DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
31 July 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 Arabian Standard Time (Baghdad)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.
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Job Title: Programme Policy Officer – School Feeding
Type of Contract: Consultant, CST II - WAE
Unit / Division: Social Protection
Duty Station: Remote with travel to Iraq on mission
Duration: 11 months (maximum of 15 working days per month)
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
The Government of Iraq is prioritizing the strengthening of national social protection and human capital systems, including the revitalization of school feeding programming as a mechanism to improve child nutrition, education outcomes, local economic development, and resilience.
School feeding activities in Iraq have largely been paused in recent years due to financing constraints. In response, WFP Iraq is supporting the Government to design and pilot a government-owned healthy kitchen, Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) model that aims to demonstrate operational feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and national scalability. The pilot will serve as a catalytic model to inform future nationwide expansion under government leadership. The proposed model seeks to embed implementation within national systems from the outset to facilitate eventual government handover and sustainability. The initiative requires close coordination across multiple government stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Trade (MoT), Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Planning (MoP), and Ministry of Finance (MoF), as well as development partners and local stakeholders. The programme will also contribute to strengthening the evidence base for school feeding in Iraq through ongoing analytical work, including a Value for Money (VfM) study and investment case development, to support advocacy for renewed domestic financing allocations.
Further, under the EU-funded UN Joint Programme on Social Protection, WFP has supported the Ministry of Education to draft the School Feeding Policy. While the policy is in a final draft form, it is awaiting the full formation of a new government to be endorsed and launched. In parallel, WFP Iraq seeks to strengthen the technical capacity of its national school feeding team through structured coaching, mentoring, and targeted capacity development initiatives to ensure sustained in-country expertise and leadership.
To support these objectives, WFP Iraq seeks to recruit a Senior Technical Advisor – School Feeding.
PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The Senior Technical Advisor will provide strategic technical leadership and advisory support to WFP Iraq and government counterparts on the design, piloting, institutionalization, and potential scaling of a government-led healthy kitchen Home-Grown School Feeding model.
The Advisor will also lead the capacity strengthening of WFP’s national school feeding and nutrition team through coaching, mentoring, technical guidance, and structured learning initiatives.
OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The assignment has two primary objectives:
a. Technical Leadership and Advisory Support
Provide high-level technical guidance on the development, implementation, institutionalization, and scaling of Iraq’s school feeding portfolio, with a particular focus on the healthy kitchen Home-Grown School Feeding pilot and associated policy, financing, partnership, and evidence-generation agendas.
b. Capacity Strengthening
Strengthen the technical and operational capacity of WFP Iraq’s national school feeding and nutrition team through structured capacity development plans, on-the-job mentoring, coaching, and technical trainings.
SCOPE OF WORK AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
A. Strategic Technical Leadership on School Feeding
The Technical Advisor will:
• Provide overall strategic and technical leadership for WFP Iraq’s school feeding portfolio.
• Guide the technical design and implementation of the healthy kitchen Home-Grown School Feeding pilot model.
• Support the development of operational modalities that maximize integration within existing national systems and facilitate eventual government ownership and handover.
• Ensure alignment and embedded design, where possible, of the pilot within government systems, regulations and existing capacities.
• Advise on nutrition-sensitive menu design, food quality standards, healthy eating approaches, food safety considerations, and operational standards.
• Facilitate and strengthen cross-government coordination and partnerships among key ministries, particularly the MoE, MoT, MoH, MoP, and MoF.
• Support the development of governance, coordination, implementation, and accountability arrangements for the pilot.
• Provide technical guidance on local procurement and home-grown school feeding approaches that strengthen linkages with local food systems and markets.
• Support integration of healthy eating and nutrition-sensitive Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) targeting students, caregivers, teachers, and communities.
• Support the development of implementation guidelines, operational manuals, SOPs, and technical tools as required.
• Provide technical and progress inputs for donor reporting.
B. Evidence Generation, Policy Support, and Advocacy
The Advisor will:
• Support the development of the evidence base for school feeding in Iraq to inform government decision-making and future scale-up.
• Provide technical support to the ongoing Value for Money (VfM) study and ensure alignment with policy and financing objectives.
• Support the development of an investment case for school feeding to strengthen advocacy with the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders for renewed domestic financing allocations.
• Identify opportunities for innovative domestic financing mechanisms and complementary financing sources to support programme sustainability and scale-up, including continuing ongoing engagements with the School Meals Coalition and the Sustainable Financing Initiative .
• Support the finalization, government endorsement, publication, and dissemination of the SABER.
• Provide technical and strategic support for advocacy around the endorsement and launch of the National School Feeding Policy. Play a key support role in the launch of the Policy.
• Develop advocacy materials, presentations, policy briefs, and evidence products targeting senior government stakeholders and development partners.
• Support engagement with donors, IFIs, UN agencies, and development partners on school feeding priorities and financing opportunities.
C. South-South Cooperation and Knowledge Exchange
The Advisor will:
• Identify relevant regional and international examples of successful Home-Grown School Feeding programmes.
• Design and organize South-South knowledge exchange initiatives to facilitate peer learning and exposure to global good practices.
• Identify funding opportunities for South-South knowledge exchanges, if required, and lead the application process for WFP Iraq
• Support the identification of government counterparts and technical institutions for exchanges, study visits, workshops, and technical dialogues.
• Ensure lessons learned and global experiences are contextualized for Iraq’s operational and institutional environment.
• Support preparations for Iraq to participate in global school feeding for a including the Global Child Nutrition Forum and the School Meals Coalition Summit. Includes preparing background materials, leading advocacy with government, supporting preparation of the Iraqi delegation, among others.
D. Capacity Strengthening and Team Development
The Advisor will:
• Assess the technical and operational capacity development needs of the national school feeding team.
• Develop structured individual and team capacity strengthening plans.
• Provide day-to-day coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job technical support to national staff.
• Design and deliver dedicated technical workshops, trainings, and learning sessions on priority school feeding topics.
• Support staff in strengthening strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, analytical, and programme management capacities.
• Foster knowledge transfer and institutional learning to ensure sustainability of technical expertise within the Iraq Country Office.
DELIVERABLES:
Key deliverables may include, but are not limited to:
• Final HGSF concept note endorsed by the Ministry of Education and accompanying implementation plan.
• Standard Operating Procedures for the HGSF model ready for handover to the Government of Iraq
• Capacity strengthening strategy and training plan for the national school feeding and nutrition team.
• Training materials, workshop facilitation, and mentoring documentation.
• Technical inputs to the VfM study and investment case development.
• Advocacy and policy engagement materials.
• Support to finalization and publication of SABER School Feeding outputs.
• Support to endorsement and launch of the National School Feeding Policy.
• Contributions to the SBCC campaign and guidance on dissemination channels, particularly at the school-level.
• South-South exchange concept notes, agendas, and coordination support.
• Periodic progress reports and recommendations for programme scale-up and institutionalization.
REPORTING LINES AND WORKING MODALITY:
The Senior Technical Advisor will report to the Head of Social Protection and work closely with the School Feeding and more broadly the Social Protection team, relevant technical units, government counterparts, and partner organizations.
The assignment is primarily remote. The Advisor will maintain regular virtual contact with the national School Feeding team and the Head of Social Protection, including joining weekly Social Protection team meetings. Approximately 3 in-person missions to Baghdad are planned over the assignment duration, each of approximately 5 to 10 days. Mission objectives will include government engagement, team workshops, stakeholder consultations, and joint field visits as appropriate. Mission timing and objectives will be agreed with the Head of Social Protection. Between missions, the Advisor will maintain momentum through virtual collaboration, document review, and structured mentoring sessions. All travel will be arranged and approved in accordance with WFP Iraq's travel policies and security protocols.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
Advanced university degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Education, Food Systems, Social Protection, International Development, Public Policy, Economics, or related field.
Experience:
•Minimum 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in school feeding and social protection is required.
•Demonstrated experience designing or supporting government-led school feeding programmes, preferably including Home-Grown School Feeding models.
•Strong experience working with government institutions and supporting systems strengthening and policy development, particularly with Ministries of Education.
•Demonstrated experience supporting evidence generation, investment cases, cost-benefit/value for money analyses, or public financing advocacy for social protection programmes, specifically school feeding.
•Experience facilitating multi-sectoral coordination and partnerships across government entities.
•Proven experience in capacity building, coaching, mentoring, and technical advisory support.
•Familiarity with school meals global platforms including the School Meals Coalition and the Global Child Nutrition Foundation.
•Experience in fragile or complex operating contexts is highly desirable.
Skills and Competencies:
•Strong strategic and analytical skills.
•Excellent stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills.
•Strong policy advisory and advocacy capabilities.
•Demonstrated ability to operationalize innovative programme models and support scale-up.
•Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
•Strong training, facilitation, and mentoring skills.
Languages:
Fluency in English required. Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.
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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
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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.