DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS23 October 2025-23:59-GMT+03:00 Eastern European Time (Damascus)
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 worldโs 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).
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Syria has been experiencing a prolonged crisis since 2011, severely damaging its economy and social fabric. Currently, almost 33 percent of the people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024 are internally displaced persons (IDPs) and out of the 7.2 million IDPs, 5.5 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The 2024 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) states that around 15.5 million people (66 percent of the population) need food, livelihood support, agricultural assistance, or assistance from national safety nets. At least 12.9 million people are in need of food assistance, including more than 2.1 million who live in camps and a further 2.6 million are at risk of food insecurity. The main causes are the prolonged crisis, economic collapse, eroding purchasing power, the impacts of the Coronavirus disease pandemic, and an earthquake, these pre-exiting effects compound with recent crises including influx from Lebanon, internal displacements following ongoing change in control coupled with dwindling humanitarian funding further exacerbates food insecurity and strains livelihoods.
As a response to this situation, the World Food Programme (WFP) has developed an interim country strategic plan (iCSP) that addresses the growing food and nutrition needs, livelihood deterioration, and the collapse of food systems. The iCSP began implementation in January 2022, drawing from WFP's experience and lessons learned and collaborating with humanitarian and development stakeholders.
To perform specialized and/or standardized policy and programme-related processes and activities that support the effective design of assistance packages.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The Engineer will work in the Engineering Unit of Syria Country Office, reporting to the Lead Engineer, under the overall supervision of the Head of Engineering Unit and Deputy Country Director (Enabling Services). S/he will be responsible for all aspects of design, construction and contract management for different types of projects to be carried out in Syria, supporting various CO units.
CONTRACT DETAILS:
Contract Type: Service Contract (SC9)
Duration: One Year
Duty Station: Damascus
Number of required employees: 1ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
The main responsibilities for this position will be engineering projects management including planning; engineering design review; construction procurement processes monitoring; supervision and facilitation of construction activities carried out by cooperating partners and contractors and, more generally, technical support to other WFP's programmes and operations in Syria.
Within delegated authority, the Engineer will be responsible for the following duties (not limited to):
- Increase WFP engineering unit capacity to respond to the WFP Facility Projects and Livelihood projects, developing internal and external partnerships.
- Conduct field visit and analysis of project proposals to ensure business case and technical feasibility and that project objectives are attainable within the prescribed resources and timelines.
- accurate and timely reports on outputs to enable information decision making and consistency of information presented to the stakeholders.
- Supervise construction works, programming and co-ordination, acting as the project focal point between SYCO ENG and the Contractor
- Prepare and/or review designs, drawings and construction contract documentation.
- Prepare and review reports, minutes and correspondence in relation to projects, as requested.
- Undertake administrative tasks, maintaining records including site correspondence, survey data, inspection records, test data, site diaries, records of meetings, financial records, progress records etc.
- Liaise with authorities to obtain necessary authorization for the implementation of the projects and to ensure co-ordination of activities throughout the project duration.
- Review and evaluation of planned and in progress construction projects.
- Provide recommendations to Syria Engineering unit in relation to certifying payments on the project and for any additional financial obligations necessary to be entered into in order to complete the construction at project work site.
- Carry out reviews of contractual matters (performance bonds, insurances, claims, advance payment guarantees etc.).
- Present recommendations, in consultation with Engineering unitโs members, for variations to address issues encountered on site or arising from the needs of WFP or others partners. Preparation of all designs, drawings, quantities etc to address the issues for the approval by the SYCO ENG and CO.
- Review of proposals on variation orders and implementation schedules prepared by the contractor. Preparation of variations to address programme constraints arising from escalations in the security situation.
- Supervise, provide guidance and coaching to junior engineers to ensure consistency and quality in project delivery. Actively contribute to a respectful and harmonious working environment.
- Any other duties assigned as required by Head of Engineering Unit and priorities.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
Advanced University degree in Engineering or Architecture or related Engineering discipline, or First University Degree in Engineering with additional years of related work experience. Hold or be eligible for Accreditation to โProfessional Engineerโ or โChartered Engineerโ status or recognized equivalent by an appropriate national or international regulatory authority.
Experience:
- At least (3) years of post-graduate professional experience in relevant civil engineering experience with a Masterโs degree, or (5) years with a Bachelor's degree
- Experience of working in the Humanitarian Community is an asset.
- Has managed or contributed to the management of a small to medium scale engineering constructionprojects,takingresponsibility forengineeringdecision- making.
Knowledge & Skills:
- Good communication and coordination skills.
- Knowledge and experience in engineering design.
- Experience working with multiple stakeholders including government and partners.
- Good knowledge and use of AutoCAD 2D and Office package.
Languages:
Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Arabic.
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
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.