Oromia Regional Multi-sector Nutrition Advisor

Job Description

PROJECT SUMMARY

Alive & Thrive (A&T) is an initiative to save lives, prevent illness, and ensure healthy growth and development through optimal adolescent, maternal, infant, and young child feeding and caring practices.

 Since 2009, A&T is working in Ethiopia within the context of the National Nutrition program (NNP) and the National Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Strategy (NNSAS) to promote maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) across multiple sectors at the federal, regional, woreda, and community levels.

A&T Ethiopia 3.0 (2018-2022) has been working in partnership with the GOE and others to strengthened multi-sector food and nutrition coordination through supporting the regional Food and Nutrition Coordinating Offices.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has granted Alive & Thrive a Multi-sector Nutrition Governance & Leadership Strengthening in Ethiopia to enhance technical and human resource capabilities to support the Ethiopia Food System roadmap, the Food & Nutrition Strategy (FNS), and Seqota Declaration (SD) expansion phase plans coordination and implementation at national and regional levels.

As part of its systems strengthening and capacity building initiative, A&T has planned to support the Government of Ethiopia for the implementation of the Ethiopian food system road map and food and nutrition strategy at national and among regional levels through hiring the regional multi-sector food system and nutrition coordination Advisor.

POSITION SUMMARY

As part of its systems strengthening and capacity building initiative, A&T has planned to support the Government of Ethiopia for the implementation of the Ethiopian food system road map and food and nutrition strategy and the Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase at national and among regional levels through hiring the regional Food system and Nutrition multi-sector coordination advisor. The overarching objective of the recruitment support is to ensure the coordination and alignment of food system and nutrition intervention implementation and monitoring across sectors at all levels. He/she will act as a liaison agent between food system and nutrition implementing sectors and stakeholders, at regional and lower levels. She/he would ensure the harmonization and alignment plans for food system and nutrition coordination, nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive intervention joint implementation and monitoring.

He/She will be responsible for day-to-day management of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan, coordinating all components to ensure delivery of quality (timely, accurate, valid) data to inform programming, ensure shared learning across all the different stakeholders involved, with special attention to mentoring the Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Focal Points, Food and Nutrition Coordination Offices (FANC) and in all the FNS and SD implementing sectors.

Essential Job Functions/Roles and Responsibilities:

The Regional Multi-sector nutrition advisor is responsible for creating linkages among regional food system and nutrition actors for coordinated and harmonized joint planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation at regional and lower levels.

The main responsibilities of the post are:

1) Food system and nutrition planning at regional and lower levels

•  Coordinate and provide technical support for the regional food system and nutrition situational analysis, stakeholders mapping, and identifying implementation challenges for joint actions.

•   Coordinate and lead the development, endorsement, and implementation of the regional food system and nutrition council, coordination office, and technical committee joint plans as well as nutrition-specific and sensitive sectors plans.

•   Provide technical support for the development, endorsement, and implementation of MOUs and transition plans for the smooth transition of the regional FSNCO from development partner support to government-financed structures.

•  Coordinate and conduct advocacy for the creation of appropriate regional FSNCO structures and allocation of budget from government treasury for sustaining FNCOs at all levels.

•   Coordinate and lead the preparation of woreda-based costed EFS transformation, FNS, and Seqota Declaration Expansion phase plans.

2) Support food system and nutrition coordination and linkages at all levels

•   Facilitate implementation and dissemination of the rapid assessment of FNCOs status and identify challenges at regional and lower levels for implementation and use of the recommendations.

•   Provide technical support in the establishment of functional Food systems and nutrition councils, coordination offices, and technical committees at regional and lower levels.

•   Provide technical support to sectors to incorporate food system and nutrition interventions into sector strategic and annual plans and SBCC tools and conduct performance measurements.

•   Participate in the implementation of the food system and nutrition-sensitive interventions such as the Productive Safety Net Program, Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture, One WASH, school health and nutrition, food fortification, and other related programs.

•   Provide support for the establishment and functionality of different sector-specific Technical Working Groups and engagements. 

•   Build and strengthen relationships among stakeholders for the effective food system and nutrition plan harmonization and alignment.

•   Build capacity for implementation of food system transformation roadmap, the food and nutrition strategy, and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase roadmap and ensure execution of routine multi-sector nutrition monitoring system, including process monitoring and annual outcome monitoring solutions for the program (multi-sectoral performance monitoring scorecards, UNISE, NIPN).

•   Liaise directly with key stakeholders, woreda and kebele leadership, and sector bureaus who are engaged in or have a mandate for supporting multi-sectoral nutrition monitoring and evaluation activities.

3)  Lead and coordinate Food system and FNS Implementation

•   Support the day-to-day joint planning, implementation, monitoring, learning, and coordination of the regional food system transformation, food and nutrition strategy, and Seqota Declaration interventions.

•   Compile and submit the costed woreda-based plan for regional high-level decision makers’ approval and provide technical support during its implementation.

•   Provide technical support in the planning and implementation of food system and nutrition awareness and orientations events for implementing sectors focal persons, partners, and other stakeholders,

•   Conduct performance analysis and present to the regular food system and nutrition council and technical committees’ meetings and document the minutes.

•   Ensure the regular Food system and Nutrition council and technical committee meetings are documented and shared for next actions.

•   Mentor and build the capacity of personnel responsible for multisectoral coordination and MEL activities within the regional Food system and Nutrition coordination offices; in zones and woredas as well at kebele levels.

•   Facilitate documentation and dissemination of learning.

•   Record the field findings during multi-sectoral food system and nutrition joint supportive supervision and follow-up implementation of the recommendations and action points.

•   Organize and conduct food system and nutrition advocacy and social mobilization events at regional and lower levels.

•   Coordinate and support regional-level EFS food system transformation roadmap Sensitization to relevant stakeholders.

4) Support the regular EFS, FNS, and SD monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and Learning

•  Support the collection, analysis, and reporting of regular Multi-sectoral food system and Nutrition data to enable timely and effective decision-making and planning.

•   Organize and conduct multi-sectoral food system and nutrition joint supportive supervision, performance review meetings, and experience-sharing visits at all levels.

•   Track implementation of program budgets within agreed annual, biannual, quarterly, and monthly plans.

•   Document and expand best practices, lessons, and innovations from FNS, FSNCOs, and SD implementations.

• Collect and analyze all relevant program information and generate the regular report as required.

•   Develop different forms and records to document programme implementations.

•   Ensure technical and financial reporting of the ‘regional food and nutrition implementing sectors are shared with the coordination office on a regular basis.

•   Provide technical assistance in the review of evidence to guide the identification, design, and integration of high-impact (on nutrition outcomes) multi-sectoral activities.

•   Lead development of tools to facilitate data use for decision-making.

•   Serve as the first point of contact for monitoring and evaluation activities for the regional Food System and Nutrition coordination office.

•   Support regional and woreda implementing sectors reporting against Nutrition coordination (Multi-sectoral and Seqota Declaration desk) targets, indicators, milestones, and activities.

•  Perform any other relevant duties as assigned by the regional president Advisor and MOH NCO.

Job Requirement

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Educational Qualifications

•   Master’s level degree in agriculture, food science and nutrition, public health nutrition, applied human nutrition, and related disciplines.

Experience:

•   Proven subject matter expert with broad understanding of the food and nutrition space, including Food Security, Agriculture, Maternal and Child Health and nutrition (MCHN), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Social Protection, Education and Broader Development issues.

•  At least 7 years’ experience in the multi-sectoral food and nutrition multi-sectoral coordination, linkages, monitoring and Evaluation with progressive managerial and coordination responsibilities at regional or national levels.

•  At least 5 years’ experience in analytical and practical work in such areas as (a) working with government institutions, public service or equivalent; and (b) institutional analysis and design, programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation systems and processes, and development programs.

•   Detailed understanding of the National Nutrition program, Food and Nutrition Policy & strategy, Ethiopian food system, the Seqota Declaration roadmap, Nutrition sensitive agriculture strategy and the Government of Ethiopia response to Malnutrition through the life cycles.

•   Quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills desired, data interpretation and translation skills required.

•   Ability to think critically and analytically to draw sound conclusions based on evidence.

•   Proven track record of building and maintaining strategic relationships, influencing complex processes, working in partnership is essential.

•   Strong written and verbal communication skills (in Local language & English).

•  Experience of working in the region in relevant sectors.

•   Strong inter-personal and relationship building skills.

•   Willingness to travel extensively to zones, woredas and community within the region.

•   Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite is a critical requirement.

•   Technical expertise in the development and strengthening of Routine Information Systems, ideally including the district health information system such as the DHIS2 and other sectors information systems.

Key working relationships

Based at the regional vice president office, the Advisor will work with:

•   With regional food system and nutrition president advisor.

•   Regional food system and nutrition council and technical committee members.

•   Food system and Nutrition implementing sectors bureaus.

•   Regional Food system and Nutrition implementing partners.

•   National food system and nutrition implementing sectors ministry staffs.

•   The Nutrition coordination offices of MOH and MOA.

•   National Senior Food system and Nutrition advisor to the MOH.

•   Alive & Thrive national and regional staffs.