Partnerships, Communications, and Reporting Officer (SC8)

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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.

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: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• 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 training, 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 the 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.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Country Director, the incumbent shall ensure the successful completion of WFP mission objectives, including following duties:

1. Lead to enable WFP to identify, develop and strengthen quality partnerships in support of WFP strategic objectives.

2. Enhance and implement the partnerships strategy to support the Country Strategic Plan, aligning it to key and evolving programme strategies, and key donor priorities.

3. Expand and diversify the fundraising portfolio, with a focus on identifying and developing opportunities beyond traditional donors (untapped institutional donors, private sector, International Financial Institutions, pooled funding available at HQ and RBB level, etc.)

4. Build and lead strategic engagement with IFIs in country, engaging CO management, in liaison with strategic partnerships officers managing World Bank, ADB, and IMF portfolios.

5. Lead the pursuit of any relevant innovative financing opportunities.

6. Guide national staff to manage external partnerships, opportunities, and information at the country level, while offering support to programme and support units.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Gather and share partner intelligence (including forecasting), using key information systems (e.g. WINGS, Salesforce, WFPGo), and assessing results.

10. 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.

11. Contribute to the preparation of partnership proposals, strategic agreements, joint strategies and/or MOU, considering corporate norms, processes and external regulations; Ensure quality control of content by engaging with relevant functional units, RBs and COs.

12. 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.

13. Proactively contribute to the partnerships portfolio by leading partner profiling and outreach activities, using data driven insights to expand support from existing partners and to scope opportunities with prospective partners; ensure partner visibility obligations are met and partner conditions complied with to maximize resources and leverage policy/technical support for WFP’s work.

14. Oversee country specific communications activities that execute the CO communications plan, ensuring products and actions are aligned with WFP’s corporate/regional strategies and effectively serve operational needs in Sri Lanka.

15. Strengthen staff and partner capacity on operational information management and performance reporting by coordinating and delivering targeted guidance and light training sessions (e.g., data capture standards, essentials for communications-ready dashboards, ACR input), in line with CO needs and corporate OIM & PR competencies, thereby improving the standard operating picture used for management decisions.

16. Support emergency response set-ups by preparing, organizing, and providing secretariat support to Operational Task Forces (OTFs); ensure timely collection, consolidation, and circulation of situation updates and performance information to enable a consistent operational picture for decision makers and for external communications products during crises.

17. Any other tasks assigned by the Country Director.

Education

• Advanced University degree (master’s degree) in Communications, Journalism, International Relations, Political Science, Law, Marketing, Development Studies, Information Management, or another relevant field; or
• First University degree in a related field with additional years of relevant professional experience and/or training.

Experience

• With an Advanced University degree: minimum one (1) year or more of post‑graduate, progressively responsible professional experience (managerial level experience) in partnerships, external relations, communications/media, donor visibility, information/knowledge management, or performance reporting within the UN, government, INGO/NGO, development or private sector. [Three (3) years with advanced university degree (master’s qualification) or first university degree (bachelors) with five (5) or additional years of related work experience and related trainings/ courses in related professional area/s is desirable.]
• Demonstrated experience drafting high‑quality briefs, press/materials and social content, coordinating inputs across units, and using data/analytics to inform outreach or reports.

Desired Experience for Entry into the Role

• Has developed effective relationships with partners/stakeholders (government, UN, donors, private sector, civil society) and supported joint events/advocacy.
• Has prepared briefs, visibility materials, and social content that translated programme results into clear messages for external audiences.
• Has gathered and presented information through corporate systems and tools (e.g., Salesforce, WINGS, WFPGo, media/social analytics) to support positioning and reporting.
• Has contributed to proposals/agreements/MoUs and ensured timely, accurate inputs from multiple units in line with corporate guidance.
• Has supported emergency communications (rapid updates, coordination with response teams) and basic training/guidance for staff/partners on visibility/reporting.
• Demonstrates commitment to WFP values and cross‑cutting priorities (including gender equality and protection) in all communications and partnerships deliverables.

Knowledge & Skills

• Excellent writing and editing skills for diverse audiences (briefs, press releases, success stories, talking points, social/digital content) with strong attention to accuracy, tone and brand compliance.
• Partnerships support and stakeholder management: able to coordinate inputs, maintain partner information, and prepare audience‑appropriate materials that meet donor visibility requirements.
• Information & performance reporting support: ability to coordinate information flows, apply basic analysis, maintain trackers, and support quality assurance for reporting products and templates.
• Digital & media competencies: social media scheduling and analytics; basic multimedia curation (photo/video selection, captioning, metadata); media list management and outreach.
• Data & systems: confident with MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel); familiarity with WFP/corporate tools an asset (Salesforce, WINGS, WFPGo) and web/social analytics dashboards.
• Coordination & planning: strong organizational skills to manage multiple deadlines, events, and products; ability to work effectively with programme team, RAM/M&E, and field teams.
• Core soft skills: initiative, attention to detail, client orientation, intercultural communication, and ability to provide basic guidance/training to staff/partners.

Languages

• Fluency (Level C) in English.
• Fluency in Sinhala and/or Tamil is highly desirable for engagement with national counterparts and local media.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact:  global.inclusion@wfp.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. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. 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 recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.

• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

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.