DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS5 July 2025-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Rome)
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 worldโs 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: Cybersecurity Consultant - Cloud Security Operations Specialist
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant (CST2)
UNIT/DIVISION: TECI/ WFP Tec
DUTY STATION: Remote (Rome HQ)
DURATION: 11 months
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Under the general supervision of the Chief TECI and the direct supervision of the Head of Cybersecurity Operations, the incumbent will contribute to the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of secure cloud and hybrid environments. The role focuses on engineering and operationalizing cloud-native security controls, integrating cybersecurity into cloud infrastructure, and monitoring for threats and misconfigurations, and responding to cloud-based incidents. The incumbent will collaborate with cloud architects, operations teams, and other cybersecurity teams to ensure visibility, protection, and resilience across multi-cloud environments that are aligned with organizational risk tolerance. The role emphasizes operational excellence in cloud security, including configuration hardening, runtime protection, and continuous monitoring. The consultant will also contribute to the development of security standards and incident response capabilities, while collaborating with a small team to enhance WFPโs cloud security posture.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Main responsibilities include, but not limited to:
- Continuously monitor cloud environments for misconfigurations, threats, and anomalies using CSPM, SIEM, SOAR, and XDR tools.
- Engineer and operationalize cloud-native security controls, supporting secure integration with other cybersecurity tools and workflows.
- Collaborate with architects, cloud experts and other cybersecurity areas to design and implement secure cloud and hybrid environments, contributing to the development of modern security architectures.
- Oversee detection efforts for cloud services, containerized/serverless/virtualized workloads, and storage across multi-cloud settings.
- Acting as cloud security SME, support incident detection, triage, and response in cloud environments, contributing to containment and recovery efforts.
- Maintain and update documentation for cloud security operational procedures, processes, and playbooks.
- Integrate cloud-specific cybersecurity controls into threat detection, incident response and threat intelligence & hunting processes, supporting business continuity and resilience.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of cloud security operations by evaluating emerging technologies, threats, and best practices.
- Support knowledge sharing and mentoring within the team, contributing to a collaborative and high-performing engineering environment.
DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
- Operational Cloud Security Monitoring Framework: Implemented and documented monitoring and detection use cases across CSPM, SIEM, SOAR, and XDR platforms for multi-cloud environments.
- Hardened Cloud Configuration Baselines: Enforced and monitored secure configuration standards for cloud services, workloads, and storage, with validation and compliance tracking.
- Runtime Protection and Access Control Implementation: Deployed and operationalized runtime security controls, least-privilege policies, and segmentation for containerized, serverless, and virtualized workloads.
- Cloud Incident Detection & Response Contributions: Supported detection, triage, and recovery of cloud-related incidents, with updated playbooks and documented lessons learned.
- Security Documentation and Continuous Improvement: Maintained comprehensive documentation of cloud security operations and contributed to knowledge sharing, team mentoring, and recommendations for future enhancements.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
- University Degree in Information Technology, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related fields or a combination of relevant education and experience.
Experience:
- At least 5 years of experience in cybersecurity or cloud operations, ideally with exposure to public cloud platforms (i.e., AWS, Azure, GCP).
Knowledge & Skills:
- Solid understanding of IT security principles, with a mix of academic knowledge and practical experience.
- Familiarity with deploying, monitoring, and operating cloud-native security tools, and applying secure configurations in cloud environments.
- Understanding of cloud security operations, including monitoring, threat detection and response.
- Exposure to containerized, serverless, or virtualized workloads, including runtime protection and access controls.
- Proficiency in scripting or automation (e.g., Python, PowerShell, Terraform) is an asset.
- Previous experience in international or UN environments is valued, but not essential.
- Cloud-related certifications are desirable, though equivalent hands-on experience is equally appreciated
- Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Languages:
Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language desirable: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFPโs working language, Portuguese.
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
We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
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.
- At least 5 years of experience in cybersecurity or cloud operations, ideally with exposure to public cloud platforms (i.e., AWS, Azure, GCP).
- University Degree in Information Technology, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related fields or a combination of relevant education and experience.