Food Safety & Quality Officer - cst I - East Jerusalem

Consultant, CST I

Ensuring the safety, quality, and fitness-for-purpose of food commodities and supply chains is critical to protect beneficiaries, comply with WFP policies, and maintain operational continuity under volatile field conditions. The Food Safety & Quality Officer (Food Technologist) will strengthen risk assessment, prevention, and incident response; optimize local procurement and storage practices; and build partner capacity to meet WFP standards across Gaza and the West Bank.

Unit/Division: Supply Chain – Food Quality & Safety/WFP Palestine

Duty Station: East Jerusalem/Ramallah with regular travel to Gaza and West Bank field locations

Duration: 6 months (renewable, subject to funding and performance)

You are required to fill in all mandatory fields on Workday in English and upload your English CV. Your application would be otherwise disqualified.

What will you do in this position?

Under the direct supervision of Head of Supply Chain and technical oversight from Regional Food Safety & Quality Advisor, the Food Technologist will:

• Collate and analyze data on food quality and safety across WFP Palestine's operations (e.g., Cash-based Transfers, In-kind top-ups, General Food Distribution and School Feeding etc.), producing risk dashboards and periodic reports to inform management decisions.
• Prepare evidence-based recommendations to reduce commodity losses and mitigate food safety issues in constrained environments (e.g., high ambient temperatures, intermittent power, limited cold chain).
• Develop and adapt rapid response tools and SOPs for food safety incidents (including recall/hold procedures, traceability, and beneficiary communication)
• Support on investigations and document lessons learnt in the event of food safety incidents.
• Provide technical guidance on vendor pre-qualification, local sourcing, specifications, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria.
• Support warehouse teams on storage, pest control, and FIFO/FEFO.
• Support field teams and cooperating partners in Gaza and the West Bank with training, job aids, and remote coaching on food quality and safety compliance under access and security constraints.
• Contribute to protocol alignment with WFP procurement, QA/QC policies, and national regulations; liaise with ministries, laboratories, and inspection bodies to harmonize standards and testing.
• Take lead on commodity inspections, post-delivery monitoring, and distribution spot checks; ensure corrective actions are tracked and closed.
• Integrate food safety risk management into emergency preparedness and business continuity planning; act in surge capacity during escalations.
• Build collaborative relationships with Programme, Supply Chain, M&E, and partners to enable an integrated, risk-informed approach to food assistance.
• Guide and supervise junior staff and focal points; provide technical clearance of QA/QC reports and vendor documentation.

To join us in saving lives, changing lives, you will have:

Education: Advanced university degree in Food Technology, Food Science, Health Sciences, Food Control, Nutrition or other related field; OR First University degree with additional two (02) years of related work experience and/or relevant trainings/courses.

Experience: At least 3 years of relevant post-graduate professional experience in food quality and safety, food technology, or related areas.

-Experience in humanitarian operations, emergency contexts, or fragile settings is required.

-Experience with supplier QA, warehousing/last-mile quality controls, and incident management is desirable.

Knowledge & Skills:

Mandatory:

• Applied knowledge of HACCP, ISO 22000/FSMS, sampling plans, and food specifications; ability to conduct inspections and risk assessments.
• Strong analytical skills (Excel/Power BI or equivalent) for trend analysis and reporting; excellent technical writing and SOP development.
• Experience training non-technical staff and partners; ability to tailor materials to field constraints.

Desirable:

• Experience with fortified foods, micronutrient stability, and moisture/temperature control in hot climates.
• Familiarity with national food laws and lab networks; ability to coordinate 3rd-party testing.

Languages: Fluency (level C) in English. Knowledge of Arabic and/or Hebrew is an asset.

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: global.inclusion@wfp.org.

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 recruitment system. We do not accept CVs or spontaneous applications by email.
• If you experience challenges while submitting your online application, please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org for technical support only.
• Please note that applications sent to this email address cannot be considered.
• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

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.