Economist

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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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.

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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).

JOB TITLE: ECONOMIST
TYPE OF CONTRACT: REGULAR CONSULTANT
UNIT/DIVISION: Economic and Markets Unit, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, Programme Division (PRGFE);
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome
DURATION: Until Dec 31 2026

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The Economic and Markets Unit (PRGFE) of the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service of the Programme Division (PRGF) of the World Food Programme (WFP) seeks to fill an economist position, which will be based at the Headquarters of the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome, Italy. The PRGF Service in WFP Headquarters leads WFP’s food security analysis, supporting a large network of analysts in Global Headquarters (GHQ) and Country Offices (COs). Food security analysis is a cornerstone of the organization’s work. It provides WFP, governments and partners with the essential information to identify populations in need and target the most appropriate type and scale of interventions as well as with the necessary knowledge to inform policy decisions and advocacy efforts. Analyses span emergency assessments, in-depth household surveys, food security monitoring, early warning and forecasting, spatial analysis and economic and market analysis. PRGFE combines expertise in market systems, operational efficiency, economic modelling, and strategic analytics to provide economic and market analysis and cross-cutting strategic and analytical support for operational decision-making and evidence-driven advocacy. The unit provides tools, guidance, and support to WFP COs to enhance their capacity to monitor food prices, assess markets, analyse essential needs and adjust programmes in contexts of economic shocks, ensuring that interventions are both timely and effective. PRGFE further monitors economic trends and risks, analyses food security implications of global economic shocks and runs scenario simulations, based on cutting-edge economic research. Monitoring and analysing food prices and exchange rates, maintaining the corporate data infrastructure that underpins this work, publishing the unit’s recurrent market analysis products, and supporting essential needs analysis are standing, core functions of PRGFE. These functions require continuous stewardship by a dedicated economist with the technical depth and institutional experience to sustain and develop them over time. Within the unit, the economist will lead the portfolio on prices and currencies — encompassing the management of WFP’s global price data infrastructure, price and exchange rate analysis, and the production of the unit’s flagship market publications — and will lead the unit’s Essential Needs Analysis workstream, while contributing to the broader analytical work of the unit.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the supervision of the PRGFE economist overseeing the workstreams described below, and in close collaboration with the Head of Unit, the economist will have the following responsibilities:
1. Steward WFP’s global price and exchange rate data infrastructure and monitoring systems
• Manage and continuously develop WFP’s global food price database as a corporate and public good — its architecture, taxonomy, standards, and coverage — in line with organizational and field needs;
• Ensure the reliability of the entire data pipeline, from field collection to publication, through automated processing, systematic cleaning and validation, and consistent classification of commodities and markets;
• Ensure the database remains well integrated in WFP’s broader data ecosystem and continues to serve operational decision-making and corporate needs;
• Sustain the regular flow of price data by coordinating and guiding a global network of analysts, and support the set-up of country-level, multi-partner price monitoring systems where required.
2. Co-lead the production of the unit’s flagship publications on prices and currencies
• Co-lead the regular production and continuous improvement of the unit’s recurrent market publications — currently including the online Global Market Monitor and the monthly Prices & Currencies Brief — ensuring analytical rigour, timeliness and the maintenance of the underlying automated workflows;
• Provide economic and market analyses for senior management and external audiences as required.
3. Drive the continuous development of the unit’s price-related products and services
• Act as product owner for the unit’s web-based data platforms, in particular the Economic Explorer on WFP’s DataViz portal, translating analytical and operational requirements into user stories and specifications for internal digital teams and external vendors;
• Direct and quality-assure vendors across the development cycle, drawing on a solid understanding of data-driven web applications to challenge proposals and ensure the product serves its users;
• Keep user needs at the centre: continuously gather and review requirements with CO users, translate them into a prioritized roadmap, and track delivery.
4. Under the overall supervision of the head of unit, lead the unit’s Essential Needs Analysis (ENA) workstream
• Lead support to COs on the construction of Minimum Expenditure Baskets and gap analyses to inform transfer value setting, guiding them through methodological choices and their programmatic and inter-agency implications;
• Conduct and quality-assure the underlying analysis of household survey data — in particular expenditure modules — to estimate the cost of essential needs and households’ economic capacity to meet them;
• Coordinate the refinement and expansion of the ENA methodological package, in collaboration with HQ teams, ROs and external partners.
5. Strengthen analytical capacity across the organization

• Design and deliver trainings and guidance for COs and external partners, and provide technical backstopping, including through field missions;
• Supervise other team members as requested.
6. Contribute to the broader work of the unit, including cross-cutting economic analyses and any other assigned task.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
− Advanced university degree (master’s level or above) in economics, statistics, household or agricultural economics, food security or another relevant quantitative field;
− Additional postgraduate specialization in quantitative research methodologies or advanced social research methods is an asset.
Experience:
− At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience in applied economic and quantitative analysis, of which several years within the United Nations system or a comparable large international organization;
− Demonstrated experience managing a large-scale, corporate or publicly available database (including SQL/relational databases), covering data architecture, quality assurance and user platform development;
− Proven track record of leading the regular production of recurrent analytical publications for senior management and external audiences, including under tight and non-negotiable publication deadlines;
− Demonstrated experience designing and setting up price or market monitoring systems end-to-end, including development of standardized electronic data collection tools (e.g., MODA, ODK, XLSForm), sampling guidance, data quality monitoring and automated data processing;
− Experience analysing price/time series data and large-scale household survey data;
− Experience in product management of web-based data platforms, including liaising with external vendors and internal digital teams;
− Demonstrated experience designing and delivering trainings and capacity strengthening to field-based teams and external partners;
− Experience coordinating a decentralized network of analysts or focal points across multiple offices and time zones.
Knowledge & Skills:
− Exceptional analytical and conceptual skills, with the ability to translate quantitative analysis into strategic, decision-relevant messages;
− Expert command of statistical software (Stata and/or R), including for automated, reproducible data processing pipelines;
− Strong command of SQL and relational database management;
− Proficiency in data visualization tools such as Tableau, and in MS Office;
− Strong econometric skills, including time series analysis, highly desirable;
− Knowledge of food security indicators, essential needs analysis concepts and household survey methodologies;
− Experience with electronic questionnaire design and programming (XLSForm, MODA, SurveyCTO or similar platforms);

− Strong writing skills, with a demonstrated ability to research and draft clear, concise analytical briefs for both technical and non-technical audiences;
− Proven ability to operate effectively within a large, decentralized organization: navigating corporate processes and platforms, coordinating across headquarters, regional and country levels, and building effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels;
− Attention to detail, problem-solving attitude and creativity;
− Ability to work both with minimal supervision and as part of a team;
− Ability to establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds;
− Willingness to participate in field missions.
Languages:
− Fluent written and spoken English
− Working knowledge of French, Arabic or Spanish is an advantage

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

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Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

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

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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.

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• 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.