Partnerships, Communications, and Reporting Officer (SC-8)

Job Posting Organization:
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, established to save lives in emergencies and to use food assistance as a means to build pathways to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impacts of climate change. WFP operates in numerous countries around the globe, employing a diverse workforce committed to the organization's mission. The organization emphasizes the importance of diversity and equal employment opportunities, encouraging qualified candidates from various backgrounds to apply. WFP's core values include Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion, which guide its operations and interactions with partners and stakeholders. The organization has received numerous accolades, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, highlighting its significant contributions to humanitarian efforts worldwide. WFP invests in the personal and professional development of its employees through various training and mentorship programs, fostering a healthy and inclusive work environment. To learn more about WFP, visit their official website and follow them on social media platforms for updates and news.

Job Overview:
The Partnerships, Communications, and Reporting Officer (SC8) position is crucial for strengthening WFP Sri Lanka’s engagement with public, private, and external stakeholders. The role involves providing specialized support in partnership development, partner coordination, resource mobilization efforts, and strategic communications. The Officer will lead the Country Office in identifying, mapping, and cultivating partnership opportunities, preparing targeted outreach and visibility products, and supporting relationship-building processes guided by contextual, political, and social analyses. The primary aim is to enhance WFP’s visibility, expand collaboration opportunities, and improve the positioning of WFP’s priorities within national and international development agendas. The Officer will also help mobilize policy support, resources, technical expertise, and innovative solutions that advance WFP’s mission in Sri Lanka, ensuring that gender perspectives are integrated into all areas of work. This position requires a proactive approach to communication and partnership support, contributing to the overall effectiveness of WFP’s humanitarian assistance efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The incumbent will be responsible for a variety of duties, including:

• Partnerships Development and Resource Mobilization: Lead the identification, development, and strengthening of quality partnerships in support of WFP's strategic objectives. Enhance and implement the partnerships strategy aligned with the Country Strategic Plan and donor priorities. Expand and diversify the fundraising portfolio, targeting untapped institutional donors, private sector, international financial institutions (IFIs), and pooled funding opportunities. Facilitate partnership growth by expanding existing collaborations and scoping new opportunities, guided by analysis and due diligence. Contribute to partnership proposals, strategic agreements, joint strategies, and memoranda of understanding (MoUs), ensuring compliance with corporate norms and external regulations.
• Partner Relationship Management and Intelligence: Guide national staff in managing external partnerships and opportunities at the country level. Proactively support partner profiling, data/trends analysis, and outreach planning to maximize resources and leverage policy and technical support. Ensure partner visibility obligations are met and conditions complied with. Facilitate corporate dialogue with partners through quality briefing materials, highlighting strategic opportunities and issues for senior management. Gather and share partner intelligence using systems such as WINGS, Salesforce, and WFPGo.
• Strategic Communications and Visibility: Oversee country-specific communications activities aligned with WFP’s corporate/regional strategies and operational needs in Sri Lanka. Produce visibility materials, briefs, talking points, press releases, and social/digital content that translate program results into clear messages. Ensure gender-sensitive communication and inclusive representation in visibility materials. Manage media lists, schedule content, and support media engagement, including rapid information products during emergencies. Position WFP effectively by drafting audience-specific briefs and compiling evidence of WFP’s comparative advantage. Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Zero Hunger within the UN system and multilateral forums, engaging member states, civil society, and intergovernmental organizations.
• Reporting, Information Management, and Capacity Building: Strengthen staff and partner capacity on operational information management and performance reporting through guidance and light training. Coordinate inputs across units to ensure consistency of humanitarian/operational information and reporting outputs. Support quality assurance and process improvements for reporting products and templates. Gather, organize, and present program performance, media coverage, and digital analytics to produce fact-based insights for communications and partnerships decisions.
• Emergency Response and Crisis Communications: Ensure timely collection, consolidation, and circulation of situation updates (SITREPS) to enable consistent operational pictures for decision-makers. Provide external communications products during crises to maintain visibility and donor confidence. Perform any other tasks assigned by the director" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Country Director.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a minimum of one (1) year of postgraduate professional 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. Desirable qualifications include three (3) years of experience in a similar role, with an advanced university degree or a first university degree accompanied by five (5) or more years of related work experience. Candidates should demonstrate experience in drafting high-quality briefs, press materials, and social content, coordinating inputs across units, and utilizing data/analytics to inform outreach or reports. Additionally, candidates should have developed effective relationships with partners/stakeholders and supported joint events/advocacy.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced university degree in a relevant field such as communications, public relations, international relations, or a related discipline. A first university degree may be acceptable if accompanied by additional years of relevant work experience, demonstrating the candidate's capability to fulfill the role's responsibilities effectively.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of one (1) year of postgraduate professional experience in a relevant field. Candidates with three (3) years of experience in a similar role are preferred, particularly those with an advanced university degree or a first university degree combined with five (5) or more years of related work experience. Experience in drafting high-quality communications materials and managing partnerships is essential, as is the ability to coordinate inputs across various units and utilize data for informed decision-making.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, as it is the primary language of communication within WFP and for external stakeholders. Knowledge of additional languages, particularly those relevant to the region or the stakeholders involved, is considered an asset and may enhance the candidate's profile.

Additional Notes:
This position is a Service Contract (SC) with a contract duration of one year, with the possibility of extension based on performance and organizational needs. The duty station for this role is Colombo, Sri Lanka, and it is open to Sri Lankan nationals only. The position offers an attractive compensation package, which can be found in the Terms and Conditions section of the vacancy announcement. WFP is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. All applications must be submitted through the online recruiting system, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further stages of the recruitment process.