Partnerships Consultant – Private Sector Partnerships

Job Description

Partnerships Consultant | World Food Programme

The Tone:
This is a contract role at World Food Programme, located in Rome, Italy. The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and building pathways to peace, stability, and prosperity through food assistance for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and extreme weather shocks. This Partnerships Consultant position is critical for supporting Country Offices in developing and strengthening relationships with local private sector entities, enhancing resource mobilization, and ensuring ethical and compliant collaborations to advance WFP’s strategic objectives.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Contract
• Location: In-person Italy – Rome
• Team: PPDR – Country Office Support Hub, reporting to the Country Office Support Team Lead.
• Mission: This person supports WFP Country Offices in developing, managing, and strengthening partnerships with locally based private sector entities.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Advise Country Offices: Provide strategic guidance on the development and implementation of local private sector partnership strategies aligned with WFP’s corporate priorities.
• Support Partner Identification: Assist Country Offices in identifying, assessing, and prioritizing potential private sector partners across relevant sectors to maximize impact.
• Ensure Compliance and Ethics: Guide Country Offices on WFP policies, procedures, and ethical standards governing private sector engagement, overseeing due diligence and risk assessments.
• Build Capacity: Design and deliver training sessions, guidance materials, and practical tools to strengthen Country Office capacity in local private sector engagement.
• Coordinate Internal Support: Facilitate engagement between Country Offices and relevant internal experts, coordinating across the CO Support hub and the Private Sector Partnerships team to ensure coherent support.

The Must-Haves
• Background: A Master’s degree or equivalent in business management, international management, political science, economics, international affairs, public administration, social sciences, development studies, or other related fields.
• Experience: 5-8 years of working experience in private sector partnership management, with a preference for field-level experience. Previous work experience in various country contexts and with partnerships management is strongly preferred.
• Skills: Proficiency in English (level C) and at least one other WFP working language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, or Chinese). Strong writing, analytical, and research skills are required, along with good interpersonal skills, teamwork spirit, and superior cognitive capacity for multicultural settings.
• Bonus: Working directly in or with the UN/WFP is an asset. Familiarity with WFP’s operations, policy, planning, and partnerships, along with multidisciplinary and versatile professional experience.