Partnerships Officer SC-8/ Спеціаліст(-ка) з партнерства

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. 

WFP engages in a diverse range of partnerships, which include: Governments, the Private Sector, UN agencies, Financial institutions as well as NGOs, Research Institutions and Academia. These partnerships are critical to mobilize needed financial and technical resources for the successful implementation of WFPs operations. In Ukraine, WFP delivers emergency food and cash assistance, supports national systems, promotes food systems and livelihoods recovery and provides the humanitarian community with common services through the food security and livelihood cluster, the emergency telecommunications cluster and the logistics cluster. 

As part of WFP Ukraine Country Office, the Partnerships unit works to effectively position WFP with public, private and external partners. It develops quality proposals, leads on contractual negotiations, ensures donor conditions are met and produces timely and informative reports. The unit also manages all donors related events and supports senior management in their interaction with external stakeholders.  

What will you do in this position? 

You will report to the Head of Partnerships and will primarily carry out day–to-day partnership activities and research, including on the private sector. You are expected to support WFPs positioning, lead on the drafting and submission of proposals and reports as well as inform about donor requirements. 

Why work with us? 

The war in Ukraine has had drastic consequences, both for people inside the country and for those around the world dependent on its huge grain supplies. It is inflicting untold suffering on civilians, displace families, and disrupt supply chains and food production. It has caused one of the fastest forced population movements since the Second World War. Close to 6 million Ukrainians are still living as refugees across Europe, and almost 5.1 million are internally displaced. Many have lost their homes and livelihoods. As food production and supply lines are disrupted by fighting, many families in the east and south do not have reliable access to nutritious food. 

WFP uses a flexible mix of food and cash assistance to support communities affected by the war wherever they are. This includes working with local partners to distribute food rations in areas near the frontline and providing cash transfers wherever people have access to banks and markets to buy food. Since March 2022, WFP has distributed food and cash assistance equivalent to 2.4 billion meals to families displaced and affected by the war, partnering directly with local responders. 

• 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 trainings, 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 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. 
• WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary, leave plus a medical insurance. 

How can you make a difference?

​In this position you will be responsible for:

• Implement the work plan for an assigned area to enable WFP to identify, develop and strengthen quality partnerships in support of WFP strategic objectives. 
• Contribute to partner profiling and manage donor intelligence (including forecasting) using key information systems (e.g. Salesforce, WINGS, WFPGo) and share with relevant internal stakeholder.  
• Use collected data to propose options to expand support from existing partners and to scope new partners (including private sector ones) with the aim to enhance the impact of WFP’s work and diversify the resource base.   
• Maintain effective relationships with existing and prospected partners, organize meetings and provide relevant information.  
• Draft briefs, letters, PowerPoints etc. for senior management meetings, missions and other high-level engagements (e.g. Executive Board Sessions, capital missions, field visits) which proactively highlight strategic issues, inform best course of action and nurture partnership growth.  
• Prepare quality partner updates, proposals and reports.  
• Support the negotiation of contributions and partnership agreements, in line with internal policies and external regulations; continuously advocate for more flexibility and predictability; Ensure contractual obligations listed within signed agreements are met.  
• Contribute to partnerships strategies, including the development of Partnership Resourcing Strategy;  
• Perform other related duties as required.  

To join us in saving lives, changing lives, you will have:

Education: Advanced University degree, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses in Political Science, International Development, Development Economics, International Relations, Law or any other related field. 

Experience: At least one (1) year of postgraduate professional experience in project management including preparing project proposals as well as negotiating grants. Additional years of experience will be an asset. 

Knowledge & Skills: 

• Has conducted negotiations for contributions and partnership agreements in line with internal established policies and procedures and external regulations. 
• Has a basic understanding of government strategies.  
• Has explored new areas to scale-up existing activities and researched new opportunities including with the private sector.  
• Has developed powerful narratives by using data analysis visualization to enable action-oriented discussions with partners.  
• Ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with different stakeholders in an office. 
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English. 

Language: Fluency (level C) in both in English and Ukrainian languages. 

Before you apply…

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. 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.  

We aim to achieve parity and inclusion in our teams in Ukraine.  

WFP is committed to an accessible, inclusive recruitment process and employment. Please contact us at [email protected] to advise us if you have disability related accessibility requests. A member of the reasonable accommodation team will contact you to confidentially discuss your needs. 

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. 

How do you apply…

To be considered, you are invited to apply via WFP’s recruitment portal. CV and cover letter must be submitted in English language. 

Only those who are short-listed candidates will be contacted for the next steps of our recruitment process.  

We also encourage you to create your candidate profile and set up WFP job alerts to learn more about all the opportunities available to join us and make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.