International Consultant - PPO Cooperating Partners Management

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives and building a pathway to peace, stability, and prosperity. In Afghanistan, WFP collaborates with a wide network of Cooperating Partners (CPs) to deliver essential services. Strengthening Cooperating Partner Management (CPM) is crucial for ensuring accountability, informed decision-making, and high-quality program delivery.

Job Purpose

This consultancy will significantly contribute to the World Food Programme's mission in Afghanistan by enhancing the management cycle of Cooperating Partners (CPs). The role is pivotal in ensuring that WFP's partnerships are robust, compliant, and effective in delivering humanitarian assistance. The consultant will be instrumental in partner selection, managing payments, overseeing contracting, implementing risk management strategies, and ensuring cross-cutting compliance with corporate policies and standards. A key focus will be on the digitalization of CP processes and knowledge management to improve efficiency and transparency. The objective is to strengthen the overall capacity and performance of CPs, thereby ensuring the high-quality delivery of WFP's programs and achieving Zero Hunger objectives in the region.

Responsibilities

The PPO's responsibilities center on strengthening Cooperating Partner Management (CPM) within WFP's Afghanistan operations. This involves contributing to the implementation of plans and policies by setting clear goals and coordinating budget and programming activities for Field Level Agreements (FLAs). A key duty is reviewing FLA budgets for accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and completeness, providing feedback to stakeholders, and ensuring budget-supporting documents are available in WFP’s corporate systems. The role also includes overseeing and processing Cooperating Partner payments in compliance with corporate guidelines, and supporting the Project Review Committee for proposal calls by analyzing ratings and ensuring cost-effectiveness. Additionally, the PPO will analyze FLA/MoU closure activities, coordinate information for situation reports, and represent the unit in relevant meetings. A significant aspect involves supervising and mentoring a small team, building their capacity through coaching and training, and acting as a first point of escalation for complex issues. The PPO will also contribute to budget plans for under-performing partners, including training initiatives, and support the onboarding and use of digital tools for partnership management. The ultimate goal is to ensure well-maintained and strengthened cooperating partnerships, efficient payment management, and regular monitoring and mitigation of partner-related risks.

Work Experience

The role requires an advanced university degree or a first-level university degree with additional relevant work experience. Proficiency in English and Windows MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) is essential. Desirable qualifications include exposure to the international arena and a willingness to be mobile globally. Key behavioral competencies include action management, client orientation, cognitive capacity, innovation, partnering, and teamwork.

Skills

Budgeting, Financial Analysis, Contract Management, Risk Management, Digitalization, Knowledge Management, Team Supervision, Training and Coaching, Stakeholder Engagement, Compliance, Reporting, MS Office Proficiency

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