Director, WFP Team Europe Lead, D2

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 18 October 2026-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Brussels)

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.

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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).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT AND JOB PURPOSE

The Partnerships and Innovation (PI) Department leads WFP's engagement with external partners to advance the organization's core mission and Strategic Plan.

PI positions WFP, mobilizes and stewards partnerships and resources, and strengthens advocacy, and provides the strategy, analysis, and tools that enable WFP to be more agile, fast, and sophisticated in resource mobilization, working closely with regional offices and country offices to deepen partner relationships and deliver impact at scale.

The Department is WFP's primary interface with governments, multilateral organizations, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), the private sector, foundations, academia, and strategic networks – combining global positioning with field-focused, operational support.

Within PI, the main objective of the Team Europe is to support country offices in mobilising funds from the EU – including from the European Commission, a top donor to WFP, through its different DGs (ECHO, MENA, INTPA etc.).

The Head of Team Europe leads WFP’s Brussels Office team focusing on EU, WFP’s European Global Offices (London, Copenhagen, Berlin) and coordinates partnerships across the whole of Europe.

The European Global Offices (London, Copenhagen, Berlin) are managed by P5-level directors and will report to the Head of Team Europe.

WFP’s Brussels Office will also be supervised directly by the Head of Team Europe through the Deputy Head of Office (P5 level).

The Head of Team Europe will ensure that WFP European Global Offices and the Romebased Key European Government Accounts lead cultivate, strengthen and advance strategic partnerships with the European Member States in support of food security and humanitarian and development policy.

The Brussels office is also responsible for engagement with the European Parliament and the Council, who decide the EU’s budget jointly, as well as the EU’s diplomatic service (EEAS).

The European Member States were the 2nd largest donors to WFP over the last 5 years.

Reporting to the Public Partnerships Director (PI/PPD), this senior level Director position will lead the Brussels Office and the network of European Global Office Directors.

The position will be based in Brussels.

• KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, performed within delegated authority)
• Represent WFP vis a vis the EU authorities / EU Parliament, UN system, European Member States and/or other selected partners, as applicable in the location of assignment.
• Formulate and implement WFP’s partnership engagement strategy as per the context-specific WFP Global Office TOR and wider UN strategies to ensure continuous support to field operations and meet the mandate of WFP.
• Identify and build productive relationships with a broad range of relevant public/private decision makers, influencers and constituencies in order to advance WFP’s corporate strategies, policies and procedures, attract resources and promote transfer of knowledge, expertise and technological innovation.
• Demonstrate ownership when promoting and deploying corporate initiatives and ensure that WFP’s partnership engagement is aligned with these and wider UN strategies, policies and processes.
• Disseminate WFP analyses, studies and innovations to a wider audience with a view to position WFP, raise brand awareness and inform technical and policy dialogue; increase WFP’s capacity to attain, share and use knowledge for positioning, partnering and resourcing purposes.
• Contribute to a network of WFP Global Office Directors worldwide, providing analysis of trends, opportunities and potential risks to the WFP Leadership Team and/or other appropriate WFP counterparts to facilitate integrated solutions that address hunger and the root causes of hunger.
• Propose strategies for WFP senior/executive staff engagement to reinforce technical dialogue and expand political outreach; actively participate in or co-lead UN/EU, European national and other multilateral fora to generate support for Zero Hunger, advance WFP’s leadership in areas of specialization and position WFP effectively vis a vis relevant decision makers and influencers.
• Hold accountability for transparent and efficient people management, staff development and coaching to expand the reach and depth of the partnership function.
• Hold accountability for standards, guidance and processes within the Office; provide effective leadership to the European Global Office teams, enabling implementation of best practices and high performance, and ensure best use of financial resources for the achievement of set objectives.
• Take lead to ensure that evaluation, audit and compliance recommendations are efficiently implemented within the European Global Offices.
• Take concrete actions which promote health and wellbeing within the workplace and mitigate risks related to stress, health and safety.
• Take appropriate measures to foster a safe and harmonious work environment in which employees are protected from exposure to any form of abusive conduct (harassment, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination), and act as a role model in reflecting respect towards all employees.
• Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of work, to ensure equal participation of women and men.
• Other as required.
• STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Political Science, Economics, Law, International Development/Relations or other relevant area, or First University degree with additional relevant experience and/or advanced training/courses.

Experience

• Fifteen years or more (at least six working internationally or with international organizations) of senior level experience in fields related to partnerships, fundraising and advocacy.
• Experience leading a collaborative, strategic and innovative approach to attract and develop partnerships with the European Union authorities / EU Parliament and European member states.
• Experience determining the engagement strategy for relationship building in order to grow European partnerships with public/private sectors.
• Built and maintained a strong, active network within the European Union and European Commission.
• Experience networking and influencing external stakeholders in large fora, particularly in Brussels or in Europe.
• Experience leading multicultural teams and improving performance and motivation.
• Knowledge & Skills
• Has a holistic understanding of the EU and European Commission strategies and priorities and respectively of corporate strategies and interests in a (socio) political context.
• Ability to lead, coach and motivate large and diverse teams and drive improving performance.
• Excellent diplomatic skills and management acumen, with the ability to leverage external partnerships to optimize resources for WFP.
• A track record of dealing with and politically influencing at the highest levels within and beyond the organization.
• Ability to analyze complex issues to develop strategies and policies.
• Sound understanding of business principles and processes and the ability to quickly assimilate UN / WFP specific strategies, processes, and systems.
• Language Skills
• Fluency (level C) in English required.
• Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or Portuguese (a WFP 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. 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
• About WFP

WFP provides its staff with meaningful and impactful careers, continuous learning and training, and a multicultural and stimulating work environment.

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, physical or mental disability.

We are 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.

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