Senior Program Officer

SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER World Vision International – Somalia Food Systems, Livelihoods & Resilience Programme ABOUT THE ORGANISATION World Vision International brings seven and a half decades of dedicated experience to the work of transforming children's lives across nearly 100 countries. Operating with a global team exceeding 31,000 professionals, the organisation is driven by a Christian faith foundation to support the most vulnerable children in overcoming poverty and achieving fullness of life — even in the world's most challenging environments. POSITION OVERVIEW World Vision International – Somalia is recruiting an experienced Senior Program Officer to lead resource mobilisation and grants management for our food systems, livelihoods, and resilience initiatives. You will play a pivotal role in identifying and securing funding from diverse sources including bilateral donors, UN agencies, climate finance mechanisms, and private sector partners. Your work will directly strengthen the capacity of farming and pastoral communities to recover from shocks and build lasting resilience. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Lead the identification, prioritisation and acquisition of funding opportunities across donor portfolios, UN entities, climate finance facilities and commercial sector partners. Take ownership of proposal development from concept through final submission, crafting compelling concept notes, detailed budgets, logical frameworks and comprehensive donor applications. Oversee complete grant lifecycle management encompassing project initiation, compliance monitoring, financial reporting, budget administration and formal close-out procedures. Design and shape food security, livelihoods and agricultural enterprise programmes that reflect genuine market conditions and community realities. Deliver technical guidance and quality assurance throughout programme implementation to guarantee effectiveness and programme sustainability. Embed climate resilience and adaptation methodologies into all programme designs and funding proposals. Cultivate strategic partnerships with government agencies, United Nations bodies, private sector organisations and research institutions. Maintain and update comprehensive grant management databases with opportunities and project information. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Advanced academic qualification in agriculture, agricultural economics, economics, business administration or development finance. Minimum seven to ten years of professional experience in business development, grants management, or private sector partnerships. Demonstrated success winning competitive funding and managing institutional grants, particularly from UN or World Food Programme sources. Established track record of meaningful engagement and partnership with private sector entities in agriculture, financial services or related sectors. Solid technical foundation in livelihoods programming, food systems, agriculture or livestock development. Practical experience designing and implementing resilience-building or climate adaptation programmes. Strong command of financial principles, coupled with exceptional writing, analytical and negotiation capabilities. Previous experience working in Somalia or comparable fragile, climate-vulnerable settings preferred. EMPLOYMENT DETAILS Contract Type: Local Fixed Term Employee Office Location: Somalia-based with 30 percent international travel requirement Application Deadline: 18 October 2026 at 00:00 EAT Eligibility: Local applicants only SAFEGUARDING COMMITMENT World Vision International maintains unwavering commitment to child and adult safeguarding. All candidates progressing to final selection stages will undergo comprehensive reference checks and background screening including criminal record verification. Successful appointees must demonstrate full alignment with these safeguarding standards and principles.