Partnership Officer (Government Engagement & Development Finance Advisor) NOD

The Role

The position is based in the Kenya Country Office (KCO) Nairobi and reports to the Country Director. This senior strategic advisory role involves providing leadership to the Country Director and Senior Management on WFP’s structured engagement with the Government of Kenya, Private Sector, Foundations, and International Financial Institutions (IFIs). You will serve as a principal institutional interface with senior Government counterparts, including the Presidency, Cabinet, National Treasury, and key line ministries.

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. Additionally, the position drives the design, negotiation, and lifecycle stewardship of innovative development financing mechanisms, including results-linked modalities.

Key Accountabilities

• Strategic Leadership: Provide senior strategic advisory leadership on Government engagement, sovereign financing arrangements, and institutional partnerships to inform decision-making related to long-term fiscal commitments and WFP’s national positioning.
• Interface Management: Serve as WFP’s interface with senior Government counterparts (Presidency, Cabinet, National Treasury, line ministries) and IFI leadership, anchoring structured policy dialogue.
• Financing Stewardship: Lead coordination and lifecycle stewardship of innovative development financing mechanisms, including results-linked modalities, ensuring coherence between transaction design, governance, and multi-year implementation.
• Risk Assessment: Assess and advise on political economy, fiscal sustainability, institutional risk, and partnership dynamics affecting sovereign financing commitments.
• Policy Integration: Ensure integration of WFP-supported programmes within national policy, planning, and budgetary frameworks, promoting structured programme co-creation.
• Oversight: Provide functional oversight and strategic guidance to WFP-supported advisors embedded within Government institutions.
• Internal Alignment: Strengthen internal cross-functional coordination by aligning programme, partnerships, and technical teams around coherent Government engagement strategies.

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. Alternatively, a First University degree in the same fields combined with additional years of relevant experience or advanced training.
• 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.
• Leadership Experience: Demonstrated experience operating at Director-level (or equivalent senior leadership) within Government ministries or the private sector (DFIs, financial institutions, or large corporate organizations).
• High-Level Interaction: Proven experience advising or interacting with senior decision-makers (Presidency, Cabinet, Principal Secretaries, Treasury officials).
• Technical Proficiency: Experience designing, negotiating, or stewarding complex financing or partnership arrangements, preferably within sovereign or multilateral contexts.
• System Knowledge: Strong understanding of public financial management systems, national budgetary processes, and inter-ministerial coordination.
• Complexity Management: Experience operating in politically and institutionally complex environments requiring independent judgement and risk assessment.

Skills and Knowledge

• Theoretical Understanding: Deep knowledge of public finance, fiscal policy frameworks, development finance architecture (debt instruments, blended finance), and political economy dynamics.
• Strategic Ability: Capacity to analyze complex fiscal environments, assess financial/reputational risks, and synthesize multi-sectoral information into strategic recommendations.
• Diplomatic Influence: Ability to navigate and influence high-level institutional relationships across Government and IFIs with sensitivity and discretion.
• Technical Knowledge: Proficiency in sovereign financing instruments, transaction governance, and results-based financing modalities.
• Language: Fluency (level C) in the English language.