Government Partnerships Consultant

Job Title: Government Partnerships Consultant – Social Protection

Type of Contract: International Consultancy

Division: Global Partner Countries – Thematic Team

Duty Station (City, Country): Rome HQ, Italy – would involve some travel

Duration: 5 months – with possibility for extension

Background and Purpose of the Assignment:

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

The Global Partner Countries Division (GPC) supports organization-wide efforts to meet the resource needs at corporate and country levels through active engagement with governments and public sector institutions. Within GPC, the Thematic Team has been created in 2021 in order to advance WFP's climate, resilience, social protection and nutrition portfolio through more systematic and strategic fundraising for thematic and development activities, which requires a different approach than fundraising for WFP's humanitarian work.

Organizational Context:

WFP is seeking to fill the position of Government Partnerships Officer for Social Protection, based in the Global Partner Countries Division at Headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Job Purpose:

WFP relies entirely on voluntary contributions to finance its projects. Relationships with fundraising partners from the public sector are pivotal in supporting WFP projects that save and change the lives of millions of people around the globe. Fundraising for the thematic agenda from development partners is gaining increasing momentum following the approval of WFP's Strategic Plan. Such fundraising requires a distinct targeted and cross-departmental strategy that demands specific knowledge and skills – particularly in the area of social protection financing.

Accountabilities/Responsibilities:

1. Lead the implementation of a government donor engagement work plan on social protection that will enable WFP to identify, develop and strengthen quality partnerships in support of WFP's strategic objectives. This includes identifying a common agenda between WFP and Government Donors on social protection and organizing joint actions to take the agenda forward such as thematic discussions, events, publications.
2. Drive the positioning with partners on WFP's corporate value proposition in the thematic area of social protection, develop donor engagement material using tailored content and language that speaks to individual partner audiences and align with on-going policy dialogue in national and global fora; Manage internally to support coherent partner engagement in this area across the organization.
3. Guide functional units, Regional Bureaux (RBx) and Country Offices (COs) on partnership strategies for social protection. Offer support and guidance on partnership management, quality proposal writing, and best practices in partnership development. Disseminate best practices and provide guidance across the organization. Update social protection programming portfolios and funding requirements.
4. Keep donor intelligence on social protection up to date and promote the use of key information systems within the organization.
5. Assist in coordinating the Social Protection Trust Fund, ensuring related donor relations and reporting needs are met.
6. Proactively manage the social protection partnerships portfolio, including partner profiling and data analysis. Update outreach plans so as to maximize resources and adequately pursue opportunities for WFP's work on social protection. Enable partnership growth by identifying opportunities to expand, deepen collaboration and scoping new partners, guided by assessments, analysis and due diligence, and ensure follow-up.
7. Support corporate dialogue with partners through high-level consultations, proactively highlight strategic opportunities and issues to senior management and present recommendations on best course of action to nurture trust and interest on WFP's contribution to social protection (including through briefs and cheat sheets).
8. Support the design of large/complex partnership proposals, contribute to complex negotiations on strategic partnership agreements and/or MOUs in the area of social protection in line with corporate norms, processes and external regulations. Ensure partner visibility and that partner conditions are met.
9. In countries, where WFP has a presence, support WFP's effective positioning of the social protection portfolio vis-à-vis national governments and international institutions, based on solid socio-political understanding, share insights on donor interests and advise on donor engagement for social protection.

Qualifications and Experience Required:

Education:

Advanced University degree in International Development, Development or Economics, International Relations, Social Protection or other relevant field

Experience:

Minimum eight or more years of relevant professional work experience in partnership roles.

Knowledge and Skills:

Has experience and expertise in social protection policy, financing and programming.

Has a good understanding of government and corporate strategies and priorities, public policy formulation and levels of influence.

Has gained experience in developing new and multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Has organised advocacy and positioning events.

Has developed long-term partner relationships and gained significant experience in expanding engagements across geographies and sectors.

Has designed and managed all resource mobilization processes and resource strategies, negotiated contract terms and provided resourcing advice to seniors.

Has led and promoted data-based decision making to enable internal stakeholders to make well informed decisions.

Has created external messaging, talking points and briefs to function, geography and thematic interests of stakeholders.

Has contributed to innovation of system improvements and partner intelligence platforms.

Languages:

Fluency (level C) in English language. Knowledge of Spanish, French or Arabic a strong asset.

Terms and Conditions:

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate's qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

Click on: "Our work" and "Countries" to learn more about WFP's operations.

Ref.: VA No. 832956 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.

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