[Hiring] LTC Telecoms Operations Consultant @World Food Programme

Role Description

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. The Information and Telecommunication (I&T) Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch (TECF) leads WFP’s I&T emergency management in humanitarian crises, coordinating surge capacity, operational information management and I&T EPR analysis. It ensures WFP meets its telecoms responsibilities as Global Logistics & Telecommunications Cluster (LTC) lead, hosts FITTEST and the LTC - Telecoms team and collaborates with Telecommunications Security Standards {TESS+} to deliver cost-effective UN security communications.

The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) and the Logistics Cluster have been merged into the Logistics and Telecommunications Cluster (LTC), following the humanitarian reset in 2025. Bringing logistics and emergency telecommunications under one coordination structure, the WFP-led LTC is the backbone of the entire humanitarian response, enabling humanitarian action to move, communicate, coordinate and deliver life-saving assistance. The LTC - Telecoms Area is referred to as ‘LTC Telecoms’.

To provide operational and technical emergency and preparedness support to LTC Telecoms operations, the Global LTC Telecoms team is looking for LTC Telecoms Operations Specialists. The incumbents will be responsible to provide technical guidance and daily support to new and ongoing ETC operations, ensuring country offices are equipped to lead the delivery of efficient and effective common Information and Communication Technology services, providing sound, innovative solutions that enable WFP and partner organizations in effectively respond to humanitarian crises. The role will include travels worldwide sometimes at short notice.

Accountabilities/Responsibilities

• Provide daily support to LTC Telecoms Coordinators working on the ground in different operations, ensuring regular communication and guidance on processes is provided.
• Provide guidance and participate in the development of Inter-agency Emergency Preparedness Plans, Humanitarian Needs and Response Plans (HNRP), budgets and Concept of Operations (CONOPS). Ensure WFP Country Strategic Plan (CSP) reflects TEC emergency and preparedness country activities planned at inter-agency level.
• Analyse and provide insight on LTC Telecoms operations to LTC Telecoms teams in country and to the Global LTC Telecoms team.
• Ensure deployment of I&T systems is aligned with business needs and the LTC Telecoms mandate and in accordance with WFP corporate standards.
• Guide field offices with technical specifications and tender documents, contracts with service providers, to facilitate procurement of I&T equipment and services at minimum cost, in line with WFP rules and regulations.
• Coordinate and liaise with country offices for new demands and assessment to bring to technology assessment board.
• Coordinate and prepare reports on LTC Telecoms’ activities, investments and costs, identifying trends/issues and proposing solutions to increase cost-efficiency.
• Provide advice to managers and users to resolve complex issues, understanding their needs and ensuring IT policies, procedures, systems and tools are correctly applied to support them.
• Ensure effective coordination with other humanitarian organizations in order to align activities and maximise possibilities of inter-agency collaboration in the field of I&T.
• Closely work with Information management teams, making sure information is shared with stakeholders.
• Engage with external partners, foster information exchange and support to meet service requirements.
• Engage closely with Partnership team, and support partnership engagements at global level.
• Build a repository of best practices and challenges from LTC Telecoms operations and support evaluation and lessons learned exercises for humanitarian reset processes.
• Be ready to be deployed on a short notice (72 hours – 1 week notice) to support LTC Telecoms operations on the ground and/or deploy as an LTC Telecoms officer in the initial phase of a new emergency or to support assessments.
• When in the country, lead the I&T emergency operation, prepare operational plans, and manage resource requirements from the onset of an emergency.
• Project management and overall coordination.
• Support the planning and implementation of LTC Telecoms projects at a country level.
• Develop and maintain project workplans, timelines, deliverables, risk registers, and follow-up tools.
• Coordinate with country offices, regional bureaus, partners, and internal WFP teams to ensure timely implementation of agreed activities.
• Track progress against project objectives, outputs and milestones, and identify issues requiring management attention.
• Ensure project activities are aligned with LTC priorities, country-level needs, and broader humanitarian reset discussions and frameworks.

Deliverables at the End of the Contract

• Act as a focal point for a minimum of two LTC Telecoms operations and engage actively in related forums.
• Timely remote response and support provided to new emergency operations (within 48 hours of request).
• Mission project reports completed and circulated.
• Engage quarterly with assigned partners.

Qualifications

• University degree in Telecommunications, Technology, Business and/or Engineering or any relevant field and minimum 5 years of experience, out of which at least three years with the UN. Previous experience working with ETC is desirable.

Knowledge & Skills

• Ability to plan and organize work programme and to work with minimum supervision under own initiative.
• Tact and ability to work harmoniously with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills; ability to conceptualize issues, think in abstract terms and analyze numerical concise and analytical reports under time constraints.
• Ability to organize and assess data.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to identify, research, analyze, and synthesize complex development issues.
• Ability to write relevant documentation and coordinate the work of others.

Languages

• Fluency in English language.
• Intermediate knowledge of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s additional working language.

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.

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.

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.