Human Resources Officer - Consultant

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

26 June 2025-23:59-GMT+02:00 Israel Time (Jerusalem)

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

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: Human Resources Officer

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultancy Contract, CST II

UNIT/DIVISION: Human Resources/Palestine CO

DUTY STATION (City, Country): East Jerusalem, Palestine

DURATION: 11 months

Join the World’s Largest Humanitarian Agency: Make a Difference in Palestine

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency committed to fighting global hunger. Our mission is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works in over 120 countries and territories to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the most vulnerable—especially women and children—can access the nutritious food they need.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023, there has been mass displacement and widespread disruption of essential services, including food, health, nutrition, water, and sanitation. As a result, humanitarian needs have escalated dramatically. A multi-agency analysis of the drivers of acute malnutrition has revealed alarming trends:

Over 90% of children have experienced at least one disease.

90% of children aged 6–23 months and pregnant/breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG) face reduced access to both the quality and quantity of nutritious diets.

Nutritional screenings indicate a rapid deterioration in the health of children aged 6–24 months.

In response, WFP has scaled up its emergency food and nutrition interventions while also preparing for a shift toward recovery and resilience-building activities. These include the restoration of market and food systems, rebuilding of safety nets, and strengthening of social protection systems to meet both immediate and long-term needs.

Simultaneously, WFP is responding to rising humanitarian concerns in the West Bank, where more than 40,000 people have been displaced since mid-January 2025. WFP continues to provide critical cash-based assistance, reaching 190,000 people in the last month alone, including emergency support for those displaced from the Jenin camp.

In this context, the Human Resources (HR) team in Palestine plays a crucial role in supporting WFP’s emergency operations and strategic shift toward recovery. The HR unit is responsible for:

Meeting urgent staffing requirements to support emergency scale-up.

Strengthening workforce capacity through strategic talent acquisition and development;

Implementing organizational policies and systems in line with WFP’s global standards;

Enabling operational agility through effective workforce planning and deployment.

JOB PURPOSE

This assignment aims to support the WFP Palestine Country Office in responding to urgent and complex staffing needs, enhancing operational HR readiness, and contributing to the development of sustainable, strategic HR solutions in a challenging emergency context. The selected consultant will play a critical role in both immediate HR operations and long-term workforce planning, aligned with WFP’s evolving humanitarian and recovery objectives. The role requires deep expertise in HR policies and procedures, with the ability to navigate and advise on highly complex issues in a rapidly changing environment.

Reporting to the Head of HR (Deputy HR Officer), the consultant will work with minimal supervision and provide guidance to junior staff, while partnering with managers to deliver high-impact, client-focused HR services. The role involves managing high-volume operational tasks, leading on key HR processes, and driving analytical work to inform strategic decision-making. A proactive, solutions-oriented approach and the ability to operate effectively under pressure are essential for success in this assignment.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Lead end-to-end talent acquisition processes, partnering with hiring managers to define needs, coordinate recruitment planning, and ensure timely and compliant execution in line with WFP’s recruitment policies, systems, and tools. Build capacity of junior staff in recruitment systems and best practices.

2. Drive talent management initiatives by identifying learning and development needs, facilitating skills development plans, and supporting the implementation of career growth opportunities in collaboration with managers to strengthen workforce capability.

3. Support strategic workforce planning and succession management by contributing to the identification, development, and retention of key talent aligned with WFP’s current and future operational requirements.

4. Oversee core HR operations, including contract management, onboarding, policy compliance, and the consistent application of HR rules and regulations. Proactively address complex HR queries and provide expert advice to both managers and staff.

5. Support the implementation and improvement of HR policies, procedures, and systems, recommending enhancements to improve efficiency, compliance, and the employee experience, particularly within emergency and high-demand environments.

6. Supervise and mentor junior HR staff, providing technical guidance, capacity development, and quality assurance across key HR processes.

7. Compile, analyse, and report HR data and workforce trends to support strategic decision-making, provide accurate inputs for internal/external reporting, and ensure organizational visibility on HR activities.

8. Perform other related duties as required, contributing to a flexible and responsive HR function that meets evolving organizational needs.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT

A clear and actionable talent sourcing strategy is developed and implemented, aligned with emergency and recovery staffing needs across functional areas.
A proactive and well-maintained talent pipeline is established to support both immediate recruitment and future organizational needs.
Recruitment tracking systems and tools are fully operational, with junior staff trained to maintain accurate, real-time data. A regular reporting schedule is implemented to support accountability.
Recruitment and workforce data are systematically analyzed to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities for improving talent acquisition processes.
Design and implement a Learning and Development Strategy tailored to build staff capabilities, address skill gaps, and prepare the workforce for current and future operational challenges. This includes identifying training needs, facilitating development programs, and monitoring their impact.
Policy implementation and operational compliance mechanisms are strengthened, contributing to improved application of corporate HR rules, guidance, and frameworks.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and workflows are reviewed, updated, or developed to align HR practices with corporate standards and local operational realities.
Strategic workforce and organizational structure analyses are conducted to provide insights that inform organizational alignment efforts, helping to ensure that staffing structures, skills, and functions remain fit for purpose in a dynamic context.
Recommendations are delivered for aligning talent and organizational design with evolving programmatic priorities and operational demands in Palestine.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: Advanced university degree in Human Resource Management, Public or Business Administration, Industrial Psychology or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience or trainings/courses.

Experience: Five or more years of postgraduate professional experience in Human Resources with an interest in international humanitarian development.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Broad or specialised knowledge of HR best practices, techniques, and processes with some understanding of the basic theoretical background.

• Ability to supervise and support more junior and/or less experienced members of the team.

• Ability to work with minimal supervision.

• Ability to analyze data, draw conclusions and recommend a course of action.

• Good communication skills required to give and receive information and work with a variety of individuals.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with clients and provide client-oriented service. Ability to identify client's needs and match them to appropriate solutions.

• Knowledge of, or the ability to quickly assimilate, UN/WFP specific processes and systems.

Languages: Fluency (level C) in English language. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable.

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: [email protected]

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

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.

Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

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

Please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

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.