MEA invites applications for consultant role in policy planning and research division: Apply now

The Administration Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, New Delhi, has invited applications for the engagement of a consultant for the Policy Planning & Research (PP&R) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The period of consultancy will be 1 year. The contract can be extended further depending on the assessment of performance, mutual willingness, and the requirement. The contract may be terminated on one month’s notice from either side or on payment of one month’s pay in lieu thereof.

The job location will be the Ministry of External Affairs (South Block/Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan/Sushma Swaraj Bhawan/Patiala House/ISIL Building/Akbar Bhawan/CCS Building), New Delhi.

Nature of Duties: The selected consultant will be required to work as a domain expert on international relations and policy. The duties will entail preparation of briefs, reports, and analysis of historical trends and the latest developments in geopolitics, geoeconomics, geotechnology and geostrategy and in domains such as international law, climate diplomacy, cultural and public diplomacy, international trade and economy, conflict studies, multilateral diplomacy, digital diplomacy, and all areas of specialisation related to international relations; generation of content on foreign policy-related issues; and providing knowledge-based inputs for the same. He/She will be required to summarize and analyse published material in the areas assigned to them, as it appears in media or academic journals; to review and vet articles, reports, and policy documents prepared by the existing consultants to ensure that the work undertaken by them aligns with MEA’s strategic priorities and research standards; to attend seminars and conferences relevant to the work of the division and submit reports on them; and to prepare speeches, statements, and presentations on given foreign policy-related issues. He/she may also be asked to undertake research on specific foreign policy-related issues and draft documents and other tasks assigned by the Head of the Division.

Qualifications/Essential Criteria: Applicant should be an Indian national and should be a postgraduate from a recognized university in India or abroad. Applicant should have specialised domain knowledge/evidence of original thinking/evidence of content writing—peer-reviewed publications, journals, newspapers/media reports/experience of work in a reputed university, think tank, or research organization in the area of international affairs/public policy—and should exhibit evidence of wide-ranging experience in writing and presentation skills and should have previous experience in any ministry/department of the Government of India.

Desirable Qualifications: Previous experience in the Ministry of External Affairs; Knowledge of Foreign languages; Prior experience of administrative/HR work; Subject expertise in IR domain with a postgraduate research focus/PhD in areas related to foreign policy/international public policy, such as international trade and economy, human rights, democracy, climate diplomacy, immigration, digital and cyber diplomacy, strategic and security matters, defence diplomacy and any of the areas of specialisation related to international relations; Work experience in reputed academic institutions/international think tanks/organizations.

The applicant should be in the age group of 35-45 years as of the last date of submission of the application.

The notification is available at https://www.mea.gov.in/index.htm

Application: The application can be submitted in the proforma at Annexure I of the Notification. Documents/certificates in support of educational qualifications and experience in government service should be attached with the application.

Applications along with supporting documents can be submitted to the Ministry in offline mode by registered post to ‘Under Secretary (PF&PG) Ministry of External Affairs, Room No. 4071, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, 23-D, Janpath, New Delhi-110011’ or through online mode by email to aopfsec@mea.gov.in with the subject clearly mentioning the name of the candidate and the position against which the application is being submitted.

The last date for receiving applications is 1730 hrs on 3rd March, 2026.

The Ministry of External Affairs will review the applications and shortlist the candidates for interview/written test. The shortlisted candidates will be intimated by email. The date, time, and venue of the interview will be conveyed through email at the email address provided by the applicants.