WFP Innovation Acceleration

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

14 August 2026-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Berlin)

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).

JOB TITLE: WFP Innovation Acceleration

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultancy

UNIT/DIVISION: WFP Innovation Accelerator (INN)

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Munich, Germany

DURATION: 4 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP

reaches more than 100 million people every day - delivering food assistance in emergencies and

working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to improve nutrition and build

resilience. WFP does this through its presence in over 120 countries and territories globally, working with local governments, grassroots ecosystems, public and private sector donors, to save lives and change lives through food assistance and resilience building.

Food insecurity is expected to remain at alarming levels as we enter 2026. In countries where WFP operates and data is available, 318 million people are facing acute food insecurity – more than double pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Among them, 41.1 million people are in Emergency or worse levels of acute food insecurity (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Phase 4+), a 20 percent increase since late 2020.

As the leading humanitarian organisation delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience, WFP fosters and drives innovation. WFP’s long history of innovation is evident in some of the major shifts it has made over the years, such as wide-scale implementation of cash-based transfers and mobile assessment systems. In 2020, WFP was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The WFP Global Accelerator and Ventures was launched in 2015 in Munich, Germany, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) and the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism (StMELF).

Its mission is to source, pilot and scale new innovations that could reshape the fight against food insecurity and bring us closer to SDG2: Zero Hunger. Today, it works hand in hand with WFP’s vast global network, spanning innovation hubs, regional and country offices in over 120 countries and territories, to develop solutions that are deeply rooted in local needs and designed for real-world impact.

In 2025 alone, the WFP Global Accelerator and Ventures supported 85 innovations, reaching 132.5 million people across 90 countries and territories. These initiatives addressed critical challenges including climate change, healthcare access, gender equality and emergency response. To fund our work, the Accelerator works with donors from the public and private sectors, and collaborates with actors across the UN and multilateral system. For the past three years, we have maintained a solid funding base of around USD 20 million in the face of significant cuts to humanitarian funding elsewhere.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent, reporting to the Head of Accelerator, is expected to:

Lead and manage the portfolio of innovation projects and/or new ventures: Define the model of operating with portfolio projects. Provide oversight and support to sprint-stage project portfolio. Manage relevant project teams. Mentor and coach project teams during ideation & product design. Carry out discussions with executive managers to align on project scope and objectives. Take a lead role in advising and support teams on key decisions regarding product features and technology options. Manage product testing and improvements as required.

Manage the project managers of all projects in the portfolio: Define the model of operating with portfolio projects. Provide oversight and support to sprint-stage project portfolio. Manage relevant project teams.

Actively manage the sprint project pipeline and portfolio: Nurture and develop Sprint portfolio coordinating activities across sourcing, bootcamps, sprint and scaling. Balance portfolio according to the set priorities. Leverage portfolio and project-level impact to allocate resources dynamically:

• Support identifying WFP business units as potential long-term owners for scale-up projects with internal graduation option, matching their main pain points and requirements. Introduce and communicate status updates of Scale-up projects within WFP and ensure early involvement on development towards organization integration.
• Advise innovators on graduation path both with respect to internal integration and to potential exit strategies.
• Regular exchange and check-in with Head of Innovation Accelerator and Innovation Advisory Group to consider the Accelerator’s activity portfolio.

Actively support Accelerator’s development through effective management and act as a

member of its management team:

Lead efforts with the overall goal of making the Accelerator a more effective platform in mind; Work across different teams and articulate project manager/venture consultant role effectively within the Accelerator; Provide analysis & content preparation for corporate priority topics and executive management meetings.

Support Innovation Accelerator managerial and operative tasks: Take up lead roles in running workshops and events, core processes of the accelerator. Support the Head of the Innovation Accelerator and the Director of Innovation with any other activities and tasks as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• WFPs innovation pipeline effectively managed.
• WFP Innovation accelerator’s project portfolio effectively managed.
• Set up and lead the project management/project portfolio team.
• Ensure that all work and materials developed during the contract are well documented and available to the WFP Innovation Accelerator team.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: master’s degree required; degree in business or international development preferred.

Experience: At least 9 years of progressively responsible national and/or international experience in a start-up, businesses/corporations or in the humanitarian or development sector. Experience in human-centred design, management of teams required.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Experience in human-centred design within a global organization and & Skills: start-up experience required.
• Demonstrated experience in cultural diversity and how it influences the design needs of the technical solution to meet local requirements.
• Strong conceptual thinking to develop new business areas, new strategies and support innovative projects.
• Ability to interact with senior stakeholders, leaders and external audiences with maturity and tact.
• Collaborative spirit able to liaise with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.
• Excellent communication/presentation skills.

Strong time management skills with an ability to plan ahead, anticipate requirements, problems and obstacles, and an ability to juggle competing priorities successfully and to work to tight deadlines.

· Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.

· Sets high-level of ambition for the project and own work to achieve impact for the hungry people we serve.

· Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme;

· Willing to work in and travel to different field locations and challenging operating environments.

Languages: Fluency in oral and written English is required. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is beneficial.

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.