Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) Officer_SC8

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

2 September 2026-23:59-GMT Greenwich Mean Time (Monrovia)

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).

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 United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

The United Nation World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and collaborating with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. WFP assists 80 million people in around 80 countries each year. In emergencies, WFP is often first on the scene, providing food assistance to the victims of war, civil conflict, drought, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, crop failures and natural disasters. When the emergency subsides, WFP helps communities rebuild shattered lives and livelihoods. WFP development projects focus on social protection and safety nets for the vulnerable population through nutrition interventions, smallholder agricultural livelihood promotion and market support, school meals and investing in strengthening national capacities to develop and manage sustainable food and nutrition security programmes.

COUNTRY CONTEXT

WFP Liberia implements the Country Strategic Plan (CSP), which supports the transition from humanitarian assistance towards resilience-building interventions. The CSP focuses on strengthening national systems and promoting sustainable solutions through initiatives such as Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF), support to smallholder farmers, nutrition improvement, and institutional capacity strengthening. These efforts are aligned with the Government of Liberia's National Development Plan (NDP), the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Liberia

JOB PURPOSE

The role of the FSQA will be to effectively support the County Office in its operations and programmatic activities especially on the integrating Food Safety and Quality assurance Management System (FSQMS) across all activities of procurement, logistics, Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF), Smallholder Farmers, Food fortification, and other projects.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the general supervision and guidance of the Head of Supply Chain and with a functional reporting line to the Regional Food Safety and Quality Assurance Advisor in Global RO/ HQ, the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer will be responsible for the following key duties:

• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of WFP's Food Safety and Quality Management System (FSQMS), ensuring compliance with WFP requirements, national regulations, and international food safety standards across procurement, local sourcing, storage, transportation, and distribution activities. Monitor food safety and quality risks throughout the supply chain and recommend preventive and corrective measures to safeguard food quality and beneficiary wellbeing.

• Oversee food quality and quantity assurance activities across the supply chain, including commodity inspections, sampling and testing, review of laboratory results, commodity acceptance and clearance processes, warehouse monitoring, and distribution spot checks. Ensure that corrective and preventive actions arising from inspections, audits, and quality assessments are effectively implemented and tracked to closure.

• Support supplier prequalification, technical assessment, validation, monitoring, and performance evaluation processes for food suppliers, processors, retailers, inspection companies, and other service providers. Provide technical guidance and capacity strengthening support to suppliers and partners to improve compliance with WFP food safety, quality, and food fortification requirements.

• Coordinate food safety risk management activities, including food incident investigations, root cause analysis, traceability exercises, product recalls, food holds, and implementation of mitigation measures. Provide evidence-based recommendations to minimize commodity losses, address food safety concerns, and support effective decision-making in both routine and emergency operations.

• Manage laboratory-related activities, including laboratory identification, assessment, validation, and performance monitoring in line with WFP requirements. Coordinate sampling and testing programmes, review analytical results, and provide technical guidance on food technology, food fortification, packaging materials, shelf-life studies, product development, and emerging food safety issues to support quality assurance and local food systems development.

• Provide technical advice and support to programme activities, including Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF), nutrition programmes, food fortification initiatives, cash-based transfers, resilience-building interventions, smallholder farmer support programmes, and emergency response operations. Ensure food safety and quality risks are assessed and appropriate control measures are integrated into programme design and implementation.

• Strengthen the capacity of WFP staff, government counterparts, suppliers, laboratories, cooperatives, schools, and other stakeholders through training, coaching, mentoring, and knowledge-sharing initiatives. Promote a strong food safety culture and support the development of sustainable national capacities in food safety, quality assurance, food processing, and quality management systems.

• Serve as the focal point for food safety and quality matters within WFP Liberia and represent the organization in relevant national and regional technical working groups, coordination forums, and stakeholder platforms. Establish and maintain effective partnerships with government ministries and regulatory agencies, UN agencies (including UNIDO), NGOs, academia, laboratories, development partners, and private sector actors to strengthen food safety systems, quality infrastructure, food fortification initiatives, local food value chains, and national food safety governance. Support collaboration and knowledge exchange among stakeholders to promote sustainable food systems transformation and improved food safety outcomes in Liberia.

• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of WFP Liberia's programme and supply chain objectives.

Qualifications & experience required.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in food science, Food Technology, Food Safety and Quality Management, Food Control, Nutrition, or another related field. Alternatively, a first university degree in a relevant discipline combined with at least Three (3) years of progressively responsible professional experience in food safety and quality assurance, food technology, food control, or a related.

Experience:

At least Three (3) years of progressively responsible professional experience in food safety and quality assurance, food technology, quality management systems, food supply chain management, supplier quality assurance, food inspection, laboratory management, and food safety incident management

Technical Skills & Knowledge:

• Knowledge of food safety and quality management systems (i.e., ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRC, HACCP)
• Experience in industrial food production, food fortification and food safety, and stability testing.
• Knowledge in ISO, Codex standards, laboratory analysis, inspection, certification, accreditation.
• Proven experience in conducting suppliers’ audits, incident management, product traceability.
• Ability to advise operations, logistics and procurement on food contracting, handling, and distribution.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with clients and partners.
• Good knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations, and procedures is an asset.

Language:

Fluency (Level C) in English, both oral and written, is required.

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

• 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.