DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS5 July 2025-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Rome)
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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: Data Lake Specialist
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant level I (Re-appointment)
UNIT/DIVISION: TECD
DUTY STATION (City, Country): HQ
DURATION: NTE 31 December 2025BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
TEC has started a digital transformation initiative that aims to modernize and evolve its current digital solutions ecosystem. As part of this initiative, a new team, the platform services team, has been established.
The objective of the team is to focus on 5 macro domains to serve our digital solutions, namely:
-The API ecosystem, which aims to create a reliable and robust set of programmability capabilities for the organization;
-The Information Layer, which aims to create new data flows from corporate systems, new data integration and transformation solutions and the implementation of the WFP Data Lake;
-The identity services, which objective is to define a solid authentication/authorization layer to secure and expose our digital capacity;
-The Enterprise Foundational services, aiming to catalogue, organize and evolve the corporate critical Datasets and APIs assets fostering usage and consumption of them;
As part of the Integration Services team, the incumbent will be responsible for the Information Layer domain for its evolution, development and adoption.ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the general and functional supervision of the Head of Integration Services unit, the Information Layer Specialist will be responsible for the following duties:
Data Lake ecosystem management
-Lead the Data Lake development and ecosystem of the WFP Corporate Digital Core;
-Evolve the data ingestion patterns based on current and upcoming challenges in the Digital Core team;
-Lead the implementation of the required data pipelines to support the different project activities on the DOTS ecosystem;
-Be the custodian of the Data Ingestion flows of the DOTS platform;
-Provide expertise on the best way to implement Data transformation and integration pipelines to the WFP technical teams;
-Build reliable, resilient, and robust production-ready components to be plugged in the family of services of the new WFP Digital Core-Be the custodian in the organization of the Data Lake architectural principles enforcing their implementation and consumption among the different corporate services;
-Proactively identify ways to optimize costs and implement elasticity in our Data Lake landscape.
-Data Security
-Guide other teams in WFP on the required data encryption and anonymization pattern;
-Working with WFP TECI security team, design and lead the implementation of new technical primitives for data encryption and anonymization;
-Liaise with the TEC Data Protection team in the definition of the data security requirements and their actual implementation;
-Leverage cloud-based services to empower WFP developers.DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
Ensure effective delivery of the following:
โข Ensure that every solution being developed or bought by TEC adheres to the established enterprise data ingestion patterns;
โข Lead the activities required to ingest data from the different corporate solutions to the DOTS platform;
โข Lead the evolution of the different data ingestion patterns;
โข Delivery of the update list of data ingestion patterns, if need arise during the year;
โข Ensure the required robustness and stability of the different data flows for mission critical systems;
โข Ensure and implement the required security of the different dataflows handling sensitive information;
โข A continuous review of the existing environments for possible costs optimization and savings;
โข A continuous review of the different components to increase their performances, effectiveness and adherence to the latest industry standards;
โข Proper support to the different audits the organization might deem necessary to the platform components involved in the data ingestion and data lake components.QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
University Degree in computer science, mathematics or statistics or equivalent training in a related technical field.
Experience:
3 to 5 years post graduate, progressively responsible professional experience as Developer within an organization and proven record of accomplishment in development and implementation of IT applications.
Possession of a combination of broad business skills and IT experience including:โข IT solution development: Requirements, Design, Development, Implementation.
โข Business analysis: creation and review of business, functional and non-functional requirements for IT solutions.
Knowledge & Skills:
Strong experience with Development standard tools/methodologies
-Strong knowledge of the Palantir Foundry platform;
-Excellent knowledge of the Palantir Magritte ingestion engine;
-Excellent knowledge of the SQL language;
-Strong knowledge of the Digital Core primary components such as the API Gateway, the PIANO ecosystem, and most common relational database systems;
-Proficiency in data pipelines implementation;
-Proficiency in most common Encryption/Anonymization primitives;
-Good knowledge of WFP IT infrastructure / Services;
-Strong and proven experience with SQL development;
A certain degree of autonomy and self-management skills are required to identify solutions to be submitted to the related Team Leader for final approval.
Languages:
EnglishWFP 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
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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.