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).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIVISION
The Programme Division (PRG) is home to WFP’s strategic, normative and technical guidance; and thought leadership across various programmatic and thematic areas.
Guided by the Strategic Plan, the division’s primary function is to support Country Offices to effectively conduct analysis, design, integrate, monitor and implement tailored and high-quality programmes that address the various food and nutritional needs and challenges across the full range of WFP’s operational settings – from rapidly responding to emergencies, to building sustainable solutions in protracted crises.
The programme division oversees corporate efforts on nutrition and food security analysis and monitoring and leads the strategic direction of WFP’s core programme areas, including emergency preparedness and response; climate and resilience; nutrition, social protection, and school-based programmes.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Type of assignment: Internship
- Number of available positions: 1
- Country of assignment: Italy
- City of assignment: Rome
- Supervisor: Special Assistant to the Division Director & Programme Policy Officer
- Working arrangement: In Person
- Duration of assignment: 6 Months
- Expected Starting Date: 01 November 2026
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide support to the management of the WFP’s Programme Guidance Manual (PGM) Platform, including transfer and upload of programmatic guidance manuals, ensuring correct formatting and access rights on the web platform.
- Liaise with relevant colleagues in the PRG Division to ensure programmatic guidance content is accurately formatted and labelled using corporate taxonomy.
- Support communications activities related to the PGM, and other platforms hosted by the Programme Division Front Office.
- Conduct research and gather relevant information to support the development and revision of programme cycle ‘job aid’ guidance in the PGM, including reviewing inputs, drafting sections, and incorporating feedback from technical colleagues.
- Assist in planning and delivering the PRG webinar series, with outreach support, logistical coordination, preparation of summary reports, and development of key messages.
- Assist with secretariat activities, such as coordinating meeting times and creating Notes for the Record for meetings with knowledge management stakeholders.
- Assist with internal communications activities, such contributing to digital communities and repositories, developing and curating intranet content (articles, page development, etc.), posters, and other visual assets.
- Support the PRG Front Office in other relevant information and knowledge management or communications tasks as needed.
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate programme (for example, Bachelor’s degree) from a recognized university and have completed at least two years of the programme; OR
- Be currently enrolled in a graduate programme (for example, Master degree); OR
- Be a recent graduate from an undergraduate or graduate programme (within six months prior to the application to the internship programme);
- Classes attendance in the last 12 months of enrolment in a recognized university.
- Excellent written and spoken English is required (proficiency/level C). Working knowledge of another official UN language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian plus Portuguese) is an asset.
TRAINING COMPONENTS
Throughout their assignment WFP interns have access to an industry leading learning platform, WeLearn. Depending on opportunities and availability of funds, he/she may participate in WFP workshops or seminars, as appropriate.
LEARNING ELEMENTS
At the end of the assignment, the Intern should:
- A solid understanding of WFP as an organization, including its mandate, structure, and a clear understanding of the role of the Programme (PRG) Division within the organization, including how corporate programme policies, guidance, and tools support country offices in the design and implementation of programmes.
- Knowledge of WFP’s core programmatic areas and intervention approaches, such as food assistance modalities, resilience-building, social protection, and emergency response.
- Practical understanding of the WFP programme cycle, including needs assessment, design, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and learning processes.
- Hands-on experience with platform and content management systems (CMS) through active involvement in maintaining the key PRG Knowledge management platforms, as well as familiarity with internal communication and knowledge management practices, such as curating intranet content, supporting digital communities, developing communication materials, and contributing to knowledge-sharing processes.
- Strengthened coordination and facilitation skills, gained through supporting the PRG Strategic Webinar Series, liaising with Global HQ and COs colleagues, organizing meetings, and preparing Notes for the Record.
- Enhanced project management skills, including planning, organizing tasks, tracking progress, and contributing to the delivery of knowledge products.
INTERNSHIP TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Interns receive a monthly stipend from WFP up to the maximum amount of US$1,000 per month depending on the duty station of assignment.
- WFP is not responsible for living expenses, arrangements for accommodation, VISA requests and related costs.
- WFP will reimburse travel ticket for candidates who are nationals of developing countries and are pursuing their studies in their home country.
- WFP will recognize candidates’ educational credentials from recognised institutions that have been certified by competent international or national authorities such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or Ministries of Education.
- Sons, daughters, brothers, or sisters of current WFP employees are not eligible to apply.
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: 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 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 global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. 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.