to be a core contractual requirement in WFP.
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This position is however classified as “non-rotational” which means the incumbent shall not be subject to the regular reassignment process unless the position is reclassified as rotational.
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The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year.
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This position is open to both internal and external candidates. WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel, visa and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. For more information, visithttps://icsc.un.org/.
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The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Rome, Italy to take up this assignment.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
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.
