WFP Kuwait Office - Partnerships Officer (Head of Office) NOC
World Food Programme
Role:DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
25 October 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 Arabian Standard Time (Kuwait)
WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.
ABOUT WFP
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of extreme weather shocks.
At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.
WHY JOIN WFP?
WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).
We are seeking to fill the position of Partnerships Officer (Head of Office) NOC, based in the WFP Kuwait Office in Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Please note that this vacancy announcement is being issued internally and externally.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
This is a national position, open exclusively to Kuwaiti nationals, based in the WFP Kuwait Office (Country Office). The Head of the WFP Kuwait Office leads a newly formalized WFP presence established to strategically position the organization with the Government of Kuwait, regional and international financial institutions (IFIs), private-sector and philanthropic actors, and the broader Gulf donor community. The position reports to the Functional Director at Global Headquarters.
The job holder operates across an assigned area and works independently, using technical knowledge and experience, to analyse data and identify solutions for partnerships activities. He/she typically supports process improvements and partnership opportunities with a host of public, private sector and external entities. These can include governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental institutions and their member states, international financial institutions, individuals, corporations, foundations and NGOs. Partnerships Officers are likely to focus on either public, private sector or external entities. Drive WFP’s effective positioning with public, private and external partners to attract policy support, resources, technical assistance and innovative solutions to advance the work of WFP, while supporting member states in the achievement of the SDGs and Zero Hunger and emphasizing WFP’s contributions in this regard.
THE ROLE
This role drives WFP’s effective positioning with public, private and external partners to attract policy support, resources, technical assistance and innovative solutions to advance the work of WFP, while supporting member states in the achievement of the SDGs and Zero Hunger and emphasizing WFP’s contributions in this regard.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):
Lead WFP Office in Kuwait, implementing strategic priorities and a work plan for an assigned area to enable WFP to identify, develop and strengthen quality partnerships in support of WFP strategic objectives.
Engage with other WFP functional units, Regional Offices and Country Offices on WFP's thematic and country-specific offerings for Kuwait, developing content and language that speak to government, private sector and IFI audiences and align with on-going policy dialogue in national and global fora; ensure alignment of partner engagement across the organization.
Proactively support a wide range of aspects of a partnerships portfolio, including partner profiling, data/trends analysis and outreach plan, to maximize resources and leverage policy and technical support for WFP’s work; ensure partner visibility and that partner conditions are met.
Facilitate corporate dialogue with partners through preparation of quality briefing materials.
Proactively highlight strategic opportunities and issues to senior management and propose options for the best course of action to nurture trust and interest in the work of WFP; support the preparation of joint events (e.g. UN pledging conferences) that can advance WFP interests and objectives.
Gather and share partner intelligence (including forecasting), using key information systems (e.g. WINGS, Salesforce, WFPGo), and assess results.
Lead the development of Kuwait partnership strategies, including Partnership Action Plans, and manage partnership/contribution management in line with corporate norms, processes and legal agreements, including quality proposal and report writing.
Facilitate partnership growth, by exploring opportunities to expand existing partnerships and scope of new partners, across government, private sector and IFI channels, guided by assessments, analysis and due diligence, with direct follow-up.
Develop partnership proposals, strategic agreements, joint strategies and/or MOU, taking into account corporate norms, processes and external regulations; ensure quality control of content by engaging with relevant functional units, ROs and COs.
Use socio-political insights to support WFP’s effective positioning vis-à-vis national governments, regional and international institutions with the aim to influence the policy agenda.
In the context of the UN system and multilateral fora, support the development of partnerships with member states, civil society and intergovernmental organizations to advocate for the SDGs and Zero Hunger on the global agenda, and advance WFP priorities and policies, based on a good understanding of member states’ dynamics and interests.
Solicit inputs from other WFP entities that contribute to inter-governmental/inter-agency work, ensuring WFP positions are properly explained and taken into account in decision-making relevant to Kuwait.
Manage staff, providing coaching, training and guidance to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance.
Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of work to ensure equal participation of women and men.
Contribute to preparedness actions, providing technical recommendations and guidance; monitor defined risks and make recommendations how to manage these effectively.
Other as required.
Other Post Requirements
The role combines representational leadership of the Office with direct ownership of its partnerships and resource mobilization agenda. The job holder operates with a high degree of independence, exercising judgment on sensitive political, diplomatic and institutional matters and driving partner engagement and negotiations. The incumbent is accountable for the overall strategic direction, credibility, growth and sustainability of WFP’s presence and partnerships in Kuwait.
Represent WFP with the Government of Kuwait, building and maintaining strategic relationships across three core tracks: (i) government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and other key national institutions; (ii) private sector companies, foundations and corporates; and (iii) international financial institutions (IFIs), including the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
Lead the Kuwait partnerships portfolio, including partner profiling, data/trends analysis and outreach planning across government, private sector and IFI channels, to maximize resources and leverage policy and technical support for WFP's work; ensure partner visibility and that partner conditions are met.
Essential requirements:
Served as a principal representative to government, IFI and private sector counterparts at senior/ ministerial level.
Successfully mobilized substantial financial and in-kind contributions from diverse partner types.
Led the implementation of office-level or country-level strategic plans.
Directed multidisciplinary teams and managed complex, multi-stakeholder partnership portfolios.
Demonstrated sound political judgment and diplomatic skill in a Gulf or comparable regional context.
Desirable requirements:
Prior experience leading the establishment or expansion of a country office, or equivalent institutional presence.
Gained experience of analyzing local political situations and assessing risk accurately.
Participated in a vendor/government/ partner negotiation within area of focus.
Demonstrated experience in implementing or supporting integrated programmes that combine humanitarian assistance with resilience and livelihoods interventions.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
Education: First University degree in Political Science or a related field (e.g. International Relations, International Development, Development Economics, Law), with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.
Experience: A minimum of five (5) or more years of relevant professional experience within the humanitarian space in partnership and representational roles.
Language: Fluency (level C) in both English and Arabic.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The World Food Programme offers a competitive compensation package, which will be determined based on the contract type and the selected candidate's qualifications and experience.
Please visit the WFP website for detailed information about working with WFP and its operations.
Kuwait City National Officer category salary scale: UN Salary scale.
Applicants must:
Be Kuwaiti citizens; and
Live within commuting distance (100 km or approximately 1.5 hours of travel time) of the WFP Kuwait Office, or be willing to relocate at their own expense to an area within commuting distance of the duty station. Address: UN House, Block 7A, Mishref, Kuwait. WFP shall not be responsible for any costs associated with such relocation. Preference will be given to candidates residing within commuting distance of Kuwait City, Kuwait.
SELECTION PROCESS
Only applications received in English will be considered.
Our selection process follows a structured approach and includes the following steps:
Application to vacancy announcement.
The essential requirements will be assessed through a technical assessment. a competency-based interview and language assessments.
At a later stage, candidates will be required to submit conflict‑of‑interest; personal disclosure forms, academic certificates, professional references, as part of the mandatory background checks.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: global.inclusion@wfp.org
NO FEE DISCLAIMER
The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.
We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.
At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.
All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.