UNWFP - Partnerships Officer NOC

WFP Lebanon encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply.

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. WFP does not charge a fee or request bank details at any stage of the recruitment process.

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 lebanon.recruitment@wfp.org (and copying in global.inclusion@wfp.org). Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

Organizational Background:

Assisting more than 115.5 million people in 120 + countries each year, the World Food Program (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies, and helping individuals and communities find life-changing solutions to the multiple challenges they face in building better futures.

In conflict situations, we bring relief to exhausted populations and use food assistance to build pathways to peace and stability – work for which WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.

WFP Lebanon provides cash assistance to Syrian refugees and in-kind assistance to vulnerable Lebanese, while supporting the Government in strengthening social safety nets. WFP supports resilience-building activities, and its school meals programme improves nutrition and school attendance. Since October 2023, WFP has provided food and cash assistance to people affected by the conflict and has scaled up its food assistance including the distribution of daily meals following the recent escalation.

To know more about WFP’s mission, please check the below video:
https://www.facebook.com/WorldFoodProgramme/videos/10154930622760178/  

Job Purpose: Under the direct supervision of the Head of Unit Partnerships, Communications, and OIM (Operational Information Management), the Partnerships Officer will be responsible to drive WFP’s effective positioning with public, private and external partners to attract policy support, resources, technical assistance and innovative solutions to advance the work of WFP, while supporting member states in the achievement of the SDGs and Zero Hunger and emphasizing WFP’s contributions in this regard. The incumbent will also place additional focus on leading the partnerships workstream in coordination with the other partnerships staff.

The selected incumbent will be expected to work independently, using technical knowledge and experience, to analyse data and identify solutions for partnerships activities. He/She will support process improvements and partnership opportunities with a host of public, private sector and external entities, such as governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental institutions and their member states, international financial institutions, individuals, corporations, foundations and NGOs.

In view of a planned succession, the Partnerships Officer will work closely with the current Head of Unit for Partnerships, Communications, and Operational Information Management (OIM), acting as Deputy Head of Unit to ensure continuity and facilitate a smooth leadership transition expected around mid-2026. As part of this structured handover, the incumbent will gradually assume broader leadership and strategic oversight responsibilities. The role is intended  to evolve into the future Head of Unit for Partnerships, Communications, and OIM Unit, reporting directly to the Country Director. In this capacity, the  incumbent will manage the unit’s staff and lead WFP’s strategic partnerships, communications, and operational information management portfolio, driving stakeholder engagement and resource mobilization efforts in alignment with WFP’s country strategy. This includes oversight of communications products aligned with WFP’s strategy and overseeing all OIM activities to ensure a consistent operating picture of WFP’s operations and results, enabling timely and informed decision-making across the organization.

Key Responsibilities (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

• Lead the implementation of a work plan for an assigned area to enable WFP to identify, develop and strengthen quality partnerships in support of WFP strategic objectives.
• Engage with other functional units, Regional Offices (RO) and Country Offices (CO) on WFP’s thematic, regional and country-specific offerings, developing content and language that speak to individual audiences and align with on-going policy dialogue in national and global fora.
• Proactively support a wide range of aspects of a partnerships portfolio, including partner profiling, data/trends analysis and outreach plan, to maximize resources and leverage policy and technical support for WFP’s work; Ensure partner visibility and that partner conditions are met.
• Facilitate corporate dialogue with partners through preparation of quality briefing materials; Proactively highlight strategic opportunities and issues to senior management and propose options for the best course of action to nurture trust and interest in the work of WFP.
• Gather and share partner intelligence (including forecasting), using key information systems (e.g. WINGS, Salesforce, WFPGo), and assess results.
• Support functional units, RBs and COs on partnership strategies (including the development of Partnership Action Plans); Extend support on partnership/contribution management, in line with corporate norms, processes and legal agreements, on quality proposal and report writing by engaging with other WFP entities and external stakeholders.
• Facilitate partnership growth, by exploring opportunities to expand existing partnerships and scope of new partners, guided by assessments, analysis and due diligence; Present recommendations to senior management and ensure follow-up.
• Contribute to the preparation of partnership proposals, strategic agreements, joint strategies and/or MOU, taking into account corporate norms, processes and external regulations; Ensure quality control of content by engaging with relevant functional units.
• Use socio-political insights to support WFP’s effective positioning vis-à-vis national governments, regional and international institutions with the aim to influence the policy agenda.
• In the context of the UN system and multilateral fora, support the development of partnerships with member states, civil society and intergovernmental organizations to advocate for the SDGs and Zero Hunger on the global agenda, and advance WFP priorities and policies, based on a good understanding of member states’ dynamics and interests.
• Solicit inputs from other WFP entities that contribute to inter-governmental/inter-agency work to ensure that WFP positions are properly explained and taken into account in decision making.
• Manage staff, providing coaching, training and guidance to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance.
• Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of work to ensure equal participation of women and men.
• Contribute to preparedness actions, providing technical recommendations and guidance; Monitor defined risks and make recommendations how to manage these effectively.
• Other as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: Advanced University degree (i.e. Master's degree or higher) in Political Science, International Development, Development Economics, International Relations, Law, Marketing, Communications or other relevant field, or First University degree (i.e. Bachelor’s degree) with additional years of related work experience.

Experience: Five (5) or more years of postgraduate professional experience (after completion of Advanced University degree) in partnerships, fundraising, advocacy and communications, marketing, strategy development or other related fields - including at least 2 years in senior partnerships roles; or seven (7) years or more after completion of First University degree. Experience in developing proposals, soliciting input for reports, drafting agreements, producing visibility plans and/or crafting joint strategies is highly desirable.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Arabic. Knowledge of French language is desirable.

Required Skills and Knowledge for entry into the role:

• Good understanding of government and corporate strategies and priorities and   experience in developing multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• Strong experience in exploring new opportunities and providing inputs to design and develop solutions with prospective partners.
• Experience developing long-term partner relationships and expanded engagements across geographies and sector.
• Experience designing and managing all resource mobilization processes and resource strategies, negotiating contract terms and provided resourcing advice to seniors.
• Understanding of partner’s focus areas and knowledge of internal capabilities to create a Unique Value Proposition for the partners.
• Experience in using technology and digital tools for data collection, analysis and shared data-based insights to add value to all partnerships.
• Knowledge of strategic communications, digital communications and advocacy. Including support to senior management on external communication such as media relations, participation in high-level events, conferences, etc. 
• Experience overseeing and/or coordinating Operational Information Management (OIM) activities and outputs including external and internal reporting, organizational performance assessments and planning.
• Experience providing input into training and support strategy for technical systems users and provided advanced technical support.
• Experience building and managing a team
• Experience motivating team spirit and contributing to a gender-balanced, inclusive and sound working environment.