Cloud Infrastructure Services Team Lead (P4)

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The World Food Programme (WFP) is undergoing a significant digital transformation, leveraging cloud infrastructure to enhance global operations and ensure business continuity. This position is central to that strategy, based in the Foundational Technology Services Branch (TECM) at WFP Headquarters in Rome.

The Cloud Infrastructure Services team is a highly specialized, central unit providing global advisory, operations, and governance for WFP's cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP). This team is responsible for building, securing, and scaling world-class cloud platforms that empower the organization's mission. The role's importance is underscored by its focus on expert technical knowledge in cloud strategy, architecture, FinOps, and automated systems engineering to manage the complexities of hyperscale environments. This centralized model ensures technical continuity and the independent, impartial governance of global digital assets.

THE ROLE

As Team Lead, the purpose of this position is to provide the technical vision and leadership necessary to manage the Cloud Infrastructure Services team. Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Foundational Technology Services, this position will lead a team of Cloud Specialists and oversee the development and implementation of the division’s workplan.

The Team Lead will be the primary representative for WFP’s cloud infrastructure, acting as the main point of contact for cloud-native modernization initiatives and presenting complex IT solutions to the Architectural Board and various governance bodies for corporate endorsement. Key responsibilities include leading the design of robust and scalable cloud-native infrastructure, defining the growth plan of the team, driving FinOps initiatives to optimize cloud spending, and partnering with the cybersecurity team to implement and harden security practices. The Team Lead will also translate technical needs into financial business cases, forecast future infrastructure requirements, and serve as a critical escalation point during high-severity incidents.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Lead and mentor a team of Cloud Specialists, managing workload distribution, performance evaluations, 1-on-1s to provide feedback, and professional development.
• Serve as the primary representative to the Architectural Board, presenting and defending complex IT solutions for corporate endorsement.
• Act as the organizational focal point for cloud-native modernization initiatives across WFP and UN agencies.
• Lead the design and implementation of robust, scalable, and highly available cloud-native infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP)
• Oversee the total cost of ownership (TCO) for Cloud/Hybrid environments and implement high-level quality assurance metrics.
• Elaborate principles, guidance, and best practices for Cloud infrastructure.
• Design and document AWS, GCP, and Azure infrastructure to ensure governance, security, performance, scalability and resiliency.
• Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of modern hosting platforms for corporate applications in Cloud and Hybrid environments.
• Partner with cybersecurity team to implement security practices, including IAM hardening, encryption, and automated auditing.
• Translate technical infrastructure needs into financial business cases for executive approval.
• Drive FinOps initiatives to monitor cloud spend and implement rightsizing and architectural improvements to optimize the budget for Cloud and Hybrid environments.
• Forecast future infrastructure needs based on growth metrics and lead the strategy for scaling the environment before performance bottlenecks occur.
• Serve as an escalation point during high-severity incidents, coordinating communication between the technical response team and business stakeholders.
• Other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Advanced university degree in Computer Science/Engineering, Information Systems or other relevant field, or First University degree with two additional years of related work experience.

Experience: Minimum 8 years of relevant progressively responsible experience in supporting production applications and/or administrating of Enterprise IT Services in Cloud and Hybrid environments with distributed 24x7 operations.

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:

• Deep technical knowledge in AWS, GCP and Azure infrastructure design, Cloud-native architectures and migration from on-premises to Cloud.
• Ability to analyze and monitor infrastructure to proactively detect potential performance issues.
• Good knowledge of kubernetes (EKS/GKE) and docker orchestration.
• Technical expertise in Cybersecurity (network, design, firewalls) and CI/CD pipeline management.
• Experience administrating Cloud and Hybrid (on-premises) architectures.
• Ability to translate complex technical jargon into business value for stakeholders.
• Good interpersonal skills. Self-motivated and directed, able to work effectively with little or no guidance.
• Extensive experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment, and good customer service orientation.
• Cloud certification on AWS required, GCP or Azure desirable.
• Certification on Agile/Scrum or ITIL v4 are desirable.

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.
• WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards (http://icsc.un.org) including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance.
• The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Rome, Italy to take up this assignment.

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: [email protected]

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 [email protected]. 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.