Partnership Officer (Government Engagement & Development Finance Advisor) NOD at World Food Programme

THE ROLE

The position is based in Kenya Country Office (KCO) Nairobi and reports to Country Director.

• To provide senior strategic advisory leadership to the Country Director and Country Office Senior Management on WFP's structured engagement with the Government of Kenya, Private Sector, Foundations and International Financial Institutions, serving as a principal institutional interface with senior Government counterparts; including the Presidency, Cabinet, National Treasury, and key line ministries and with IFI leadership.
• The role anchors high-level policy dialogue and institutional relationships that underpin sovereign financing arrangements and government-anchored programmes, ensuring coherent positioning of WFP within national development, fiscal, and investment processes.
• In parallel, the position drives the design, negotiation, and lifecycle stewardship of innovative development financing mechanisms including results-linked modalities ensuring sustained alignment between multi-year fiscal commitments, programme delivery systems, and national policy and budgetary priorities.
• Operating at the intersection of public finance, political economy, and senior inter-institutional engagement, the role exercises a high degree of independent judgement and discretion in assessing institutional risks, partnership dynamics, fiscal sustainability considerations, and reputational implications that may affect WFP's strategic positioning and long-term credibility.
• Through sustained relationship management at senior levels, structured programme co-creation, and functional oversight of embedded advisory capacity, the role safeguards institutional trust across administrative and electoral transitions and strengthens WFP's position as a trusted, accountable, and systems-oriented partner within Government-led development processes.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority)

• Provide senior strategic advisory leadership to the Country Director and Country Office Senior Management on Government engagement, sovereign financing arrangements, and institutional partnerships, informing decision-making related to long-term fiscal commitments, programme governance, and WFP's national positioning.
• Serve as WFP's interface with senior Government counterparts, including the Presidency, Cabinet, National Treasury, and line ministries and with IFI leadership, anchoring structured policy dialogue and safeguarding alignment between WFP-supported programmes and national development and fiscal priorities.
• Lead coordination and lifecycle stewardship of innovative development financing mechanisms, including results-linked modalities, ensuring sustained coherence between transaction design, governance frameworks, budgetary remittances, and multi-year programme implementation.
• Assess and advise on political economy, fiscal sustainability, institutional risk, and partnership dynamics affecting sovereign financing commitments and government-anchored programmes, where misalignment may carry significant reputational, financial, and strategic implications for WFP.
• Ensure integration of WFP-supported programmes within national policy, planning, and budgetary frameworks, promoting structured programme co-creation and institutional embedding rather than parallel implementation.
• Provide functional oversight and strategic guidance to WFP-supported advisors embedded within Government institutions, ensuring alignment with agreed objectives, coherence of advisory inputs, and appropriate issue escalation across institutional interfaces.
• Strengthen internal cross-functional coordination within the Country Office by aligning programme, partnerships, and technical teams around coherent Government engagement strategies and sovereign financing commitments.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education

Advanced University degree in Economics, Public Finance, Public Policy, Development Economics, International Development, Political Science, International Relations, Finance, or a related field or First University degree in the above-mentioned fields combined with additional years of relevant professional experience and/or advanced training in public finance, development finance, or international development.

Experience

• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in government engagement, public finance, development cooperation, policy advisory, strategic partnerships, or development finance.
• Demonstrated experience operating at Director-level (or equivalent senior leadership level) within Government ministries, departments, or agencies; or within the private sector, including development finance institutions, financial institutions, advisory firms, or large corporate organizations engaging sovereign or public-sector clients.
• Proven experience advising or interacting with senior decision-makers; including the presidency, cabinet level, Principal Secretaries, Treasury officials, IFI management, or equivalent leadership on strategic policy, fiscal, financing, or investment-related matters.
• Demonstrated experience designing, negotiating, coordinating, or stewarding complex financing or partnership arrangements, preferably within sovereign, public-sector, or multilateral contexts.
• Strong understanding of public financial management systems, national budgetary processes, inter-ministerial coordination, and institutional governance frameworks.
• Experience operating in politically and institutionally complex environments requiring independent judgement, risk assessment, and sustained senior-level relationship management over extended time horizons.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-stakeholder partnerships involving Government, IFIs, development partners, and internal cross-functional teams.
• Familiarity with international development cooperation principles, sovereign partnership frameworks, and results-based or performance-linked financing modalities is highly desirable.

Skills and Knowledge

Theoretical Understanding of

• Public finance and fiscal policy frameworks, including national budgetary processes, medium-term expenditure planning, and sovereign financing structures.
• Development finance architecture, including debt instruments, blended finance, results-based financing, and multilateral financing modalities.
• Political economy dynamics influencing policy reform, inter-ministerial coordination, and institutional decision-making.
• International development cooperation principles and sovereign partnership frameworks within multilateral and bilateral contexts.
• Governance and accountability mechanisms underpinning government-anchored programmes and multi-year financing arrangements

Ability to

• Analyze complex fiscal, policy, and institutional environments to inform strategic engagement and risk mitigation decisions.
• Assess financial, political, and reputational risks associated with sovereign financing commitments and partnership arrangements.

Synthesize multi-sectoral information into clear strategic recommendations for senior leadership.

• Navigate and influence high-level institutional relationships across Government and IFIs while maintaining diplomatic sensitivity and discretion.
• Lead structured policy dialogue and programme co-creation processes involving senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
• Exercise sound independent judgement in environments characterized by political sensitivity and institutional complexity.
• Manage competing priorities and long-term commitments across multiple stakeholders and governance frameworks.

Technical Knowledge in

• Sovereign and sub-sovereign financing instruments and transaction governance processes.
• Public financial management systems and institutional budgeting procedures.
• Design and implementation of development financing mechanisms, including debt conversion and performance-linked modalities.
• Programme governance structures, results frameworks, and accountability mechanisms.
• Stakeholder mapping, partnership strategy development, and institutional engagement planning.
• Risk assessment methodologies relevant to development finance and public-sector partnership

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language.