Digital Transformation- Senior Strategic Technical Advisor (SSTA)

The Senior Strategic Technical Advisor (SSTA) on Management Information Systems (MIS) for Social Protection at WFP Iraq provides strategic guidance and oversight for the implementation of the Iraq Single Registry initiative and enhancement of social assistance programs’ MIS. The role involves technical advisory services, strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and project oversight to support social protection reforms in Iraq.

Responsibilities

• Review, refine and unpack the social protection unit’s strategy (2025-2029) informing the upcoming Country Strategic Plan (CSP).
• Ensure that WFP’s social protection programming aligns with global goals, standards, and Iraq’s national development plan.
• Provide technical assistance and thought leadership in pilots complementing social safety net programs.
• Support design and operationalisation of a real-time monitoring and analytics framework within the Single Registry.
• Conduct comprehensive review and update of the digital landscape assessment and action plan for Iraq.
• Develop and implement strategy for uptake and socialization of assessment findings with government counterparts in KRI.
• Oversee creation of communication materials to effectively present objectives and benefits of Single Registry and MIS initiatives.
• Develop narrative explaining benefits, risks, and results expected from digitalisation of social protection MIS.
• Conduct field missions and consultations with government counterparts in KRI to develop engagement strategy for Single Registry and MIS enhancements.
• Work with government teams to formulate participatory action plan for ISR implementation and MIS enhancement.
• Provide expert advice on hardware, software, and staffing capacity for MIS and ISR rollout including vendor proposal reviews.
• Support design and establishment of Business Transformation Units and training of specialists.
• Oversee implementation plan for ISR contract including risk management and roadmap development.
• Identify process enhancements, technological solutions, and personnel behaviour change for ISR implementation.
• Lead design of detailed implementation roadmap for ISR using EU funds.
• Conduct consultations and develop alignment strategy with international partners on digital social protection.
• Develop digital convergence strategy for integrated operational and technical assistance for MIS strengthening.
• Support development of funding and programmatic proposal for EU support.
• Provide oversight and input to ISR program manual and conduct workshop for finalization.
• Draft lessons-learned document and forward-looking vision for digital social protection for publication.
• Support definition and action planning of research agenda for Digital Transformation Workstream.

Requirements

• A Master's degree in Information Systems, Data Management, Project Management, International Development, Public Policy, or a closely related field.
• At least 10 years of professional experience in social protection or public sector contexts in low- or middle-income countries, with a dedicated focus on digital transformation, system design, and policy development.
• Proven track record in designing, implementing, and rolling out Management Information Systems (MIS) and interoperable registries (such as Unified Social Registries or Single Registries) for social assistance interventions.
• Demonstrated expertise in engaging technical vendor implementation, conducting hardware/software capability assessments, and managing large-scale IT projects.
• Experience driving the transition of legacy social registries into dynamic, integrated Data-as-a-Service architectures.
• Hands-on experience in institutional capacity building, formulating Business Transformation Units (BTUs), and facilitating knowledge transfer to nationalize technical roles within government structures.
• Strong understanding of nutrition-sensitive social protection policy and programming and its intersection with food security and vulnerability assessments.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research, policy analysis, and knowledge management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent writing, communication, and advocacy skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders in a multi-cultural environment.
• Fluency in both oral and written English is a must.
• Knowledge of Arabic and/or Kurdish is an advantage.

Skills

• Digital Transformation
• Management Information Systems
• Interoperable Registries
• System Design
• Policy Development
• Technical Vendor Engagement
• Hardware/Software Assessment
• IT Project Management
• Data-as-a-Service Architecture
• Institutional Capacity Building
• Business Transformation Units
• Knowledge Transfer
• Social Protection Policies
• Nutrition-sensitive Social Protection
• Food Security Analysis
• Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
• Research
• Policy Analysis
• Knowledge Management

Languages

English, Arabic, Kurdish