Cybersecurity Consultant - Cloud Security Operations Specialist

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

17 October 2026-23:59-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.

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 extreme weather shocks.

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).

JOB TITLE: Cybersecurity Consultant - Cloud Security Operations Specialist

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant (CST2)

UNIT/DIVISION: TECI

DUTY STATION: Remote

DURATION: 11 months (renewable)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Under the general supervision of the Chief TECI and the direct supervision of the Head of Cybersecurity Operations, the incumbent will contribute to the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of secure cloud and hybrid environments. The role focuses on engineering and operationalizing cloud-native security controls, integrating cybersecurity into cloud infrastructure, and monitoring for threats and misconfigurations, and responding to cloud-based incidents. The incumbent will collaborate with cloud architects, operations teams, and other cybersecurity teams to ensure visibility, protection, and resilience across multi-cloud environments that are aligned with organizational risk tolerance. The role emphasizes operational excellence in cloud security, including configuration hardening, runtime protection, and continuous monitoring. The consultant will also contribute to the development of security standards and incident response capabilities, while collaborating with a small team to enhance WFP’s cloud security posture.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Main responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Continuously monitor cloud environments for misconfigurations, threats, and anomalies using CSPM, SIEM, SOAR, and XDR tools.
• Engineer and operationalize cloud-native security controls, supporting secure integration with other cybersecurity tools and workflows.
• Collaborate with architects, cloud experts and other cybersecurity areas to design and implement secure cloud and hybrid environments, contributing to the development of modern security architectures.
• Oversee detection efforts for cloud services, containerized/serverless/virtualized workloads, and storage across multi-cloud settings.
• Acting as cloud security SME, support incident detection, triage, and response in cloud environments, contributing to containment and recovery efforts.
• Maintain and update documentation for cloud security operational procedures, processes, and playbooks.
• Integrate cloud-specific cybersecurity controls into threat detection, incident response and threat intelligence & hunting processes, supporting business continuity and resilience.
• Support the secure adoption of cloud hosted AI and automation services by implementing security controls, monitoring requirements, and governance guardrails for cloud-based AI workloads, AI agents, and automation platforms.
• Support knowledge sharing and mentoring within the team, contributing to a collaborative and high-performing engineering environment.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• Operational Cloud Security Monitoring Framework: Implemented and documented monitoring and detection use cases across CSPM, SIEM, SOAR, and XDR platforms for multi-cloud environments.
• Hardened Cloud Configuration Baselines: Enforced and monitored secure configuration standards for cloud services, workloads, and storage, with validation and compliance tracking.
• Runtime Protection and Access Control Implementation: Deployed and operationalized runtime security controls, least-privilege policies, and segmentation for containerized, serverless, and virtualized workloads.
• Cloud Incident Detection & Response Contributions: Supported detection, triage, and recovery of cloud-related incidents, with updated playbooks and documented lessons learned.
• Cloud AI Monitoring and Protection Capability: Implemented and documented monitoring, logging, and security control requirements for cloud hosted AI services and automation platforms, supporting operational visibility and risk management.
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QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Education:University Degree in Information Technology, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related fields or a combination of relevant education and experience.Experience:At least 5 years of experience in cybersecurity or cloud operations, ideally with exposure to public cloud platforms (i.e., AWS, Azure, GCP).Knowledge & Skills:Solid understanding of IT security principles, with a mix of academic knowledge and practical experience.Familiarity with deploying, monitoring, and operating cloud-native security tools, and applying secure configurations in cloud environments.Understanding of cloud security operations, including monitoring, threat detection and response.Exposure to containerized, serverless, or virtualized workloads, including runtime protection and access controls.Proficiency in scripting or automation (e.g., Python, PowerShell, Terraform) is an asset.Previous experience in international or UN environments is valued, but not essential.Cloud-related certifications are desirable, though equivalent hands-on experience is equally appreciatedStrong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.Languages:Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language desirable: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese

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.

Welcome to our new recruitment platform!

If you used to have an account on our previous platform, please note that you will need to create a new account for future applications. However, this change will not affect any ongoing recruitment processes.

Understanding contract types in WFP

To ensure that WFP is able to deliver on its mandate, a range of contract types exist depending on the duration and nature of work. Find out more here.

Guidance on the Use of AI in WFP Recruitment Processes

These guidelines are here to help you use AI tools responsibly throughout WFP’s recruitment process. We also want to be transparent about how we use AI on our side. Curious? Find out more here.

Working with WFP

Our greatest strength is the people working around the world providing access to nutritious food and promoting lasting solutions to those we serve. WFP provides its staff with meaningful and impactful careers, continuous learning and training, and a multicultural and stimulating work environment.

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, physical or mental disability.

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are 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.

Read more about WFP’s history here, and WFP’s mission here

Hear the voices of WFP

Want to hear what it’s like working for WFP? Check out our newsletter highlighting the career stories of our passionate staff here: Pathway to WFP | LinkedIn

Our values and behaviours

Integrity, collaboration, commitment, humanity, inclusion. These values inspire everything we do every day, allowing us to work towards a world with zero hunger. You can read more about the values here.

Our behaviour guides us in how we accomplish our mission. All WFP employees are expected to demonstrate the standards of behaviour described in the WFP Leadership Framework. Learn more about the WFP Leadership Framework here.

Beware of fraudulent job offers

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