TECHNICAL ADVISOR – NUTRITION At Feed the Children

JOB PURPOSE

Tiwalere III is a community-nutrition program focusing on the adoption of optimum health and nutrition behaviors through Care Groups, Adolescents Clubs and making Adolescent girls and Young Mothers as drivers of change within their communities. The project also facilitates a series of key health activities rolled out by the health stakeholders. The project focuses both on monitoring the adoption of optimum behaviors, tailoring messaging to increase the reach and impact and improving the quality of counseling provided to mothers and mothers-to-be by cluster leaders.

The position focuses on developing the technical guidance, protocols, and strategies to improve the quality of the activities, overseeing the technical implementation of the activities and is responsible to ensure the overall quality of the nutrition activities and reaching impact.

The position will work in conjunction with an SBCC Advisor for the first two years of the project then take over all the SBCC components and deliverables afterward.

SPECIFIC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Nutrition technical guidance and technical support

• Be the technical referent on nutrition and community-nutrition approaches,
• Develop the strategies and all required technical guidance
• Lead development of the project nutrition strategy and ensure nutrition analysis recommendations are integrated into project plans including
• supporting the development of work plans and validating these workplans. Ensure that the targets are met.
• Work closely with the implementing team for the adequate implementation of the activities integrating the defined strategies and technical guidance
• Set up quality control mechanisms and ensure the overall quality of the activities implemented
• Provide technical support as required
• Support zone staff in cascading project trainings to district staff and care groups
• Oversee a continuous OTJT component
• Propose activity strategies changes as they may become required
• Contribute actively to the oversight of the monitoring of adoption of optimum behaviors and evolutions of barriers, including tailoring of messaging alongside the SBCC Advisor
• Facilitate integration of evidence-based high-impact SUN interventions into Feed the Children programs with an aim of reducing stunting and other forms of malnutrition among under five children and pregnant and lactating women.
• Keep abreast of new developments in the nutrition sector

Coordination

• Work closely with Cluster Coordinators for the implementation of the activities
• Flag up any issues that may be observed during implementation and provide technical guidance and solutions
• Work closely with the SBCC Advisor on all activities related to monitoring adoption of optimum behaviors, tailoring messaging, review of the impact of messaging, oversee the frequency and intensity of messaging, etc.
• Work closely with all other Technical Advisors as to ensure that all components are contributing toward a substantial impact on nutrition
• Maintain relationships with the various nutrition stakeholders at national and district levels and other peer organizations as required
• Promote partnership and development of synergies amongst stakeholders and with peer organizations.
• Participate actively in coordination mechanisms including participating in technical working groups including SUN task force, National Nutrition Coordinating Committee, Nutrition Technical Working Groups, Agriculture Nutrition Technical Working Group, Malaria Technical Working Group, SBCC health Technical Working Group and CSONA.
• Maintain technical dialogue with USAID technical Advisor
• Work with M&E specialist to oversee and coordinate formative and evaluative research using participatory methodologies to build local capacity and to design high impact interventions based on the social and cultural context in target areas.

Reporting and evidence-based

• Based on research findings and stakeholder consultations, coordinate with the technical team to lead the development of evidence-based nutrition and SBCC tools and materials.
• Support with project reporting, ensuring that updates and progress on related indicators and successes are included in project reports and annual work plans.
• Work with and support Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) teams to: develop context-specific indicators for nutrition; measure outcomes; and collect and analyze data.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWELDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• A Master’s degree in nutrition, public health, or in a closely related field
• At least 9 (nine) years of experience designing, implementing, or supporting nutrition programming, preferably in Malawi is highly desired.
• Strong technical skills in maternal nutrition, adolescent nutrition, IYCF, essential nutrition actions, growth monitoring and promotion, and social and behavior change
• Strong technical skills in multi-sectoral nutrition programming, including health, WASH and food security are preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement SBC approaches to improve nutrition behaviors and outcomes, especially for women, adolescents, and children in the first 1,000 days.
• Demonstrated capacity in providing technical assistance to government (district level) to improve nutrition programs through governmental health systems, processes and service delivery models, and behavior change communication in developing countries.
• Solid experience developing behavior change training tools and materials.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills, collaboration experience, creativity and willingness to innovate.
• Familiarity and understanding of USAID policies and procedures, or those of donor-funded projects or community-based projects.
• Demonstrated ability to address behavior change issues in improving household nutrition status.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations.
• Experience in nutrition research, indicators, monitoring and evaluation
• Strong knowledge of nutrition policy and practice in Malawi
• Advanced knowledge of the most up to date scientific evidence on the high impact SUN interventions
• Sound understanding of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions
• Demonstrable familiarity with the Malawian culture, dietary habits, health systems and governance structures
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with donors, project stakeholders, in-country collaborators, and staff at all levels of the organization
• Demonstrated capacity in working effectively in multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary, multi-organizational team environment