DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
10 September 2026-23:59-GMT-06:00 Central Standard Time (Guatemala)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).
TITLE: Value Chain and Food System Consultant
TYPE OF CONTRACT: International Consultant level CST 2
UNIT/DIVISION: Programme
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Guatemala
DURATION: 11 months
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Within the framework of the World Food Programme (WFP) Guatemala Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2026–2030, Strategic Outcome 2 (SO2) seeks to contribute to more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems through the strengthening of value chains, market systems, and institutional capacities that expand economic opportunities, improve market participation, and support access to nutritious foods. This outcome recognizes that addressing food insecurity, malnutrition, climate vulnerability, and rural poverty require integrated approaches that strengthen productive systems, market linkages, and the enabling environment for sustainable development.
To achieve this, SO2 promotes a systemic approach focused on strengthening key value chain functions, including productivity, value addition, market integration, access to finance, climate resilience, and innovation. Through these interventions, WFP seeks to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of value chains while fostering stronger linkages among producers, markets, institutions, and private sector actors, contributing to more dynamic and inclusive rural economies.
Within this framework, WFP serves as a facilitator and convener of partnerships among public institutions, local governments, private sector actors, producer organizations, and communities, fostering capacity strengthening, innovation, evidence generation, and cross-sectoral coordination. This support aims to strengthen national and local capacities to build food systems that deliver improved outcomes in food security, nutrition, resilience, and local economic development.
As WFP Guatemala expands its portfolio on value chain development under SO2, there is a growing need for specialized expertise to support strategic planning, market analysis, programme innovation, evidence generation, and capacity strengthening. The consultant will serve as a senior technical advisor, providing strategic guidance and mentorship to WFP teams and partners while supporting the identification, design, and scaling of value chain interventions that contribute to the objectives of the CSP 2026–2030.
JOB PURPOSE
The consultant will provide strategic and operational leadership to advance WFP Guatemala’s food systems and value chain portfolio under Strategic Outcome 2. The position will lead technical coordination, implementation support, partnership development, evidence generation, and resource mobilization efforts aimed at strengthening inclusive, resilient, and nutrition-sensitive food systems. The consultant will support WFP and its partners in identifying, implementing, and scaling innovative solutions that enhance market opportunities, improve access to nutritious foods, and contribute to sustainable rural development.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Strategic leadership and Porfolio development:
• Provide strategic and technical leadership for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of WFP Guatemala's portfolio on value chain development, food systems transformation, and market-based approaches under Strategic Outcome 2.
• Support the identification of strategic priorities, operational plans, and opportunities for growth and scale.
2. Technical oversight and implementation support
Provide technical oversight and implementation support to ongoing value chain, food systems, and market systems interventions, ensuring quality delivery, timely execution, achievement of results, alignment with WFP strategies, donor commitments, and government priorities.
3. Marketing and demanding nutritious foods
Lead the design and application of market-based, behavioral, and social marketing approaches that strengthen demand for nutritious foods, improve market linkages, support healthy food environments, and contribute to food systems transformation objectives.
4. Capacity strengthening and team mentoring
Provide technical guidance, coaching, mentoring, and capacity strengthening WFP staff, cooperating partners, consultants, and government counterparts, enhancing technical expertise in value chains development, agribusiness, market systems, access to finance, and partnership management.
5. Programme innovation and scaling for value chain solutions
Identify, develop, test, and support the scaling of innovative solutions, business models, and partnerships that enhance competitiveness, resilience, inclusion, and nutrition outcomes across priority value chains and food systems interventions.
6. Integration across thematic areas
Facilitate collaboration across programme, nutrition, school feeding, climate resilience, gender, social protection, monitoring and evaluation, communications, and partnerships teams to ensure integrated, coherent, and scalable approaches that maximize programme impact and sustainability
7. Partnership development and stakeholder engagement
Lead engagement with government institutions, private sector actors, financial institutions, producer organizations, academia, and development partners to strengthen collaboration, leverage technical expertise, promote innovation, and advance sustainable food systems and value chain development objectives.
8. Monitoring, learning and adaptative management
Identified and created a mechanism to organize documentation, and dissemination of evidence, knowledge products, lessons learned, good practices, and innovative approaches to support evidence-based decision-making, organizational learning, and programme quality.
9. Knowledge Management and Technical Documentation
Develop and strengthen tools, methodologies, and learning mechanisms to monitor progress, document results, and promote continuous improvement of food systems and value chain initiatives.
10. Resource mobilization and business development
Support the identification and development of funding opportunities, concept notes, donor proposals, investment cases, and strategic partnerships related to food systems transformation, value chain development, and nutrition-sensitive market interventions.
11. Other Duties
Undertake any other activities as required.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education: Master's degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Rural Development, Economics, Food Systems, Agricultural Sciences.
Experience: At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in agricultural economics, value chain development, market systems strengthening, agribusiness, rural development, and sustainable food systems.
The candidate should demonstrate experience in programme design and implementation, strategic planning, capacity strengthening, stakeholder engagement, and partnership development with public institutions, producer organizations, financial actors, private sector partners, and international development organizations. Experience working with UN agencies or donor-funded programmes is highly desirable. Experience in Latin America and the Caribbean is an asset.
Knowledge & Skills:
- Strong knowledge of food systems, value chain development and market systems approaches.
- Solid understanding of agricultural economics, agribusiness development and rural markets.
- Experience in stakeholder engagement and multi-sectoral coordination.
- Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership, mentoring and capacity strengthening.
- Strong analytical, strategic planning and problem-solving skills.
Languages:
Fluency in Spanish required. Working knowledge of another UN language (English is desirable).
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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.