PARTNERSHIP & COMMUNICATION OFFICER-INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT/CSTII (P4)

EXTERNAL VACANCY NOTICE

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.

The Representation of the World Food Program (WFP) in Guinea is pleased to publish this vacancy announcement within the framework of its operation.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization in saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies, improving nutrition situation of vulnerable people, and working with smallholder farmers and communities to increase livelihoods and build resilience. WFP operates its programmes in 92 countries with 6 regional offices and 88 country offices globally. WFP Guinea Country Office is one of the 88 country offices. WFP has been present in Guinea since 1964 providing nutritious and immediate food assistance to affected populations during and in the aftermath of crises. WFP Guinea Country Office works in partnership with the Government to improve children’s school attendance and performance, enhance nutrition among the population, increase people’s livelihoods, build sustainable food systems and communities’ resilience to shocks whilst improving their access to profitable and stable agricultural markets. The Partnerships and Communication Unit under the Country Office works to position WFP with public, private and external partners to attract policy support, resources, technical assistance and innovative solutions to advance the work of WFP in the achievement of the SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

JOB PURPOSE:

Serves as an enabler and influencer to effectively position WFP with public, private and external partners to attract policy support, resources, technical assistance and innovative solutions to advance WFP Guinea's work in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, innovative solutions and zero hunger.

To define and implement effective external communications plans, working closely with Senior National Development Advisor and country director to ensure activities support their objectives.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Partnership, and in close coordination with the Communications, Advocacy and Marketing Division (CAM), the incumbent will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Design and lead the implementation of a work plan for an assigned sector that will enable WFP Guinea to identify, develop and strengthen quality partnerships to achieve its objectives.

• Drive the positioning with partners on WFP’s corporate value proposition in specific thematic areas and country/regional contexts, 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 across the organization.

• Guide Guinea CO functional units on partnership strategies (including Partnership Action Plans); Extend support/guidance on partnership/contribution management, including quality proposal and report writing, by engaging with other WFP entities and external stakeholders.

• Lead and motivate the team of Partnerships & Communication, providing coaching, training and guidance to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance.

• Promote the use of key information systems (e.g. Salesforce, WINGS, WFPGo) amongst the team to facilitate sharing of quality donor intelligence (incl. forecasting), and assess results.

• Guide the team to proactively manage all aspects of a partnerships portfolio, including partner profiling, data/trends analysis and outreach plan, so as to maximize resources and leverage policy and technical support for WFP Guinea work; Ensure partner visibility and that partner conditions are met.

• Support the design and negotiation of large/complex partnership proposals, joint strategies and/or MOUs in line with corporate norms, processes and external regulations.

• Contribute to complex negotiations on strategic partnership agreements in line with WFP’s corporate norms, processes and external regulations, in order to reach advantageous outcomes for WFP, such as more flexibility and predictability in funding WFP programmes.

• Support corporate dialogue with partners, proactively highlight strategic opportunities and issues to senior management and present recommendations on best course of action to nurture trust and interest in the work of WFP.

• Enable partnership growth by identifying opportunities to expand existing partnerships, deepen collaboration and joint advocacy on common priorities and scoping new partners, guided by assessments, analysis and due diligence, and ensure follow-up; Define and disseminate best practices in partnership development and collaboration and provide technical guidance to internal and external stakeholders in this regard.

• Support the effective positioning of WFP vis-à-vis national governments and international institutions, based on a sound socio-political understanding, to influence the political agenda in favour of the SDGs, zero hunger and WFP's role in this area.

• In the context of the UN system and multilateral fora, develop partnerships with member states, civil society and intergovernmental organizations and engage in joint efforts to advocate for the SDGs and Zero Hunger on the global agenda, based on a good understanding of member states’ dynamics and interests. Establish external networks and team up with representatives of other UN agencies/stakeholders on opportunities for joint events (e.g. pledging conferences) that can advance WFP and wider interests and objectives that are aligned with realizing zero hunger.

• Coordinate WFP Guinea's partner inputs to intergovernmental/inter-agency work to ensure that WFP's positions are properly explained and taken into account in decision-making.Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.

• Define and implement functional communications plans, implement the corporate communications strategy, in order to maintain and enhance the visibility for and reputation of WFP Guinea, and support fundraising activities, ensuring alignment with WFP strategy.

• Ensure the design and implementation of country plans, ensuring consistency with the overall WFP strategy and communications strategy and taking into account the specific context and audience of Guinea to develop appropriate and effective communications.

• Plan and execute communications campaigns that favourably impact the views of the public, opinion leaders and donors in order to raise WFP Guinea profile and support fundraising activities.

• Ensure effective design and delivery of communications products that effectively convey the desired message to targeted audience(s).

• Oversee a contact list of journalists and media outlets, and ensure a regular flow of news/information about WFP Guinea work is distributed to the media, and reputational risks are identified and managed.

• Define a social media plan for the assigned area which leverages social media content, platforms, networks and partners to enhance coverage and support of WFP’s activities.

• Facilitate and oversee the generating of a range of donor specific visibility content including, text, photos, videos and audio for use across a range of integrated online platforms, in order to support global and country fund-raising activities, ensuring consistency with corporate messages.

• Plan and deliver internal communications so employees understand and engage with WFP Guinea strategy and how they contribute to meeting WFP’s mission.

• Consolidate and analyse media monitoring data, identifying trends and issues, presenting clear recommendations and influencing management to improve effectiveness of communications strategies.

• Define performance indicators, and coordinate accurate and timely reporting, contributing to a WFP Guinea wide view of communications activities that enables informed decision-making, evaluation of objectives and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.

• Lead capacity building of WFP staff on all aspects of external relations and communications, ensuring appropriate training is delivered to staff, and provide advice up the senior management level in order to ensure consistent, quality communications that deliver the desired impact.

• Build effective collaborations and partnerships internally and externally to align activities, and ensure a coherent approach to communications.

• Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.

• Contribute to preparedness actions, providing technical recommendations and guidance, and support risk management.

• Other as required

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Have between 8 and 9 years relevant professional work experience in partnership building and communication roles.

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

• Has at least 5-year experience in managing a team, motivated team spirit and contributed to a gender-balanced, inclusive and sound working environment.

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

• Has evaluated expected ROI from new partnerships and created a network of relationships with multiple constituencies.

• 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 to function, geography and thematic interests of stakeholders.

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

• Has utilized digital solutions to improve client services.

• Has gained substantial experience in specialised communications practices and knowledge of the external context in which these apply

• Has managed large teams of staff with somewhat varied areas of expertise in the delivery of innovative communications projects

• Has provided expert guidance in leading projects and substantial input into function practices and policies

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: Advanced University degree in Political Science, International Development, Development Economics, International Relations, Law, Marketing, Communications or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Language: Fluency (Level C) in English and Intermediate knowledge (level B) in French.

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.

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