Overview
To strengthen WFP Sri Lanka’s engagement with public, private, and external stakeholders by providing specialized support in partnerships development, partner coordination, resource mobilization efforts, and strategic communications. The role aims to enhance WFP’s visibility, expand collaboration opportunities, and contribute to improved positioning of WFP’s priorities within national and international development agendas.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead identification, development, and strengthening of quality partnerships in support of WFP 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, 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 MoUs, ensuring compliance with corporate norms and external regulations.
- Guide national staff in managing external partnerships, opportunities 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 (including forecasting) using systems such as WINGS, Salesforce, and WFPGo.
- 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 programme 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 SDGs and Zero Hunger within UN system and multilateral fora, engaging member states, civil society, and intergovernmental organizations.
- 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 programme performance, media coverage, and digital analytics to produce fact-based insights for communications and partnerships decisions.
- 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.
- 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 Country Director.
Required Experience
- At least one (1) year of postgraduate professional experience holding the similar capacity in the field of 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’ experience in the similar role with Advanced University degree or First University Degree with 5 or additional years of related work experience.
- Demonstrated experience drafting high-quality briefs, press/materials and social content, coordinating inputs across units, and using data/analytics to inform outreach or reports.
- 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.
- Staff management experience
