Nutrition Sensitive Social Protection and Food Systems - Senior Strategic Technical Advisor (SSTA)

The Senior Strategic Technical Advisor will support WFP Iraq’s nutrition-sensitive social protection and food systems work, including evidence generation, food security monitoring, and school meals. The role involves providing technical guidance, operationalizing nutrition-sensitive social protection approaches, and strengthening national capacity and partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of WFP’s nutrition-sensitive social protection framework in Iraq, including advocacy, capacity building, and knowledge management materials.
• Design an advocacy and government capacity building plan for nutrition-sensitive social protection engaging key government counterparts and sectoral partners.
• Conduct a mapping of Iraq’s social protection system and develop proposals identifying opportunities to integrate nutrition-sensitive social protection.
• Support implementation of proposals by providing technical guidance, identifying partnerships, and monitoring activities.
• Contribute technical inputs to the Fill the Nutrient Gap (FNG) and Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet (CoAHD) studies and modeling.
• Develop knowledge materials including policy briefs and presentations to support government decision-making.
• Support capacity strengthening to the Government of Iraq to conduct food security and nutrition studies and assessments.
• Lead the design and integration of food security and nutrition questions into FSMS and other relevant survey tools.
• Identify opportunities for partnerships and collaboration with government and partner stakeholders.
• Contribute to EU Joint Programme reporting and Social Protection Unit weekly updates.
• Provide specialized food systems and nutrition expertise and technical advice on integration of food systems and nutrition in social protection.
• Work with national staff to build food systems and nutrition knowledge and develop a structured learning and capacity building plan.
• Share findings and lessons learned with the Social Protection team and broader Iraq Country office.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (master’s or higher) in International Development, Public and/or Social Policy, Nutrition, Economics, Public Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in social protection, nutrition, or public sector systems in low- or middle-income countries, with demonstrated contributions to programme design, policy development, or research.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food security and nutrition-sensitive social protection policy and programming, aligned with government mandates and institutional reform processes.
• Expertise in multisectoral social protection, including linkages with education, health, and food systems to support coherent, nutrition-sensitive policy design and systems change.
• In-depth understanding of intersecting inequalities, multidimensional poverty, vulnerability metrics, and transformative social protection approaches, applied within government-led assessment and planning processes.
• Demonstrated experience working at the intersection of inequality, food insecurity, and malnutrition to generate practical guidance and strengthen government awareness and ownership in ways that drive coordinated processes and system-level improvements.
• Demonstrated proficiency in research, policy analysis, and knowledge management, with a track record of producing high-quality, decision-ready analytical products for senior government counterparts and development partners.
• Expertise in institutional capacity strengthening and training, focused on enhancing ministry leadership, technical capability, and cross-ministerial coordination.
• Proven ability to build and sustain productive partnerships across government, UN agencies, civil society, and development partners, supporting government-led coordination mechanisms and technical working groups.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required.
• Knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.

Skills

• Social Protection Policies
• Nutrition-Sensitive Programming
• Food Security Analysis
• Programme Design
• Policy Development
• Research and Policy Analysis
• Knowledge Management
• Inter-sectoral Coordination
• Institutional Strengthening
• Training Design
• Government Partnership Building
• Inter-ministerial Coordination
• Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
• Gender-Transformative Social Protection
• Food Systems Integration
• Nutrition Policy
• Evidence Generation
• Food Security Monitoring
• School Meals Programs

Languages

English, Arabic