The World Food Programme (WFP) is recruiting a Team Lead – Analytics and Evidence for Diets and Nutrition (P4) in Rome, Italy, a senior international professional position focused on nutrition analytics, evidence generation, research, and policy support. The application deadline is 20 September 2026 at 23:59 Central European Time (Rome).
This is a leadership role within WFP’s Nutrition, School Meals and Social Protection Service. The successful candidate will oversee two analytical teams—the Modelling and Mapping risk of Inadequate Micronutrient Intake (MIMI) and Systems Analysis for Nutrition (SAN) teams—and help turn nutrition and diet evidence into practical policy and programme decisions.
WFP Team Lead – Analytics and Evidence: Key Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Organisation | World Food Programme (WFP) |
| Position | Team Lead – Analytics and Evidence for Diets and Nutrition (P4) |
| Job Requisition | JR126348 |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Job Type | Full time |
| Contract | Fixed-term, with a one-year probationary period |
| Position Type | International Professional |
| Nationality | Open to all nationalities |
| Rotation | Non-rotational |
| Application Deadline | 20 September 2026, 23:59 CET (Rome) |
| Application Documents | CV and Cover Letter |
| Application Method | WFP online recruiting system only |
| Relocation | Selected candidate must relocate to Rome |
The vacancy is open to both internal and external candidates. Although mobility remains a core contractual requirement at WFP, this particular position is classified as non-rotational, meaning the incumbent will not normally be subject to the regular reassignment process unless the position is later reclassified.
What does the Team Lead role involve?
The Team Lead will provide strategic direction for WFP’s work on nutrition and diet analytics and will be the primary representative for this area within the Nutrition, School Meals and Social Protection Service.
A major part of the job is overseeing the MIMI and SAN teams, including their workplans, analytical outputs, methodological development, and engagement with stakeholders. The role also involves connecting technical evidence with WFP’s nutrition, school meals and social protection programming and technical assistance.
The position combines research leadership, people management, partnerships, data analysis and evidence-to-policy communication. Key areas of responsibility include:
- Providing strategic oversight and quality assurance for nutrition and diet analytical methods and findings.
- Supporting the responsible use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in nutrition analytics.
- Guiding the use and integration of data sources and indicators related to micronutrient deficiency risks, diet costs and affordability.
- Overseeing country-level stakeholder consultations and the translation of research findings into useful analytical products and dashboards.
- Identifying new analytical opportunities and potential funding linked to nutrition and diet analytics.
- Building relationships with governments, donors, academic institutions, technical partners and other WFP teams.
- Managing multidisciplinary teams and supporting staff development and performance.
- Managing budgets and resource allocation alongside relevant WFP counterparts.
- Turning complex analytical findings into accessible visualisations for policy and programme audiences.
- Supporting dissemination, evidence-to-policy uptake and knowledge sharing.
- Coordinating manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and representing WFP at academic conferences and relevant forums.
The role therefore goes well beyond technical data analysis. WFP is looking for someone who can lead specialists, communicate scientific evidence to different audiences, develop partnerships and help ensure that analytical work influences real-world nutrition policy and programming.
Who is eligible for this WFP position?
Applicants need an advanced university degree in Nutrition, Food Science, or Public Health with a major in Nutrition. The vacancy asks for a minimum of eight years of professional experience in an analytical nutrition role. Experience related to large-scale food fortification or local food solutions is considered an advantage.
The experience requirements are particularly substantial because this is a P4-level team leadership position. Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience in several areas, including:
- Supervising large multidisciplinary teams of senior and junior analysts.
- Designing and managing research involving diverse stakeholders and data sources.
- Working with food and nutrient availability, dietary intake, nutritional status and related health data.
- Using Household Consumption and Expenditure Survey data to estimate food or nutrient intake and diet access at the individual level.
- Leading stakeholder engagement that produces evidence-based policy and programme recommendations.
- Strengthening analytical and policy capacity within national institutions, WFP Country Offices and technical partners.
- Presenting analytical evidence clearly to governments, programme teams and academic partners.
- Representing WFP in high-level academic consortia and committees.
- Building partnerships with donors and governments, including negotiating funding and supporting resource mobilisation.
What technical skills does WFP want?
The vacancy places significant emphasis on specialist nutrition analytics. Candidates should have working knowledge of nutrition data landscapes covering areas such as micronutrients, dietary assessment and household food security.
Technical proficiency in quantitative and qualitative analysis is also expected, including the use of STATA for quantitative data and NVIVO for qualitative analysis. The role additionally calls for expert-level abilities with diet modelling software such as Cost of the Diet and Optifood, together with experience applying artificial intelligence specifically to food and nutrition analytics.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities are complemented by the need for excellent communication, scientific writing, training and facilitation skills. WFP also highlights flexibility, interpersonal skills, cross-cultural sensitivity and the ability to coordinate with governments, research institutions, private-sector organisations, donors and NGO partners.
Language requirements
Fluency at level C in English is required. Applicants also need intermediate knowledge at level B of a second official UN language from the following list:
- Arabic
- Chinese
- French
- Russian
- Spanish
- Portuguese
The vacancy identifies these as WFP working languages.
What are the contract and benefits?
This is an International Professional position and is explicitly open to all nationalities. The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a one-year probationary period and will need to relocate to Rome, Italy.
WFP states that its compensation and benefits package follows ICSC standards. The listed package includes basic salary and post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days of annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan and medical insurance.
How to apply for the WFP Team Lead position
Applications must be submitted exclusively through WFP’s online recruiting system. WFP does not consider applications or CVs sent by email, LinkedIn or other channels.
Before submitting an application, candidates should make sure their WFP Workday profile is complete and accurate. WFP specifically recommends filling in employment history, academic qualifications, language skills and UN grade information where applicable.
At the application stage, the required documents are:
- CV
- Cover Letter
WFP notes that additional documents, such as passports, certificates or recommendation letters, may be requested later in the recruitment process. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stage.
Applicants should also be aware that WFP does not charge application, processing, training, interviewing or testing fees. Any request for payment connected with recruitment should therefore be disregarded.
Application Deadline
The deadline for this WFP Team Lead – Analytics and Evidence for Diets and Nutrition position is 20 September 2026 at 23:59 Central European Time (Rome).
