International Consultant Programme Policy Officer (Data Scientist, Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping )

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

5 November 2026-23:59-GMT+04:30 Afghanistan Time (Kabul)

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).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. Over the years, WFP has made available its supply chain expertise, knowledge and network to governments, donors and UN agencies as a global good. The Data Scientist position will contribute to strengthening the evidence agenda of the Country Office through innovative analysis, including the development and training of artificial intelligence models tailored to food security and vulnerability, thereby enhancing the efficiency of VAM analysis and enabling more precise programme design and targeting

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the direct supervision of the Head of VAME the consultant is responsible for:

 In collaboration with VAME GIS officer, Support the periodic updates, maintenance of the VAME geospatial visualization platform (AF Pulse), which integrates data from programme, assessment, monitoring, security, operations and supply chain with data collection, standardization and upload;

 Design, calibrate, and operationalize a probability model that estimates the likelihood of road disruption in proximity to conflict events.

 Update, validate, calibrate and operationalize a probability model that estimates acute malnutrition levels using acute malnutrition admission data and other related variables.

 Intergrade automated models into AF Pulse to strengthen the real-time disaster impacts and exposure analysis.

 Propose a replication and scale‑up roadmap, documenting migration pathways to alternative cloud environments, producing an open‑source replication toolkit, and identifying priority countries for adaptation of the model.

 Develop, test and refine geographical-level targeting criteria and models for emergency assistance, resilience, livelihoods and social protection interventions and geographical and beneficiary targeting to ensure maximum efficiency and equity in resource allocation, minimizing geographical bias.

 Coordinate and provide technical analysis, recommendations and learnings to continuously improve the early warning workstream.

 Other tasks as required by the VAME related to Early Warning Analysis and Systems.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in social science, economics, statistics, food security, GIS, data science, or other relevant subjects. Master’s degree would be an advantage.

Experience:

Minimum 3 years of experience in research, data analysis, modelling including AI model training, needs assessments, and/or data and geo-spatial visualization.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Experience with the implementation and administration of SQL databases using tools such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc;

• Proven skills in advanced skills in managing geospatial information platforms as well as online publishing (e.g., Tableau, Power BI);

• Proven skills in authoring and developing analytical products, such as reports or infographics; Ability to tailor such products to a variety of stakeholders;

• Ability to engage audiences in data-driven discussions;

• Strong client orientation and ability to communicate and present abstract subject matter to wide audiences;

• Strong sense of purpose and eagerness to make one’s contribution count, while listening carefully to clients;

• Ability to coach staff and accompany their professional development;

• Proven skills and experience in planning and facilitating training.

Languages:

Fluency (level C) in English. Additional UN language proficiency is desirable.

 Languages:

Fluency (level C) in English. Additional UN language proficiency is desirable.

TYPE OF CONTRACT: International Consultant Level I

UNIT/DIVISION: Programme

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Kabul, Afghanistan

DURATION: 6 months with possibility of extension

 

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:  [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

• 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 [email protected]. 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.