Nutritional Data Analyst At Aga Khan Foundation

The Aga Khan Foundation, Afghanistan (AKF (Afg)) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of international, private, non-denominational development agencies working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in some of the poorest parts of the developing world. The Network’s organizations have individual mandates that range from the fields of health and education to architecture, rural development and promotion of private-sector enterprise and institutions that seek to empower communities and individuals, usually in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve living conditions and opportunities.

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a non-denominational international development agency established in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan. Its mission is to develop and promote creative solutions to problems that impede social development, primarily in Asia and East Africa. Created as a private, non-profit foundation under Swiss law, it has branches and independent affiliates in 19 countries.
AKF seeks to provide sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and ill health. In Afghanistan, AKF works with rural communities in mountainous, remote or resource poor areas to improve quality of life in the areas of natural resource management, market development, governance, education, and health.

POSITION OBJECTIVE
The Nutritional Data Analyst will conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis of existing data and research on maternal and child nutrition in Afghanistan. The goal is to identify trends, gaps, and provide evidence-based recommendations for interventions to improve nutritional outcomes. The objectives are 1) Aggregate and synthesize findings from various studies, reports, and data sources to create a comprehensive overview of the current state of maternal and child nutrition in Afghanistan. 2) Evaluate the quality of the existing data and research, identifying any gaps, inconsistencies, or biases. This assessment will help in understanding the reliability of current knowledge and highlight areas needing further research and support.3) Analyze the data to identify common trends, patterns, and determinants of malnutrition among mothers and children in Afghanistan. This includes examining factors such as socioeconomic status, geographic location, dietary practices, Nutrition care access, and more with particular focus on Kabul, Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz, Samanga, Parwan, Bamyan and Daikondi. 4) Develop actionable, evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, program designers, and other stakeholders. These recommendations will aim to improve nutritional outcomes through targeted interventions, policy adjustments, and programmatic strategies.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Technical:
• Conduct a systematic review of existing literature and data sources related to maternal and child nutrition in Afghanistan with focus on Kabul, Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz, Samanga, Parwan, Bamyan and Daikondi.
• Identify and compile relevant studies, reports, and data sets from academic, governmental, and non-governmental sources related to maternal and child nutrition in Afghanistan.
• Gather and compile data from identified sources, ensuring quality and consistency for analysis.
• Perform statistical analysis on collected data to identify trends, patterns, and key findings.
• Use appropriate meta-analytic techniques to synthesize results from multiple studies.
• Assess heterogeneity and publication bias of included studies.
• Contribute and assist in preparing a detailed report summarizing the findings of the meta-analysis.
• Support and provide evidence-based recommendations for policy and programmatic interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition in Afghanistan.
• Include visual representations of data such as charts, graphs, and tables.
• Present findings to stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations.

Reporting:
• Provide a report to explain how the methodology developed, its challenges and limitations, map the sources, and highlight the quality for each data source.
• Contribute and support the meta-analysis report by providing a clear data analysis, charts and graphs and describing those data.
• Support the project completion report.

Coordination:
• Support the coordination on timelines, budget, responsibilities and expected deliverables of the signed project and studies.
• Support the coordination of reporting and dissemination events at national and regional levels.
• Support and coordinate with MERL team on the progress of analysis, availability of resources and discussion with donor and other stakeholders.
• Closely work and coordinate with health M&E and nutrition coordinator

Commitment to Child Safeguarding/ Child Protection:
• To carry out the responsibilities of the role in a way which reflects AKF (Afg)’s commitment to safeguarding staff, beneficiaries and protecting children from harm and abuse in accordance with AKF (Afg)s Safeguarding policy.
• To report any suspicions or actual violations of the Safeguarding Policy and/or Child Safeguarding Policy as per the given training.

OCCASIONAL SIGNIFICANT DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Attend the meeting and discuss with MERL team the analysis progress.
• Attend the meeting and discuss the analysis progress with donors and other stakeholders.
• Perform relevant duties assigned by the supervisor

DECISION-MAKING & AUTHORITY
Management and supervision:
• Update team member for any special task and support
• Ensure that consultation with staff, beneficiaries and partners is a key element of AKF’s work.
Technical:
• Lead, the meta-analysis including data source mapping, statistical calculation and report writing
• Support the team and contribute to teamwork environment within MERL.

JOB SPECIFICATION
• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Nutrition, Public Health, Epidemiology, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the same field.
• Proficiency in related computer software.
• Strong statistical analysis skills and familiarity with meta-analytic software (e.g., SPSS, STATA).
• Self-motivated, pro-active, efficient, reliable and creative.
• Knowledge of maternal and child nutrition issues, preferably in the context of Afghanistan or similar settings.
• Proven experience in conducting meta-analyses and systematic reviews.

REQUIRED CORE COMPETENCIES
• Good oral and written skills in English.
• Experience working in tough environments with many environmental challenges.
• Promoting Organizational learning and knowledge sharing: Seeks feedback from others, shares his/her own knowledge with the team.
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
• Having quantitative and qualitative research skills.
• Client Orientation: Increase clients trust, represents them in the organization and provides on time assistance and support to them.