Director, Wellness and Culture Division, D1

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

4 May 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.

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is committed to promoting and maintaining the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of its workforce. This commitment is reinforced by the WFP Wellness Strategy 2025-2030, which advocates a holistic approach to wellness by integrating medical and mental health services, psychosocial balance, working and living conditions, occupational safety, and human resources stewardship. The strategy aligns with WFP’s broader mission to achieve zero hunger through a resilient and high-performing workforce.

The WFP Wellness and Culture Division plays a central role in implementing the WFP’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Policy, guided by the United Nations Medical Directors (UNMD) Strategy 2023-2030 and international occupational health and safety standards. The service ensures compliance with the WFP Duty of Care Framework, embedding wellness initiatives in line with WFP’s People Policy and Strategic Plan (2025-2029).

WFP’s workforce comprises approximately 22,000 employees worldwide, including a significant number stationed in remote and high-risk environments. Frequent travel, high workloads, and exposure to volatile conditions present unique health and well-being challenges. The Global Health Survey (GHS) 2022 identified key health risks such as increased stress levels, access to primary care in underserved duty stations, and evolving dietary and physical activity patterns, underscoring the need for targeted interventions.

The Director, Wellness and Culture Division (D-1) reports directly to the Assistant Executive Director, Workplace and Management, overseeing policy implementation, developing corporate wellness strategies, and advising WFP senior leadership on workforce health and resilience. The role is instrumental in ensuring WFP personnel have a safe, healthy, and enabling work environment, supporting both individual well-being and organizational effectiveness in achieving WFP’s humanitarian mandate.

Job Purpose

To provide effective leadership to WFP’s Wellness and Culture Division and play a key role in the formulation of WFP corporate strategies, policies and plans related to employee physical, mental and psychosocial well-being. The Director will ensure the effective implementation of wellness programs and activities, fostering a healthy and resilient workforce that contributes to WFP’s mission.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the Wellness and Culture Division by developing and leading wellness strategies, policies and plans, ensuring alignment with WFP corporate vision, values and operational requirements.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of corporate wellness programs, including mental health support, occupational health services, and well-being initiatives.
• Formulate, manage and implement change processes to maximize performance, enable innovations and achieve cost-effective and efficient delivery of activities; ensure that team remains engaged and motivated during the change processes.
• Lead and coordinate global wellness efforts, ensuring best practices and innovation in workplace well-being, stress management, and staff resilience.
• Demonstrate ownership, promote and deploy WFP corporate initiatives and strategies.
• Hold accountability for standards, policies and guidelines within the Wellness and Culture Division that promote a high-performance culture while safeguarding employees' physical and mental health.
• Manage and oversee wellness budgets to ensure cost-effectiveness and sustainable impact.
• Provide effective leadership to the Wellness and Culture Division to ensure the continued development and coaching of a cohesive and high-performing team.
• Drive the implementation of evaluation, audit and compliance recommendations within the Wellness and Culture Division ensuring continuous improvement and learning.
• Identify and build productive relationships with a broad range of internal and external partners at the global level to promote WFP wellness strategies and initiatives, transfer of knowledge and expertise, technological advancement and attract support for WFP activities
• Maintain strong working relationships and collaboration with other functions in HQ, Regional and Country Offices to integrate well-being health and safety practices into operational processes and policies.
• Actively participate, lead or co-lead UN forums and clusters to ensure delivery of the broader UN mandate and effective WFP leadership in wellness programs and activities and to advocate for best practices in humanitarian workforce well-being.
• Develop and maintain appropriate contingency plans and activities to ensure that WFP’s emergency preparedness and response plans include wellness and staff support mechanisms for crisis situations.
• Lead WFP’s approach to workplace mental health and psychosocial support, ensuring access to professional assistance and peer support networks.
• Oversee the management of complex medical and mental health cases, including long-term sick leave, ensuring appropriate support and interventions.
• Monitor health risks affecting the WFP workforce, including emerging disease outbreaks, and adapt response plans accordingly.
• Act as a Medical Advisor on matters related to incapacity, partial disability insurance, and compensation, providing expert guidance and recommendations.
• Accountable for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.
• Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs.
• Other as required.

Other Job Specifics

The Director, Wellness and Culture Division (D-1) supervises the following units:

• Medical Service: Responsible for providing preventive and curative healthcare services to WFP staff, ensuring medical readiness, conducting health risk assessments, and managing emergency medical response in high-risk duty stations.
• Counselling Service: Provides psychological support and mental health services to WFP staff, including crisis intervention, resilience-building programs, stress management, and trauma counselling for employees in challenging environments.
• People Culture Unit: Focuses on fostering an inclusive and values-driven workplace culture, promoting leadership development, employee engagement, and initiatives that support staff well-being and motivation.
• Diversity and Inclusion Unit: Develops and implements policies and programs that promote workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. This unit ensures WFP fosters a respectful, accessible, and inclusive work environment, addressing systemic barriers, supporting underrepresented groups, and integrating best practices in diversity management across all levels of the organization.
• Medical Insurance Unit: Oversees the administration and optimization of staff medical insurance programs, ensuring cost-effective coverage and accessibility to quality healthcare services for employees and their dependents
• UNMD Secretariat: WFP hosts the Secretariat of the UN Medical Directors Network providing HR and administrative support to 2 roles by administering and interagency dedicated financial vehicle.

Standard Minimum Academic Qualifications

Education: University degree in Medicine (MD) is required. Completed Residency training in a medical specialty, preferably in Internal Medicine or Occupational Health, or an equivalent experience is an asset. A valid medical license/registration to practice from an UN Member State country is mandatory.

Experience

• Thirteen years or more (of which six international) of senior level experience with progressive responsibilities, with a background and interest in international humanitarian development. Extensive experience leading multicultural teams and improving performance.
• Prior experience of successful management of medical and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience in Emergency Management (crisis or disaster medicine) including medical evacuation and travel medicine.
• Experience in individual occupational health evaluation for fitness to work and medico legal appeal procedures.
• Experience in sick leave management, return to work processes and workplace inclusion for personnel with need of workplace accommodation.
• Demonstrated ability to work with external partners such as UN agencies, international NGOs, and other organizations across sectors.
• Experience in the administrative management of a medical service or within a medical service as head of unit.
• Experience with setting and implementing a strategic plan and leading change management processes to achieve results with ability to influence and coordinate multiple stakeholders.

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).