Internship - Business Innovation and Change… at World Food… · Rome

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 21 June 2026-23:59-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 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.

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).

Over the past years, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has responded to an unprecedented level of emergencies, while maintaining ongoing operations. This increased demand stretches the organization which means WFP has to find new approaches and ways of working to ensure we are channelling every available resource to the people we serve.

The Business Innovation and Change Unit (BIU) was established in 2015 to manage change and to promote innovation as part of WFP’s Innovation division: BIU acts as the “management consulting arm” of WFP BIU is composed of staff with top-tier management consulting backgrounds (e.g. Bain, BCG, McKinsey, …) as well as Un experience. BIU executes projects on behalf of Executive Directors, Assistant Secretary Generals, and Directors across the UN system, and has become a trusted advisor to WFP and other UN System Organisations (e.g. UN Women, UNFPA, Business Innovation Group). BIU's focus is on end-to-end solutions, including problem assessment, strategy development, advanced data analysis, operational model design, change plan, and implementation monitoring.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Type of assignment: Internship, Business Innovation and Change
• Number of available positions: 4
• Country of assignment: Italy
• City of assignment: Rome
• Hiring Unit: Business Innovation and Change Unit
• Supervisor: Innovation Manager
• Working arrangement: In-person internship
• Duration of assignment: 6 months
• Expected Starting Date: September 2026

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the INN Manager, the candidate will perform the following duties:

• Support the assigned workstream/project with data analysis and preparation of presentations.
• Helping the team create key documents for executive management.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate programme (for example, Bachelor’s degree) from a recognized university and have completed at least two years of the programme; OR
• Be currently enrolled in a graduate programme (for example, Master degree); OR
• Be a recent graduate from an undergraduate or graduate programme (within six months prior to the application to the internship programme); AND
• Classes attendance in the last 12 months of enrolment in a recognized university.
• Excellent written and spoken English is required (proficiency/level C). Working knowledge of another official UN language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian plus Portuguese) is an asset.

SUPERVISION

Under the direct supervision of an INK Manager, the incumbent will be provided with close mentoring, guidance and technical supervision. Performance planning and reviews as well as learning and development discussions will be elemental part of the supervision. The Chief of BIU will be the second level supervisor. With the support of a comprehensive induction package and assignment of a buddy/mentor, the intern will rapidly become a productive member of the team.

TRAINING COMPONENTS

Throughout their assignment WFP interns have access to an industry leading learning platform, weLearn. Depending on opportunities and availability of funds, he/she may participate in WFP workshops or seminars, as appropriate.

LEARNING ELEMENTS

At the end of the assignment, the Intern should have learned how to:

Support the assigned workstream/project with data analysis and preparation of presentations:

• Edit workstream data for analysis and carry out first analysis;
• Obtain and clear data from different sources and departments;
• Clean data in excel and prepare for pivoting and other excel operations;
• Run first analysis to determine possible fi elds of interest;
• Suggest and inform the team on possible analysis approaches and outcomes;
• Suggest and create slides showing results of analysis;
• Support workstream in creation of necessary slides;
• Suggest interesting new slides based on insight gained in discussions and data analysis;
• Participate in team discussions/meetings wherever possible;
• Participate in meetings, as required by the project;

Help the team to create key documents for executive management;

Assist the Director of Innovation as well as the Project Manager and Consultant with other activities as required.

INTERNSHIP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Interns receive a monthly stipend from WFP up to the maximum amount of US$1,000 per month depending on the duty station of assignment.
• WFP is not responsible for living expenses, arrangements for accommodation, VISA requests and related costs.
• WFP will reimburse travel ticket for candidates who are nationals of developing countries and are pursuing their studies in their home country.
• WFP will recognize candidates’ educational credentials from recognised institutions that have been certified by competent international or national authorities such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or Ministries of Education.
• Sons, daughters, brothers, or sisters of current WFP employees are not eligible to apply.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

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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

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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

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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 http://global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is 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.