Head of Partnerships, Reports and Communications

The consultant will lead the Partnerships, Reports and Communications unit in WFP Malawi, providing strategic leadership, managing donor relations and resource mobilisation, and overseeing public advocacy and communications to support the Country Strategic Plan 2024-2028. The role involves advising senior management, managing a multi-functional team, and strengthening partnerships and communications systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision and strategic direction for WFP Malawi's partnerships, resource mobilisation, donor reporting and external communications, aligned with the CSP 2024-2028 and Country Office priorities.
• Lead and manage a multi-functional team of national and international staff; set clear accountabilities and priorities, ensure quality and timely delivery, and complete annual performance evaluations (PACE).
• Strengthen collaboration across units and clarify PRC interfaces with programme, M&E, finance and field teams so partnership and communications priorities are supported by sound evidence, technical design and financial assurance.
• Represent the PRC function at senior management and UN inter-agency fora, supporting strategic positioning, joint advocacy, donor harmonisation and visibility efforts.
• Ensure an operational PRC strategy and workplan, a prioritised donor pipeline, strengthened reporting and communications systems, and a documented capacity and handover plan; identify remaining gaps and provide forward-looking recommendations to the Country Director.
• Lead implementation of WFP Malawi's resource mobilisation strategy and maintain a prioritised, actively managed pipeline of existing and prospective donors and funding opportunities.
• Lead development and quality assurance of high-level funding proposals, donor pitches, briefings and talking points, aligned with donor priorities, country needs and WFP's comparative advantage.
• Deepen relationships with traditional and non-traditional partners, including private foundations, IFIs and regional partners, and advance appropriate innovative financing opportunities.
• Oversee timely, accurate and results-based donor reports in coordination with programme, M&E and finance teams, with clear accountability for inputs, quality assurance and deadlines.
• Ensure compliance with donor visibility and communication requirements and maintain effective coordination with Regional Bureau and HQ focal points.
• Lead the design and implementation of a strategic communications plan that strengthens WFP Malawi's positioning and supports resource mobilisation, advocacy and stakeholder engagement.
• Provide strategic direction and quality assurance for multimedia content and advocacy campaigns that demonstrate results and impact across resilience, school meals, nutrition, social protection and anticipatory action.
• Provide final quality assurance for priority external materials, including press releases, social media content, stories, speeches and fact sheets, while delegating routine production appropriately within the team.
• Strengthen relationships with local, regional and international media and position WFP as a credible, evidence-based voice on food security in Malawi.
• Build internal capacity in donor engagement, resource mobilisation, storytelling and strategic communication through structured training, coaching and mentoring.
• Strengthen use of WFP corporate and digital systems, including WFPGo, Salesforce and SharePoint, to improve pipeline management, reporting, communications planning and knowledge management.
• Foster a culture of creativity, accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement across the PRC unit, with systems that support continuity and handover.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree in International Development, Political Science, Communications, Public Policy, or a related field; or a first-level university degree with additional years of relevant professional experience in lieu of an advanced degree.
• At least 5-10 years of progressively responsible experience in partnerships, donor relations, resource mobilisation, strategic communications or related functions in international development or humanitarian contexts, including significant experience at senior advisory or management level.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams, managing donor and partner portfolios, and influencing senior stakeholders, including government, donors and multilateral institutions.
• Proven experience in donor intelligence and pipeline management, complex proposal development, executive-level briefing, and translating programme evidence into compelling funding and advocacy narratives.
• Previous experience working with the UN system or WFP highly desirable.
• Excellent analytical, strategic thinking and stakeholder-mapping skills.
• Strong people-management, collaboration and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in multicultural settings.
• Excellent writing, editing and executive-briefing skills for diverse audiences.
• Strong interpersonal, diplomatic, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to use partnership, knowledge-management and workflow systems; knowledge of WFP operations, donor landscape and corporate systems (e.g. WINGS, WFPGo, Salesforce) an asset.
• Fluency (level C) in English language, Proficiency in another UN language an asset.

Skills

• Partnership Management
• Donor Relations
• Resource Mobilization
• Strategic Communications
• Team Leadership
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Donor Intelligence
• Pipeline Management
• Proposal Development
• Executive briefings
• Programme Evidence Translation
• Analytical Skills
• Strategic Thinking
• Stakeholder Mapping
• People Management
• Collaboration in Multicultural Environments
• Writing and Editing
• Diplomatic Negotiation
• Influencing Skills
• Knowledge Management
• WFP Operations Knowledge
• WINGS
• WFPGo
• Salesforce

Languages

English