Legal Officer P4, LEGA in Rome

Deadline for applications: 5 October 2026 23:59 GMT+01:00 (Central European Time, Rome)

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.

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).

Why Join WFP?

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

This job is located in the Legal Office in the Global Headquarters (HQ) and reports to a Senior Legal Officer. At this level, the job holder operates with a high level of operational independence for issuing legal advice and dealing with client’s legal issues.

The position performs a high degree of specialized legal work and deals with complex and sensitive legal issues. In addition, particularly in larger legal groups, it is common for the P-4 job holder to be a team leader providing guidance, leadership and mentoring for other Legal Officers.

At this level, the job holder originates new policies or programs in a specific subject area or field of work. Work involves specialist expertise that goes beyond established procedures or models. The job holder works with minimal supervision and is expected to pursue new areas of activities within a broad program framework combining credible capacity with independent responsibility for developing specific program initiatives and creates opportunities for developing new client relationships.

The Role

To provide sound legal advice, services, and representation on complex legal matters in accordance with applicable legal policies, rules, and practices, to protect the interests of the organization and minimize liabilities, while serving as the lead officer in one or more specialized legal areas, ensuring ownership, coordination, and expert guidance in those domains.

Key Accountabilities

• Serve as a lead officer in one or more areas of concentration, and independently handle a wide range of multi-discipline and highly complex legal matters including interpretation and application of various legal instruments in the relevant area of concentration to ensure the provision of comprehensive legal services.
• Participate in negotiations and settlement of claims and disputes involving WFP and its personnel, including through representation in administrative or tribunal proceedings and arbitration proceedings.
• Develop policies, directives, guidelines, procedures and other internal or corporate documents to provide organization with appropriate regulatory framework.
• Contribute to determination of strategy and approach to legal matters involving WFP and its personnel.
• Undertake extensive legal research and analysis and prepare legal opinions, studies, briefs, reports and complex correspondence to enable the provision of comprehensive legal services.
• Provide efficient legal services on various standing boards, committees, working groups and task forces and represent organization at meetings, conferences and other events including complex cases in tribunals or administrative proceedings to ensure the efficient exchange of technical discussions and that WFP’s interests are protected.
• Facilitate increased awareness of potential liability exposure and proactive minimization of risk to enable well-informed decisions.
• Build productive partnerships with other Legal Offices across UN system to ensure consistency in legal information and to complement WFP provided legal services.
• Supervise, coach and build capacity of other staff.
• Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Advanced University degree in Law, or First University degree in Law with additional relevant experience and training in private, administrative or employment Law.
• Must be qualified to practice or admitted to practice by a recognized national or state bar or law society.
• Experience: Typically eight years or more (three of which international) of relevant progressively responsible experience in law and provision of a wide range of legal services including to the senior managers or important clients.
• Prior litigation experience in administrative or employment law.
• Language: Fluency (level C) in English language.
• Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or Portuguese (a WFP working language).

More About You

You have: In depth expertise in legal principles, concepts, procedures and terminology for review, examination and processing of a range of legal documents, evidence gathering Knowledge of various legal research sources, techniques and ability to interpret and apply complex legislative instruments and draft legal papers. Demonstrated ability to design new concepts, policies and applications. Strong initiative-taker and demonstrated ability to take independent decisions. Strong business acumen and ability to think strategically. Solid communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills. Strong time management and priorities management skills. Practical knowledge of arbitrations and tribunal processes and procedures. Strong knowledge of international administrative and employment law including the UN system regulatory framework and tribunal procedures.

Terms and Conditions

• This is an International Professional position and is open to all nationalities.
• Mobility is and continues to be a core contractual requirement in WFP.
• This position is however classified as “non-rotational” which means the incumbent shall not be subject to the regular reassignment process unless the position is reclassified as rotational.
• The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year.
• This position is open to both internal and external candidates.
• The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Rome, Italy to take up this assignment.

Benefits

• Basic salary
• Post adjustment
• Relocation entitlement
• Travel allowance
• Visa and shipment allowances
• 30 days' annual leave
• Home leave
• An education grant for dependent children
• Pension plan
• Medical insurance

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:

Equal Opportunity

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.

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