SSA Consultant - Nutrition Expert

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ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

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WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity and disability.

VACANCY DETAILS

Job Title: SSA Consultant Nutrition Expert

Type of Contract: Special Services Agreement

Duration: 7 Months

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

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• This vacancy is open to Indian National only
• A Written test will be used for Screening Candidates
• Candidates readily available to join immediately will be preferred.
• The recruitment process will be limited to individual consultants only. Candidates applying as representatives of firms, agencies, or any other organizational entities would not be eligible for consideration, as WFP will issue payments directly to the consultant and not to any firm, agency, or institution
• The Salary for this position will be LUMP-SUM and will be linked to deliverables Refer to the payment schedule in Terms of reference. Consultant will be covered with medical & death & disability coverage as per WFP 's Plan. All Tax liability for payments from this contract are to be borne by the subscriber

BACKGROUND & OBEJCTIVE

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, please access the detailed TOR here.

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

Please access the detailed TOR by clicking the link below.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (Not all inclusive) 

Nutrition Expert will work under the overall guidance of the Team Leader and in close coordination with the CO CSP Task Force, with primary responsibility for analytical inputs related to nutrition and school feeding.

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 related to nutrition and school feeding programmes, with particular emphasis on nutrition‑sensitive and nutrition‑specific interventions.
• Review and assess WFP India’s support to Government of India food and nutrition programmes, including but not limited to, provision of fortified foods, school meals (under PM POSHAN), Take‑Home Rations (THR) (under Anganwadi Services), nutri-gardens, etc from external lens.
• Examine integration of nutrition, food systems, gender, and inclusion considerations.
• Support stakeholder consultations with central and state government officials, technical agencies, research institutions, UN agencies, and partners relevant to nutrition and food systems.
• Support horizon scanning and identification of emerging trends, risks, and opportunities within India’s food and nutrition landscape and drawing on global trends and best practices.
• Undertake stakeholder consultations focused on food and nutrition 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 for food and nutrition programmes.
• Support preparation of presentations and briefing notes related to food and nutrition 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.

DELIVERABLES & PAYMENTS

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

EDUCATION

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Nutrition, Public Health, Food Systems, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or a related discipline.
• Or MBBS/ MD/ MPH with specialisation in community medicine, public health or a related field

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 10–12 years of relevant professional experience in nutrition, food safety nets, or nutrition linked large‑scale government programmes.
• Strong technical understanding of India’s food security, nutrition policy and emerging programme landscape, including ICDS, PM POSHAN, food fortification initiatives, and food‑based safety nets.
• Demonstrated experience in design, review, evaluation, or analysis of nutrition or food security interventions, preferably at national or large‑scale programme level.
• 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.
• Experience supporting stakeholder consultations and engaging technical counterparts at central and state levels.
• 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.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). 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.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

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Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

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:  [email protected]

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

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 [email protected]. 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.