Senior Agriculture and Nutrition Specialist (Re-advert)

JOB TITLE: Senior Agriculture and Nutrition Specialist

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Health and Nutrition

LOCATION: Addis Ababa

GRADE: NAT 1 C

POST TYPE: National

Child Safeguarding: Level 3

The responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people.

Project Background:

Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Capacity and System Strengthening Project is a five-year (2019-2024) project funded by the Gates Foundation. The project will be implemented in three regions of Ethiopia in selected zones and Woredas. The overall objective of the project is to enable Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to effectively implement the National Food and Nutrition Strategy and contribute to the achievement of the National Nutrition Program and ‘Seqota’ Declaration goals. To achieve the proposed objective, the project will provide direct technical (personnel) and financial support through the grant-under-grant approach. The project will be implemented in close collaboration of Save the Children USA (SC-USA), Save the Children International (SCI) Ethiopia, and Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). The project will also work closely with other organizations working on NSA with MOA. Strengthening the data use capacity of MOA to ensure nutrition and gender sensitivity of its agriculture programs is one of the four primary objectives of the project. SCI therefore, is looking for a Senior Agriculture and Nutrition Specialist will be responsible to lead and manage the achievement of this project objective.

Role/Purpose

Save the Children is seeking a Senior Agriculture and Nutrition Specialist for the 5-year NSA Capacity Strengthening of the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture project funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The nutrition project works with the ministry to strengthen its capacity and systems to implement the national Food and Nutrition strategy and create an effective enabling environment for nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) programming. The project through technical assistance, system strengthening and financial sub-grants to the MOA will increase financing for and prioritization of the implementation of the NSA initiatives indicated in the strategy document, build the capacity of MOA to regularly use NSA data for decision-making and coordinate NSA activities and sustain human resource capacity at regional, zonal and woreda levels. It supports the federal MOA and its three regional bureaus in Amhara, Oromia and Somalia regions.

The Senior Specialist will closely coordinate TA activities with MOA counterpart to provide technical guidance to MOA with respect to capacity building and support regarding nutrition-sensitive agriculture. S/he will be responsible for the technical leadership in designing and implementing system-oriented strategies or tools in nutrition sensitive agriculture, livestock and livelihoods technical areas. S/he will mentor MOA’s nutrition experts to implement sector related the national Food and Nutrition Strategy and provide technical support to regional bureaus. In addition, s/he will input into new tools and guidance developed to advance the NSA interventions and continuously assess current technical, M&E and operational efficiencies of the system strengthening approach as appropriate.

Scope of Role:

Reports to: Project Director

Indirectly reports to: Deputy Country Director, Operation

Staff reporting to this post: N/A

Technical assistance and capacity building

• Work closely with SCUS Agriculture and Nutrition Advisors to provide technical and strategic leadership, setting priorities in designing and managing the implementation of the project’s NSA activities in collaboration with the other technical specialists and MOA nutrition team
• Provide overall technical guidance and leadership for implementation of nutrition sensitive agriculture activities using global NSA best practices and agriculture-to-nutrition pathways
• Support MOA to increase production of diverse, nutrient-dense foods and improved processing, as well as market access and opportunities to sell nutritious foods in rural marketplaces
• Provide technical leadership for system strengthening and capacity building approach for the National Food and Nutrition Strategy
• Provide technical assistance to the ministry to develop and roll out NSA packages for agrarian, agro-pastoralist and pastoralist settings
• Provide support for leadership strengthening of the NSA Task Force and sub-committee of development partners at federal, regional and zonal levels
• Support for roll-out of the Food and Nutrition strategy implementation plan to regions
• Support the MOA to identify key private sector actors that would play a strategic role implementing the National Food and Nutrition Strategy
• Contribute to organizational development assessment, costed implementation plan and M&E pilot and implementation
• Provide leadership for Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement measures for the NSA component of the project

Representation and advocacy

• Represent the project in relevant internal and external fora like NSA Task Force and donor meetings (as appropriate)
• Working with Advocacy/communication team to support the MOA to conduct national and regional multi-stakeholder food and nutrition advocacy forum and identify champions, ambassadors and advocacy groups for the Food and Nutrition Strategy
• Coordinate with relevant thematic sectors and projects to further Save the Children’s leadership in Food Security and Nutrition

People management, mentoring and development

• Support the MOA to recruit, train and mentor nutrition experts at federal and regional level to execute the activities planned under the sub-grant and cascade the Food and Nutrition Strategy to regions, zones and Woredas
• Support the MOA to implement its gender inclusion plan and nutrition behavioural change communication to maximize NSA outcomes

Assessment, monitoring, evaluation and documentation

• Work with the project and MOA MEAL experts to incorporate nutrition objectives, indicators and targets into MOA strategies, programs, and annual work plans
• Facilitate the annual performance review work planning processes in close collaboration with the Project Director and FNCO/MOA
• Monitor performance of the project soft and hard milestones as per donor approved result framework
• Work closely with the MEAL Specialist to ensure all NSA components have robust monitoring plans, reviews and evaluations in line with the project design and donor guidelines
• Prepare narrative reports for donor(s) and Save the Children as required, ensuring these are of a high quality and submitted for review in a timely manner. This will involve compilation of information from a range of project staff and government partners
• Work with the MEAL Specialist to contribute to M&E pilots
• Ensure technical compliance with donor requirements

Knowledge management

• Serve as a technical knowledge, skills and experience hub for the sector in documenting and sharing best practices and innovations for replication and advocacy together with quality programming team
• Work with technical resources among Save the Children to facilitate sharing, project learning, and leveraging support for system strengthening, NSA approach, capacity building and advocacy

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• At least BSc in nutrition, agriculture or economics fields, or related field or MSc in agriculture or economics with practical experience in implementing Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture programs, or MSc and BSc in nutrition fields with demonstrated nutrition programming work experience in the agriculture sector
• Minimum 10 years relevant work experience, out of which a minimum of five years of experience in a leadership or senior advisor position responsible for design and implementation; advocacy and capacity strengthening and technical oversight of sustainable food security & livelihoods development projects or nutrition sensitive projects or programs, in government sector or INGOs
• Experience working in projects promoting both on-farm and off-farm livelihoods interventions.
• Successful experience working with Ethiopian government MOA on systems strengthening and capacity building is preferred.

Essential

• Excellent oral and written English communication skills.
• Knowledge of current global nutrition initiatives and country food and nutrition policy directions and nutrition sensitive agriculture programs and debates
• Nutrition policy analysis, development of nutrition strategies and programs
• Understanding of child labour issues.
• Experience working with public and private sector actors (employers’ organizations, trade unions) or other civil society organizations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations.

Additional job responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the Senior Specialist may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

• The Senior Specialist is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

• We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from any form of abuse.

Health and Safety

• The Senior Specialist is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.