Job Description

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

15 October 2026-23:59-GMT-04:00 Venezuela Time (Caracas)

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 extreme weather shocks.

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).

JOB TITLE: Emergency Preparedness and Response Consultant

TYPE OF CONTRACT: CST

UNIT/DIVISION: Venezuela Country Office

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Caracas, Venezuela

DURATION: 3 months, with the possibility of renewal.

ABOUT WFP:

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's leading humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. WFP saves lives in emergencies and supports people in building resilient livelihoods and achieving sustainable food security and nutrition outcomes. Every year, WFP assists more than 100 million people worldwide.

In Venezuela, WFP operates under its Interim Country Strategic Plan (iCSP) 2023-2026, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2026, the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. WFP’s objective is to support vulnerable populations in improving their food security, nutrition, resilience and livelihoods through integrated and complementary interventions.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) in Venezuela is strengthening its emergency preparedness and response capacities to address current and emerging humanitarian needs while supporting national systems and government counterparts. The Country Office is currently managing multiple preparedness and response priorities, including earthquake response and recovery efforts, anticipatory action implementation, preparedness for the potential impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, and the continuous enhancement of contingency planning and institutional readiness.

Against this backdrop, WFP seeks an Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Consultant to provide technical leadership and coordination support to ensure the CO maintains a high level of preparedness and operational readiness while advancing strategic initiatives in disaster risk management and emergency response.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme, the EPR Officer in coordination with the EPR team based in Caracas and field offices will support the design, coordination, implementation of preparedness and response activities, ensuring WFP and partners are equipped to effectively anticipate, prepare for and respond to humanitarian emergencies in Venezuela. Main responsabilities will include:

1. Lead and support WFP’s emergency preparedness and emergency response activities, including earthquake response and the design and implementation of early recovery interventions.
2. Support preparedness, contingency planning and operational readiness for potential El Niño impacts in 2027, including scenario development and response planning.
3. Support with the development, update and maintain CONOPS, contingency plans, preparedness tools and emergency response frameworks to strengthen institutional readiness.
4. Provide technical guidance and support to the EPR team and WFP Field Offices in the planning, implementation, reporting of emergency preparedness and emergency response activities.
5. Strengthen disaster risk management systems and preparedness capacities through collaboration with government counterparts, UN agencies, humanitarian clusters, NGOs and other strategic partners.
6. Coordinate with LACRO, Regional Bureau and relevant headquarters technical units to ensure timely information sharing, access to technical support, surge capacity and alignment with regional and corporate EPR priorities.
7. Monitor evolving humanitarian, climate, socioeconomic and operational risks, providing analysis and recommendations to strengthen WFP’s preparedness and response capacity.
8. Support resource mobilization efforts through the identification and follow-up of funding opportunities related to preparedness, anticipatory action and emergency response.
9. Prepare strategic and operational inputs for internal and external reporting, donor briefings, resource mobilization materials, after-action reviews, lessons learned exercises and senior management decision-making.
10. Perform any other duties necessary to support the Venezuela earthquake response and broader emergency preparedness and response priorities of the Country Office.

DELIVERABLES:

• Updated emergency preparedness and response framework for the Country Office.
• Updated CONOPS and contingency planning documents for priority risk scenarios.
• Operational preparedness plan for potential El Niño-related impacts in 2027.
• Develop earthquake response and early recovery interventions plan.

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in international affairs, economics, agriculture, business administration, social sciences, development studies, humanitarian action, disaster risk management, public policy, or another field relevant to international humanitarian assistance. A first university degree with additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree, where applicable.

Experience:

• At least five years of progressively responsible postgraduate professional experience relevant to emergency preparedness, humanitarian response, programme management, food security, coordination or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience supporting emergency preparedness and response operations, preferably in sudden-onset disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes or other large-scale shocks.
• Experience working with government counterparts, UN agencies, NGOs, donors and community-based actors in complex operational environments.
• Experience supporting programme design, operational planning, information management, reporting, partner coordination and field-level implementation support.
• Experience in Latin America and the Caribbean, Venezuela or comparable contexts is desirable.

Knowledge and skills:

• Strong understanding of food security, emergency food assistance, shock-responsive social protection, community-based assistance and early recovery approaches.
• Knowledge of the UN system, humanitarian coordination architecture, inter-agency response planning and government-led emergency response systems.
• Ability to coordinate across multiple functions and partners, manage competing priorities, synthesize complex information and support timely management decisions.
• Strong information management, analytical writing and presentation skills, including the ability to produce concise briefs, trackers, dashboards and operational updates.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, manage sensitive coordination processes and maintain constructive relationships under pressure.
• Good understanding of protection, gender, disability inclusion and accountability to affected populations in emergency response planning.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to affected areas, subject to security and access conditions

Languages:

Fluency in Spanish and English, both oral and written, is required.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

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

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.