DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
23 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
The HR Officer P4 (Payroll, Time & Audit Operations Lead) position is part of the HR Technology and Analytics Branch (HRMOI) based in headquarters in Rome and reports to Chief P5.
The HRMOI provide the digital backbone of HR, enabling the effective delivery of HR operational processes through standardized business processes, high‑quality data, and enterprise HR technologies.
HRMOI leads the development, implementation, and maintenance of the HR Division’s technology strategy and roadmap, supporting integrated talent management and ensuring full visibility and integrity of the global workforce. This is achieved through enterprise HR platforms that integrate people processes, data, and intelligence across corporate and satellite systems, and through analytics and digital tools that support evidence‑based decision‑making across the employee lifecycle.
STREAM 1: Payroll, time & audit Operations
STREAM 2: HR Tech & talent Solutions
STREAM 3: People analytics & reporting
STREAM 4: Organizational governance].
THE ROLE
The HR Officer ((Payroll, Time & Audit Operations Lead) provides senior-level functional oversight of payroll‑critical HR systems and services, ensuring accuracy, compliance, resilience, and continuous improvement of payroll, time, benefits, and audit‑sensitive HR processes across WFP.
Reporting to the Chief, HRMOI, and acting Deputy Chief HRMOI, the role leads the Payroll, Time & Audit Operations workstream and is accountable for the end‑to‑end governance, performance, and evolution of payroll‑related HR systems. The incumbent ensures that HR policies, contractual rules, and statutory requirements are effectively translated into robust business processes and system configurations that support payroll continuity, financial integrity, and audit readiness.
The position balances operational excellence (run) with system enhancement and risk management (change), provides expert advisory support to HR and Finance counterparts, and leads multidisciplinary teams delivering payroll‑critical services in a global, highly regulated environment.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):
Payroll, Time & Audit Systems Governance
Lead the governance, design, and continuous improvement of payroll, time, benefits, and audit‑sensitive HR systems to ensure accuracy, compliance, operational resilience and exception handling.
Ensure HR systems fully support WFP’s payroll policies, contractual frameworks, and statutory obligations across staff categories and duty stations.
Oversee the integrity, completeness, and consistency of payroll‑related master data across Workday, SAP, and downstream systems.
Controls, Compliance & Audit Readiness
Establish and maintain strong payroll controls, validation rules, and reconciliation mechanisms to ensure audit readiness and risk mitigation.
Lead responses to internal and external audits, inspections, and oversight requests related to payroll, time, and HR data integrity.
Proactively identify systemic risks, recurrent issues, or control weaknesses and drive corrective and preventive actions in collaboration with HR, Finance, and TEC.
HR Systems Operations & Service Delivery
Ensure the reliable delivery of payroll‑critical HR systems services, including time‑critical payroll cycles, mass processing, retroactivity handling, and year‑end activities.
Provide senior‑level escalation management for complex payroll, time, and system issues affecting staff payments or compliance.
Monitor service performance, trends, and incident patterns, using data‑driven insights to improve system stability and service quality.
Change Management, Enhancements & Projects
Translate new or revised HR policies, contractual frameworks, or legislative changes into system requirements and implementation plans.
Lead the preparation of complex business requirements for payroll and time‑related system changes and enhancements.
Oversee functional design, testing, deployment, and post‑implementation stabilization of enhancements to payroll and time systems.
Contribute to enterprise HR projects and transformation initiatives, ensuring payroll and compliance considerations are fully embedded.
Stakeholder Engagement & Inter‑Agency Coordination
Serve as advisory focal point for HR, Finance, Budget, and Management Services on payroll and time system matters.
Maintain operational relationships with external and inter‑agency stakeholders, including pension funds, social security entities, insurers, and UN system counterparts.
Represent WFP in inter‑agency fora related to payroll, ERP, and HR system standards, ensuring WFP requirements are reflected in common solutions.
Leadership & People Management
Lead and manage a multidisciplinary team of HR systems professionals, fostering accountability, technical excellence, and continuous learning.
Plan and allocate resources to ensure business continuity during payroll‑critical periods while supporting system evolution and improvement.
Other Responsibilities
Act as Deputy to the Chief HRMOI, as required, contributing to branch‑level coordination and decision‑making.
Perform other related duties as required in line with organizational priorities.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Education: advanced university degree in Human Resources Management, Information Technology, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field. A first‑level university degree with additional relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree .
Experience: at least eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in HR information systems, payroll and time management systems, or related areas in a large, complex organization.
Experience in a global, decentralized organization and exposure to UN or international public‑sector environments is required.
Mandatory experience includes:
Leadership for payroll‑critical HR systems and services
Translation of HR policies, contractual rules, and legislative requirements into system configurations
Preparation of complex business requirements and support to system testing and deployment
Management and leadership of staff or multidisciplinary teams
Desired experience includes:
Direct experience with Workday HCM payroll, time, and benefits modules
Experience with SAP HR payroll ecosystems in a large, decentralized organization
Familiarity with UN system payroll, pension, insurance, and social security arrangements
Experience supporting payroll‑related audits or inspections
MORE ABOUT YOU:
You have:
Profound knowledge of enterprise HR information systems supporting payroll, time and attendance, and audit‑sensitive processes (e.g. SAP HR, Workday HCM)
Deep functional expertise in payroll, time management, benefits, and core HR processes, including retroactivity, mass processing, and reconciliations
Strong understanding of payroll controls, HR data integrity, audit requirements, and compliance frameworks
Demonstrated ability to translate policy and regulatory requirements into sustainable system configurations
Experience preparing complex business requirements and supporting testing, deployment, and production stability
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).
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This position is classified as an International Professional role and is open to candidates of all nationalities.
Mobility is and continues to be a core contractual requirement in WFP. These positions are however classified as “non-rotational” which means the incumbents shall not be subject to the regular reassignment process unless the positions are reclassified as rotational. The selected candidates will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year. These positions are open to both internal and external candidates.
WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards (http://icsc.un.org) including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance.
The selected candidates 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.
