Backend Engineer Specialist for ShareTheMeal

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).

JOB TITLE: Backend Engineer Specialist for ShareTheMeal

TYPE OF CONTRACT: CST level l

UNIT/DIVISION: Private Sector Partnerships (PSP)

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Berlin, Germany or Remote

DURATION: 11 months

LINE MANAGER/SUPERVISOR: Lead Backend Engineer of ShareTheMeal initiative

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. WFP 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. Around 20,000 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor.

ShareTheMeal is WFP’s fundraising and awareness-raising app. To reach a world with zero hunger, WFP is investing in and growing private sector partnerships.  ShareTheMeal is WFP’s fundraising and awareness-raising app. Free to download, the award-winning app is a pioneering way for people to join our efforts in creating a world with zero hunger.

ShareTheMeal currently has more than 1.6 million users worldwide, who have shared more than 235 million meals (US$ 190 million). WFP is pursuing an ambitious growth strategy for individual giving, and ShareTheMeal is a key driver for this strategy going forward. The team, located in Berlin, is focused on further developing the app to include new and innovative features, and on increasing the engagement of existing users and growing the user base through marketing and communication initiatives.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

The Consultant, reporting to the Lead Backend Engineer for the ShareTheMeal initiative, is expected to:

• Drive backend engineering efforts:

  Solve technical problems of high complexity and scope

  Improve our AWS setup using EKS, Terraform, etc.

  Identify and implement security best practices

  Support automation and contribute to internal tooling projects

  Identify and plan reduction of technical debt in the system

  Conduct code reviews and assessments

  Document architecture, code decisions and APIs

  Provide mentorship and feedback to peers in the Backend team

  Hold regular 1:1’s with all members of the Backend Team

  Drive the creation of a technical roadmap

• Develop product features and improvements:

  Create secure, well-tested and performant APIs

  Maintain and conduct bug-fixes to API code

  Collaborate with Product Managers and QA team and drive feature development in an iterative environment.

  Exert technical influence to improve the reliability of our products.

• Contribute to objectives and long-term goals of the ShareTheMeal Engineering team.

  Support defining and improving tech standards and processes.

  Support in defining and driving the overall roadmap for STM Engineering team.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• Completed contributions to application architecture and software development as agreed with the Lead Backend Engineer.

• Stable and performant operations of the backend systems.

• Documentation and handover to the Lead Backend Engineer for the ShareTheMeal initiative.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education:

Relevant Bachelor’s degree.

Experience:

At least 4-5 years of experience in developing and designing backend architectures, experience building large-scale backends designed to serve thousands or more concurrently active users.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Expert knowledge of JS/TS and node.js development

• Embracing principles of clean code, test driven development and agile development processes

• Strong analytical abilities, both quantitative and qualitative

• Ability to collaborate with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy

• Strong time management skills with an ability to plan, anticipate requirements, problems and obstacles, and an ability to juggle competing priorities successfully, and to work to tight deadlines

• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy

• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the World Food Programme

Languages:

In addition to a high proficiency in written and spoken English, knowledge of a second UN language is a plus.

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 dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

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.