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 system 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 food system transformation  Advisor.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Regional Food systems Advisor will be based in the regional president office to work under the guidance of the regional president advisor for food system & nutrition will be responsible for the food system agenda. He/she  will have functional responsibility to National Senior Food system and agriculture advisor, Alive & Thrive Ethiopia based at the MOA, Addis Ababa. In a harmonized manner with the region's action plans, the Regional Food systems Advisor will also work closely with the regional multi-sector nutrition Advisor based in the regional president office and other food systems implementing partners to ensure the regional multi-sectoral EFS and nutrition coordination.

The Regional Food systems Advisor will provide hands-on technical support and coaching to the members of the food and nutrition directorates/offices, food and nutrition focal persons of the NSA and relevant actors and stakeholders of EFS in the region to effectively plan, budget for, and implement food systems. The regional food system Advisor will help the region to identify low-performing directorates in the regional agriculture bureau and other relevant bureaus and provide them with the on-the-job technical support they need to strengthen the food system in their bureaus. This could include strengthening their competencies, support systems or work environment. The regional-food system Advisor will be working very closely with the regional president advisor and  the multi-sector nutrition advisor.  

Essential Job Functions/Roles and Responsibilities:

1. Support in assessments and planning

• Support mainly the regional food system-relevant entities to develop food system action plans that are tailored to the findings of the comprehensive capacity assessment done for each region

•   Ensure that developed action plans are clearly monitored and followed up to identify progress against a set target

2. Support in capacity building and institutional development

•   Based on the regional annual action plans, build the capacity of the staff in the region to ensure that the region have budgeted for food systems-related activities in their decentralized annual work plans

•  Support strengthening of nutrition structure in the bureau of agriculture through advocating for the placement of food science professionals and nutritionists and support enhancing their competencies on the agri-food system through coaching, on-the-job training, mentoring of junior staff, and ensuring access to relevant information and other online help

• Support various directorates in the relevant bureaus to implement effective food systems in general and agrifood systems in particular programs that are aligned with and promote operationalizing the food systems roadmap in context-specific interventions for increased productivity and access to diverse, safe nutrient-dense foods, and their consumption among women and children by maintaining the environmental health and social inclusion

•  Harmonized with the bureau’s plans, organize field visits and exchanges in the regions to facilitate cross-sectoral planning and learning around the implementation of agri-food activities

3. Support in the strategic use of data

•   Support the relevant bureaus’ work in the adaptation of the -food systems monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework

•   Support in refining the M&E framework of the food systems roadmap and enhancing the functionality of regional data platforms

•   Build the capacity of the nutrition structure in monitoring agri-food systems interventions using program impact pathways that link agriculture to food security and nutrition as well as poverty reduction

4.  Support the regional FSN council establishment

•   Works closely with the regional president’s office, regional health bureau, and other FNS sectors in the regional multi-sector coordination.

•   Supports the transition of partner-supported coordination to the government-budgeted structure.

Competencies:

Technical Expertise:

• Specialist knowledge in the areas of agri-food systems and program management

• Theoretical and practical knowledge of healthy diets within the food system roadmap and FNS

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Shares knowledge and experience

• Ability to provide top-quality expertise on food systems

• In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management, and reporting

• Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, and propose new approaches, which expand the range of programs

• Ability to work with minimal supervision

• Negotiation skills: the capacity to work with diverse partners including local Government, development partners, and civil society

 Competencies:

Technical Expertise:

• Specialist knowledge in the areas of agri-food systems and program management

• Theoretical and practical knowledge of healthy diets within the food system roadmap and FNS

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Shares knowledge and experience

• Ability to provide top-quality expertise on food systems

• In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management, and reporting

• Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, and propose new approaches, which expand the range of programs

• Ability to work with minimal supervision

• Negotiation skills: the capacity to work with diverse partners including local Government, development partners, and civil society

Job Requirements

• Education:

  • Master’s Degree or above in Food (science, technology, engineering), Agricultural Sciences (Plant Sciences, Animal sciences), Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, Livelihoods, or a closely related discipline.

  Experience:

  • At least 7 years of relevant technical and managerial experience working in the field of food and agriculture systems and/or livelihoods.

  • Experience working with the government, especially with BOA is highly required.

  •        Experience working under the National Nutrition Program framework; ability to work well with different leaders of the food and agriculture system, and at the community level.

  •        Experience in program planning and management with an emphasis on managing for results.

  •          Demonstrated ability in organizing supportive supervision and review meetings with government stakeholders and partners.

  •         Proven experience in monitoring and reporting on activities.

  Skills:

  •  Strong initiative and self-motivation

  •         Ability to work effectively in a team consisting of people with different technical backgrounds and with varying levels of technical training

  •        Ability to assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities

  •        Demonstrated supervisory, interpersonal, and networking skills, including the ability to facilitate relationships and partnerships

  •         Evidence of critical thinking and problem-solving skills to plan, organize, and manage resources for the successful completion of projects

  •         Good knowledge of agricultural policy and strategies

  •         Strong organizational skills

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

  •        Experience of working in the region in relevant sectors.

  •         Excellent writing, and communication skills in English, including strong presentation skills to report results to regional stakeholders

  Key working relationships:

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

  •         Regional food system and nutrition president advisor

  •         Regional multisector food system and nutrition 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 Food and Nutrition office of MOA.

  •          National Senior Food system and agriculture advisor to the MOA

  •          National Senior Food system and Nutrition advisor to the MOH

  •          Alive & Thrive national and regional staff.

How to Apply

Register using the following LINK

Note: Women Applicants are Highly Encouraged to Apply.