Consultant - Innovation & Partnerships

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Contained in the five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2020-2025, The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) aims to support the Government of Eswatini in the interests of vulnerable people targeted under the CSP. Through a partnership action plan driven by continuous innovation to address current and new projected challenges, WFP’s focus is to deepen existing collaboration with relevant government counterparts, sister United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and private actors. WFP wants to continue its collaboration with partners to develop and implement new and innovative solutions in the coordination and leadership of humanitarian interventions, disaster risk reduction and resilience building. To enhance national food systems that realize food and nutrition security, climate-resilient and market-oriented agriculture, game changing partnerships with National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), National Maize Corporation, National Agricultural Marketing Board, Eswatini Dairy Board, and others need to bring about transformational growth and efficiency. Furthermore, efforts to attract the interest of private sector partners, in particular financial service providers, to facilitate financial education and inclusion, within the framework of social protection and welfare programmes should be enhanced. Supported by evidence generation, WFP should lay the foundations for nimble and cutting-edge solutions through advocacy and mobilization of funding to cost effectively realize CSP outcomes.

To achieve the above, an Innovations and Partnerships consultant specialized in relevant knowledge and experience to analyze and advise on complex partnerships activities is needed. The Innovations and Partnership Officer will identify and pursue strategic opportunities with a host of public, private sector and external entities. These will include governments, UN agencies, inter-governmental institutions, corporations, foundations, and NGOs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision by the Head of Office in collaboration with the Head of Programme, the Consultant - Innovations and Partnerships will perform the following tasks:

Innovations

• Design and lead the implementation of a work plan for assigned capacity strengthening area by governments ministries for WFP to identify areas of transformation, develop innovative solutions and strengthen mutually beneficial partnerships in support of WFP's strategic objectives.
• Coordinate WFP Government and other partners capacity strengthening in digital solutions and operations to facilitate responsible business partnerships, adherence to corporate system standards for innovative 4IR technologies adoption, and up-scale development impact.
• Advice/guide and support in coordination with respective government ministries on system needs and capacity assessment, costing, and risk analysis, ensuring positioning of WFP technical inputs and comparative advantage.
• Assist in the identification of systems developers for respective systems ensuring they meet the needs of government ministries and can be sustained by coordinating stakeholders.
• Provide technical support, training and guidance to concerned government staff ensuring knowledge transfers in course of the consultancy. Identify opportunities to link WFP systems development knowledge to create synergies with other organizational initiatives.
• Lead critical thinking/discussions around WFP support to government of Eswatini in the broader digitalization initiatives under the guidance of the regional DAS team.

Partnerships

• Drive the positioning with partners on WFP's corporate value proposition in specific thematic areas using tailored content and language that speaks to individual partner audiences and align with on-going policy dialogue in national fora.
• Manage internally to support coherent partner engagement;
• Provide guidance to 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.
• Ensure partner visibility and that partner conditions are met.
• Provide guidance to support the design and negotiation of partnership proposals, joint strategies and/or MOUs inline with corporate norms, processes and regulations. Contribute to complex negotiations on strategic partnership agreements inline 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.
• Define and disseminate best practices in partnership development and collaboration and provide technical guidance to internal and external stakeholders in this regard.
• In the context of the UN delivering as one system and multilateral fora, develop partnerships with civil society and intergovernmental organizations and engage in joint efforts to advocate for the SDGs and Zero Hunger on the global agenda, accommodating country dynamics and interests.
• Other as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• A first university degree in Political Science, International Development, Development/Agriculture Economics, Agriculture, International Relations, Law, Marketing, Communications or other relevant field.

Experience

• Five or more years of relevant professional work experience in innovations and partnerships role.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Has a good understanding of government and corporate strategies and priorities, public policy formulation and levels of influence.
• Has contributed to a gender-balance, inclusive 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.

Language: Fluency in English language

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
• WFP does not charge any fees from applicants at any stage of the recruitment process.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for submitting applications, 21 August 2022

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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.