Validation specialist.

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: and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: , , , , , . **JOB TITLE:** Cybersecurity Specialist - Threat, Risk and Vulnerability Management**TYPE OF CONTRACT:** Regular Consultant (CST2)**DUTY STATION:** Rome/Italy or Remote**DURATION:** 11 months**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 lead efforts to enhance the organization's threat exposure & vulnerability management practices. This includes coordinating adversarial validation initiatives - such as penetration testing, threat exposure assessments, red/purple teaming - to identify and assess exploitable vulnerabilities in IT infrastructure and systems. The role focuses on validating risks and gaps, prioritizing remediation and controls, and aligning efforts with business priorities.The incumbent will collaborate with teams to integrate validation results into threat exposure and detection processes, while continuously monitoring, reporting, and refining adversarial validation practices to minimize organizational risk by addressing critical vulnerabilities and detection gaps.**Main responsibilities include, but not limited to:* Design and coordinate adversarial validation activities such as penetration tests, threat exposure assessments, and red/purple team exercises to identify detection gaps, exploitable weak points and assess their risk impact in real-world scenarios.* Validate findings to confirm exploitability, assess risk levels, and guide prioritization of remediation efforts, leveraging team input and expertise and guiding integration into WFP’s threat exposure management program.* Communicate adversarial validation findings, risks, and remediation strategies effectively to senior leadership and stakeholders.* Continuously refine validation techniques based on emerging threat intelligence, vulnerabilities, and attack methods to maintain program relevance and effectiveness.* Prioritize vulnerabilities based on adversarial validation outcomes, focusing on those posing the highest risk to the organization’s operations, and coordinate team efforts accordingly.* Perform other cybersecurity related duties as assigned.**DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:*** Comprehensive Adversarial Validation Reports: Developed in coordination with a small technical team, including findings, attack paths, categorized vulnerabilities, proof of concept, and real-world risk impact.* Prioritized Mitigation Recommendations: Actionable strategies based on business impact and organizational risk, incorporating team-driven insights to address critical gaps and improve security posture.* Integrated Workflows & Threat Exposure Alignment: Team-supported automation and structured processes for embedding validation results into vulnerability management and threat intelligence programs.* Executive-level summaries and presentations reflecting the team’s findings and strategic recommendations, tailored based on different audiences.* 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, with focus on vulnerability management and threat exposure management.**Knowledge & Skills:*** Sound IT Security skills, with both academic background and practical hands-on experience* In-depth understanding of vulnerability management frameworks, processes, and best practices.* Familiarity with security concepts such as threat modeling, asset classification, and risk-based decision-making.* Experience with penetration testing, and adversarial emulation activities that aid in identifying potential attack vectors and their impact.* IT Audit and/or PM certifications are desirable, though equivalent hands-on experience is equally appreciated.* 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.**REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION**WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. 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. 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 recruitment system. If you experience challenges while submitting your online application, please contact us at for technical support only.* We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).* 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

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