Programme Policy Officer – Head of Cooperating Partners Management at World Food Programme

Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

02 May, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

01 Feb, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Programme Management, Policy Development, Partnership Management, Budget Management, Analytical Skills, Negotiation Skills, Team Leadership, Communication Skills, Resource Mobilization, Training Development, Food Security, Monitoring, Evaluation, Collaboration, Technical Expertise, Flexibility

Industry

Non-profit Organizations

Description

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 5 February 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 East Africa Time (Addis Ababa) 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). Job title: Programme Policy Officer- Head of Cooperating Partners Management, Ethiopia, Addis Ababa Type of Contract: International Consultant Level II Unit: Programme - Cooperating Partners Management Duty Station: Addis Ababa Duration: Eleven (11) Months ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT The United Nations World Food Programme’s Country Strategy Plan (2020-2025) in Ethiopia is based on WFP’s recognized strengths, strong strategic and operational partnerships with the Government, private sector entities, NGOs, and other UN agencies. In Ethiopia, WFP provides lifesaving and life-sustaining food and nutrition assistance, school feeding, as well as resilience-building activities, in partnership with 47 partners, including both NGOs and government partners. While the bulk of operations continue to address the immediate short-term needs of refugees, internally displaced persons and other food-insecure and undernourished people, there is a gradual expansion and intensification of resilience and livelihood diversification initiatives at the humanitarian–development–peace nexus. Further, WFP has implemented an assurance project that provides enhanced safeguards and controls ranging from vulnerability-based targeting and digitized registration to enhanced monitoring and community-based feedback mechanisms. A key element of the assurance measures is effective cooperating partners management as per WFP global policies and standards. JOB PURPOSE WFP Ethiopia Country Office is seeking to fill a position of the Head of Cooperating Partners Management team, who will be responsible for managing NGO and government partnerships engagement processes as well as programme budgets that support the implementation of WFP’s Country Strategic Plan activities. This position will supervise the Cooperative Partners Management Team in Country Office, and with strong technical and operational support to WFP’s area and field offices; and is a key strategic position in ensuring programme partnership engagement processes comply with corporate standards. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive) Manage Cooperating Partners engagement processes and ensure that the latest WFP corporate standard and templates on partnership engagements are used and the partnerships' capacity, risks, and performance reviews process at the Country Office align with the needs for WP Ethiopia. Be responsible for the issuance of Expression of Interest, Request for Proposals, and Field Level Agreement awards, agreements and subsequent amendments, ensuring that all agreements and amendments are constructed and issued in line with WFP legal and financial rules and regulations. Facilitate the preparation of semi-annual and annual implementation plans budget (aligned to the WFP Country Strategic Plan and Country Portfolio Budget) in collaboration with the Head/Deputy Head of Programme, Activity managers. Contribute to formulation programme policies in line with both organizational strategy and the practical realities of operating in the field, or translate programme policy into Regional/country-level practices. Provide advice and support to COs on moderately complex issues to clarify ambiguities and ensure that policy and programme operations are consistent with WFP policies, Executive Board decisions, and other relevant guidance. Assist counterparts in governments and other partners in identifying where food assistance can be usefully employed and provide support and technical expertise for the planning, formulation, and implementation of moderately complex food assistance programmes to strengthen government and community ownership and effectiveness of food security and nutrition programmes at national and sub-national levels. Establish and maintain operational partnerships to identify opportunities for collaborative approaches and initiatives that improve assistance packages and support advocacy work. Manage the preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports, publications, and a variety of information products or proposals for internal or external use. Contribute to resource mobilization efforts for WFP projects, including clearly articulating the need for food assistance and related programme opportunities, and follow up on the resource situation of projects, including commodity and cash availability, seeking advice from senior colleagues where necessary. Advise and support the development of functional training in areas of expertise to enhance the capacity of WFP staff and partners to design and deliver effective food assistance programmes. Lead, motivate, and develop a team of staff to enable high performance. Ensure the best use of assigned financial resources for the achievement of set objectives within a moderate budget. Contribute to Country Office Emergency Preparedness, i.e., early warning, risk analysis, and contingency planning to respond to humanitarian crises and needs. Other as required. QUALIFICATIONS AND KEY REQUIREMENTS EDUCATION: Education: Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences, or other field relevant to international development assistance, or a First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses. Experience: - At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in programme and policy, and specifically in cooperating partners management or grant management, is highly desirable. -Strong Experience in preparing agreements with partners and reviewing budgets and reports for management. -Knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations, and procedures governing administration. Language: Fluency (level C) in English language. MORE ABOUT YOU • Experience in the management of Cooperating partners, timely review and processing of partners invoice, partners performance reviews and partners selection processes. • Experience in translating operational requirements into financial information and cost-efficient plans. • Experience in supervising a team • Ability to negotiate and maintain strong partnerships with field-focused approaches. • Demonstrated skills in managing complex portfolios. • Strong analytical skills; resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgment, tact, negotiating skills. • Ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing. • Knowledge of using MS Office suite package (Word, Excel, Teams) OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS • Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds. • Flexibility in accepting work assignments. 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 recruitment system. We do not accept CVs or spontaneous applications by email. If you experience challenges while submitting your online application, please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org for technical support only. Please note that applications sent to this email address cannot be considered. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application. Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time Only shortlisted candidates will be notified 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. If you used to have an account on our previous platform, please note that you will need to create a new account for future applications. However, this change will not affect any ongoing recruitment processes. To ensure that WFP is able to deliver on its mandate, a range of contract types exist depending on the duration and nature of work. Find out more here. These guidelines are here to help you use AI tools responsibly throughout WFP’s recruitment process. We also want to be transparent about how we use AI on our side. Curious? Find out more here. Our greatest strength is the people working around the world providing access to nutritious food and promoting lasting solutions to those we serve. WFP provides its staff with meaningful and impactful careers, continuous learning and training, and a multicultural and stimulating work environment. 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, physical or mental disability. The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are 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. Read more about WFP’s history here, and WFP’s mission here Want to hear what it’s like working for WFP? Check out our newsletter highlighting the career stories of our passionate staff here: Pathway to WFP | LinkedIn Integrity, collaboration, commitment, humanity, inclusion. These values inspire everything we do every day, allowing us to work towards a world with zero hunger. You can read more about the values here. Our behaviour guides us in how we accomplish our mission. All WFP employees are expected to demonstrate the standards of behaviour described in the WFP Leadership Framework. Learn more about the WFP Leadership Framework here. WFP is aware of fictitious employment offers being circulated via email or originating from online job boards. Many of these schemes consist of an alleged offer of employment or contract with WFP in return for the payment of fees or providing personal or banking information. Read more.

Responsibilities

The Head of Cooperating Partners Management will manage NGO and government partnerships and oversee program budgets supporting WFP’s Country Strategic Plan activities. This role includes supervising the Cooperating Partners Management Team and ensuring compliance with corporate standards.