DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
25 March 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 East Africa Time (Nairobi)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 climate change.
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).
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 partnerships
Language: Fluency (level C) in English language.
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.