Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer - NOB - Karachi, Pakistan

Job Title: Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer

Grade:  NOB

Type of contract: Fixed Term    

Duration: 12 months (with possibility of extension)        

Duty Station: Karachi, Pakistan

Date of Publication: 20 April 2026

Deadline of Application:  04 May 2026

Note: This vacancy announcement will also be used to build a roster of prequalified applicants for future opportunities within same job profile at the current or lower level in Pakistan.

WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary, pension, annual leave, parental leave, medical insurance among other benefits.

Important: All educational documents must be verified/attested by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Appointment will be subject to submission of HEC-verified degrees.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Out of the 71 million school aged children in Pakistan, 26 million are out of school. In response to this staggering number, and the associated widespread deficiencies in learning outcomes, the Government of Pakistan declared an education emergency in 2024, and a number of provincial governments, who hold the responsibility for school meals, are slowly beginning to launch school meals pilot projects. Sindh is one of these provinces. The World Food Programme (WFP) is launching a five-year school meals program to target 100,000 children from 614 government schools in the impoverished and peri-urban districts of Melir and Keamari in greater Karachi, starting in 2026.  The programme will provide daily hot cooked meals while also providing complementary literacy and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions.  Based on lessons learned from previous attempts at setting up school meal programs using the approach of cooking meals at schools, WFP will use the central kitchen modality where the meals are prepared in commercial kitchens and then lunchboxes are dispatched to schools on a daily basis. This method controls food safety and quality, ensures consistency.

This project’s objectives are twofold: at the school level, it focuses on improved enrollment and attendance, increased literacy, improved access to safe drinking water, safe sanitation and hygiene practices, and improved health and nutrition of primary school children. At the provincial government level, the project provides targeted capacity strengthening aimed at process and systems strengthening and ultimately, creating an adaptable and scalable school meals program which can be financed and managed by the Government of Sindh
 

Under the supervision of the Head of Supply Chain, the incumbent will contribute to the implementation of the corporate FSQA approach to meet country operational needs for a successful implementation of the meals programme by conducting technical analysis and develop reports on information to contribute to the implementation of WFP food safety and quality initiatives, policies and procedures. He/she will actively engage with supply chain and programme functions to improve the integrated approach that supports WFP’s strategic objectives in food assistance.

The incumbent will also lead the FSQA Unit for the Pakistan Country Office.

• Perform technical analysis and reporting to contribute to the implementation of policies and procedures that align WFP’s FSQA approach to FSQA and supply chain strategies, and support compliance with FSQA regulations.

• Draft technical guidance and inputs related to the design and implementation of WFP food assistance programmes, ensuring that food safety and quality is embedded in all food- related WFP operations.

• Prepare documentation for risk and incident management, conduct investigations to support rapid response to food safety concerns, and share lessons learned to reduce re- occurrences.

• Support the establishment of field operations systems for the prevention and mitigation of FSQA issues, including drafting product specifications, supporting engagement with regulatory authorities and implementing risk-based systems for supplier assessment and compliance testing.

• Provide relevant technical analysis and inputs to supply chain colleagues to support an integrated approach to food assistance that maintains, monitors and verifies food safety and quality throughout the WFP supply chain.

• Engage with stakeholders across UN agencies, NGOs, governments, and the private sector to identify, gather, compile and exchange relevant data that facilitates operational collaboration.

• Support WFP’s involvement in research related to FSQA assurance, packaging, and principles, enabling the organization to provide safe, quality foods and achieve desired programme impacts. This includes coordinating sample collections, conducting data analysis, compiling literature, and organizing consultations.

• Support WFP staff, partners, and governments by providing technical inputs to build the capacity of local food producers. This may include contributing to quality assurance in food production, supporting in the establishment of food processing facilities, supporting the identification of food processing machinery needs, and compiling information for product stability studies in line with regulations.

• Provide operational support to country operations to build the capacity of local food and food control systems. This may include supporting quality assurance in food production, laboratory testing, inspection, and strengthening local food standards and control systems.

• When required by operational structures exceptionally, staffing limitations hinder full segregation of duties between FSQA management and capacity building, provide operational support for FSQA-embedded initiatives in COs, such as strengthening food systems or improving food diversity for nutrition interventions, under the guidance of Global HQ FSQA.

• Collate and analyze data to prepare reports that inform risk management, planning, and decision-making, contributing to a knowledge base that supports improvements in FSQA and overall Supply Chain.

• Guide and support junior staff, acting as a point of referral and assisting them with more complex analysis and queries.

• Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs.

• Other responsibilities assigned by the supervisor, within the job level and expertise.

Advanced university degree in Food Technology, Health Sciences, Food Control, Nutrition or other related field, or First University degree with two additional years of related work experience.

Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in Food Safety and Quality and/or experience in procurement, logistics, and/or supply chain management with additional relevant training in food safety and quality.

• Experience implementing food science related tools and protocols.

• Experience working with data-related concepts and tools and leveraging data-driven insights for improved decision-making and business outcomes.

• Experience working with teams across different functional areas.

• Experience operating in emergency contexts or time sensitive operations.

Fluency in English language and Urdu. Knowledge of an additional local language is an advantage.
 

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.