Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer

About the role

The World Food Programme (WFP) Yemen is looking for a Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer based in Aden, reporting to the Head of Supply Chain. Food safety and quality assurance is central to WFP Yemen's supply chain, covering sourcing, storage, transport and final distribution, and the officer supports analytical work and the implementation of the corporate FSQA approach. The appointment is fixed term, 12 months and renewable.

Key responsibilities

• Provide technical inputs to implement FSQA policies and procedures and support compliance with FSQA regulations
• Draft inputs for the design and implementation of food assistance programmes so that food safety and quality are embedded in all food operations
• Implement FSQA incident management and emergency response protocols, gather information for documentation, assist investigations and share lessons learned
• Help organize field operations systems for preventing FSQA issues, including product specifications, communication with regulatory authorities and supplier assessment and compliance testing
• Support supply chain colleagues in maintaining and monitoring food safety and quality
• Liaise with UN agencies, NGOs, governments and the private sector to collect data for collaboration
• Take part in FSQA assurance and packaging research, including sample collection, data review and consultations
• Contribute to strengthening local food producers' capacity, including quality assurance, food processing facilities and product stability studies
• Support capacity building in food and food control systems, laboratory testing, inspection and local food standards
• Strengthen compliance of staff, partners, suppliers and governments through training, technical guidance and knowledge transfer
• Collect and organize data for reports that inform planning and decision making, and act in an emergency response capacity when needed

Required profile

• Advanced university degree in Food Technology, Food Sciences, Nutrition or a related field, or first degree plus two years of related work experience
• Total of 5 years of relevant experience, including 1 year of professional experience in food safety and quality
• Experience in procurement, logistics and/or supply chain management is desirable

Required skills

• Knowledge of the Yemen food safety and quality regulatory environment and protocols
• Experience or training in food safety and quality protocols, with basic exposure to implementing tools or procedures
• Data collection and analysis is desirable