Digital Transformation (ssta) - International CST Ii, WAE

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives and building a pathway to peace and prosperity. In Iraq, WFP supports the government's efforts to enhance social protection systems, moving beyond traditional food assistance to improve food security, nutrition, and resilience. This involves strengthening national mechanisms, including the Public Distribution System (PDS), and developing new initiatives like the Iraq Single Registry.

Job Purpose

The Senior Strategic Technical Advisor (SSTA) for Digital Transformation in Social Protection will provide critical strategic guidance and technical expertise to advance WFP's role in Iraq's social protection reforms. This role is pivotal in defining objectives, mitigating risks, and ensuring the successful implementation of the Iraq Single Registry (ISR) and the enhancement of Management Information Systems (MIS) for social assistance programs. The SSTA will leverage deep knowledge of digitalization to develop a phased digital convergence strategy, addressing current system fragmentation and advising on partnerships with key international organizations. A key responsibility includes leading the development of a comprehensive proposal to the EU, aiming to strengthen Iraq's first single registry and integrate social protection with disaster risk reduction and food systems efforts, thereby enhancing digital and analytical capabilities to combat poverty, malnutrition, and social exclusion.

Responsibilities

The Senior Strategic Technical Advisor will drive WFP’s social protection reforms in Iraq, primarily focusing on the Iraq Single Registry (ISR) and enhancing Management Information Systems (MIS) for social assistance programs. Responsibilities include reviewing and refining WFP’s social protection strategy (2025-2029), ensuring alignment with global and national development plans, and providing technical assistance for key pilots such as hypermarket food subsidies and school meals. The role involves conducting a comprehensive digital landscape analysis for Iraq, developing strategies for government uptake and ownership of findings, especially in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The advisor will oversee communication efforts, creating materials to articulate ISR objectives, benefits, risks, and expected results from digitalization. Key duties also include extensive stakeholder engagement through field missions and consultations with KRI government counterparts to develop actionable plans for ISR and MIS enhancements. Furthermore, the advisor will coordinate project planning with government teams for ISR implementation, offer expert advice on hardware, software, and staffing for MIS/ISR rollout, and oversee implementation plans, including risk management and process improvements. Program development involves consulting with international partners (World Bank, UNICEF, GIZ, ILO) on digital social protection and supporting funding proposals. Finally, the role includes research and documentation, such as drafting program manuals and lessons-learned documents to guide future digital social protection initiatives.

Work Experience

Requires at least 10 years of experience in social protection or public sector roles in low/middle-income countries, focusing on digital transformation, system design, and policy. Must have experience implementing Management Information Systems (MIS) and interoperable registries, engaging technical vendors, assessing IT capabilities, and managing large IT projects. Experience in transitioning legacy systems to Data-as-a-Service architectures and building institutional capacity, including formulating Business Transformation Units and facilitating knowledge transfer, is also essential.

Skills

Digital Transformation, Strategic Planning, Technical Advisory, Management Information Systems (MIS), Social Protection, Project Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Data Analysis, Policy Development, System Design, Implementation Oversight, Risk Management, Digitalization Strategy, Food Security, Nutrition, Disaster Risk Reduction, Economic Empowerment

Explore related opportunities