SSA Consultant - Social Protection Expert

Job Title: SSA Consultant Social Protection Expert

Type of Contract: Special Services Agreement

Duration: 7 Months from start date of the contract

Reporting To: Team Lead (CSP) and Deputy Country Director (DCD)

Duty Station: New Delhi

Date of Publication: 20 May 2026

Deadline of Application: 09 June 2026

The Country Strategic Plan (CSP) Review (2023–2027) provides a comprehensive assessment of WFP India Country Office (CO) strategy and programmatic activities over the period. It aims to generate evidence, insights, and strategic direction to inform decision-making and the formulation of the next CSP (2028–2032).

Specifically, the review will:

• Undertake a landscape and context analysis of the food security and nutrition sector in India;
• Assess the CSP 2023–2027, including programmatic performance and partnerships with the Government of India and State Governments.
• Generate independent, impartial evidence and strategic learnings from programme implementation to inform future strategic direction.
• Identify opportunities and potential for resource mobilization from diverse funding sources.

The review will include both internal and external components. The internal component will focus on performance analysis of the current CSP, while an external review will focus on the landscape analysis including funding landscape, which will be led by a team of consultants (one Team Leader and three subject matter experts), each contracted individually. For more details, [link removed]please access the detailed TOR here [link removed].

To guide and coordinate this process, the India CO will establish a CSP Task Force responsible for overseeing the implementation of the CSP review.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (Not all inclusive) 

Social Protection Expert will work under the overall guidance of the Team Leader for External Review and in close coordination with the CO CSP Task Force, with primary responsibility for analytical inputs related to Food‑based social protection systems.

Specific Responsibilities

• Provide support to the Team Lead in developing a detailed methodological design, work plan and analytical framework, in consultation with CO CSP task force, and submit it as part of the inception report for CO management approval.
• Conduct landscape analysis and provide technical and analytical inputs to the CSP review, with particular emphasis on food‑based social protection systems, systems strengthening, and technology‑enabled reforms.
• Review and analyse WFP India’s contributions to major Government of India programmes, including but not limited to Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), PM POSHAN, and related procurement and supply chain reforms.
• Analyse innovations and technical interventions supported by WFP India, including supply chain optimisation, automation of last‑mile delivery (e.g., Annapurti Grain ATMs), warehouse modernisation, IoT/AI‑enabled solutions, and digital platforms from an external lens.
• Examine WFP’s role in capacity strengthening of Government counterparts, including contributions to policy dialogue, pilot design, evaluation capacity development (NECD), and systems‑level reforms.
• Support horizon scanning and identification of emerging trends, risks, and opportunities related to food‑based social protection and public service delivery in India.
• Undertake stakeholder consultations focused on food based social protection area with, but not limited to, CO senior management, central and state government officials (3-4 priority states based on the state prioritization), other key actors in the sector including UN agencies, NGOs and other development partners, key funders for the sector (including private philanthropic institutions, corporates, high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), bi-multilateral donors, academia, etc.
• Prepare thematic inputs, case summaries, and analytical notes for inclusion in the External Review Report.
• Provide technical support to the Team Leader in synthesising findings and formulating forward‑looking recommendations for the next CSP, particularly for strengthening partnerships, innovation, and scalability.
• Support preparation of presentations and briefing notes related to food based social protection area for sectoral and high-level consultations and CO management discussions.
• Ensure adherence to ethical standards and quality assurance requirements, including confidentiality, informed consent, and responsible use of data.
• Provide support for any other relevant tasks for the CSP review as informed by the external review Team Leader and CO CSP task force and as mentioned above in the TOR.

The selected consultant is expected to closely engage with external review Team Leader and CO CSP task force team and keep them updated via emails and meetings (as required). Key deliverables for the assignment include:

• Inception Report: Detailed methodology, tools, and workplan; Refined review framework; Stakeholder engagement plan with timelines
• External Review Report:  Insights from Landscape review and stakeholder consultations,
• Presentations for Sectoral and High-Level Consultations
• The payments would be made after approval of the deliverables for each of the milestones by CO task team leader. The reimbursement of travel costs will be as per the WFP rules after completion of the travel and submission of the claims verified by the CO CSP Task force leader.
• The consultant will be required to undertake at least trips to 2-3 states for meeting the state level stakeholders. The travel will be arranged by WFP, and the travel costs would be borne by WFP over and above the lumpsum professional fee. The travel entitlements will be as per the guidelines applicable for SSA consultants. 

Milestone 1 – Final inception report – 20%

Milestone 2 – Draft External Review Report – 30%

Milestone 3 – Presentations for Sectoral and High-Level consultations – 20%

Milestone 4 – Final external review report and presentation after incorporating feedback – 30%

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Public Policy, Development Studies, Development Economics, Social Protection, Public Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related discipline.

• Minimum 10–12 years of relevant professional experience in food‑based social protection, public distribution systems, social safety nets, or large‑scale government programmes.
• Strong technical understanding of India’s food security and public distribution architecture, including TPDS, procurement systems, storage and logistics, subsidy delivery mechanisms, and end‑user delivery models.
• Demonstrated experience in systems strengthening, policy analysis, and programme design or review related to social protection or food security, preferably at national or large‑scale programme level.
• Familiarity with technology‑enabled solutions in public service delivery, supply chain optimisation, digitalisation, and innovation in food systems is highly desirable.
• Experience working with or alongside Government of India institutions, state governments, UN agencies, or international development organisations.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to synthesise complex programmatic and operational information into clear technical insights and recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with proven ability to contribute to high‑quality analytical reports, technical notes, and presentations.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

LANGUAGE

Fluent oral and written communication skills in English and Hindi.

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings [link removed]). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.