Job Title: Nutrition Technical Advisor

Sector: Health

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: New York, NY HQ USA ; London, UK

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary  

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. The IRC’s vision is that the impact of our programs and the influence of our ideas empowers those caught in crisis to make lasting change in their lives. The IRC is committed to addressing the world’s worst humanitarian crises through gender sensitive, evidence-based, outcome-driven interventions that bring real change to the lives of our clients.

To support achievement of this vision, the IRC’s Technical Excellence (TE) unit provides technical assistance to IRC’s country program staff and shares what we learn to influence policy and practice. The TE unit supports technical excellence through the following ways:

1)    Guide program design to achieve outcomes by incorporating the best available evidence

2)    Build technical capacity of country program staff to implement, measure and continuously improve programs

3)    Influence the IRC, peer agencies and donors to use proven interventions and generate new evidence to achieve change in peoples’ lives

The TE Unit is comprised of five technical Units, all of which have deep expertise in their respective sectors: Education, Economic Wellbeing, Governance, Health, Violence Prevention and Response, while cross-cutting work happens with the Gender Equality Unit and the Research & Innovation Unit.

The Health Technical Unit (HU) is organized in three sectors: Health (primary healthcare including sexual and reproductive health, child health, non-communicable diseases, mental health & Psycho-Social Support), environmental health and nutrition. The focus of nutrition at the IRC is to address all forms of undernutrition and strengthen expertise in evidence-based interventions. We also research simplified acute malnutrition treatment approaches and advocate for change to accelerate scale-up of wasting treatment. In 2021, the nutrition team supported programming in 6 regions and 24 countries.

Overview of role

The Nutrition Technical Advisor (TA) is responsible for ensuring high quality nutrition technical support for country programs across the Great Lakes (DRC and CAR), Latin America (Venezuela and Columbia) and back-stop in other countries as needed. The Nutrition TA will support delivery on pivotal initiatives in nutrition and serve as the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in nutrition focal point. Key areas of work will include business development, delivery of the IMPACT standards, development of technical resources in nutrition, roll-out of the nutrition outcomes and evidence framework, development of nutrition strategies, conducting assessments, M&E nutrition support and leading strategic priorities to advance the IRC’s expertise and influence on programming to address undernutrition. They will work closely with Nutrition TAs in other regions, the Nutrition Senior Technical Advisor (STA), other Health Unit/TE unit TAs, advocacy, research, country and regional teams. This role will require a good global overview of up-to-date evidence in nutrition, IRC’s nutrition programming around the world and will involve donor engagement, business development and strategic engagement.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategy 100 – scaling up wasting treatment:

-          Support the design of country strategies and business development to scale up and expand wasting treatment within the health system

-          Provide technical assistance to country programs on CMAM SURGE, health systems strengthening, health and community assessments, simplified approaches and M&E

Strategic priorities to advance expertise and evidence-based programming to address undernutrition:

-          Provide leadership and project management to produce key nutrition deliverables to build capacity and programming

-          Develop tools and provide technical support to roll-out IRC’s quality control IMPACT standards: Informed - We use evidence and learning to inform outcome-driven programming. Measure - We measure and use data to drive decisions. Partner - We partner as equals for sustained quality and scale. Adapt - We adapt to changes in context and needs. Client-centered - We engage clients to shape programs. Transformative - We deliver inclusive programs and transform gender and other systemic inequalities.

-          Lead and support business development of HU-led grants, coordinating development, developing the strategy and writing the technical narrative and budgets in coordination with country programs

-          Support the development of operational toolkits and trainings on what works in nutrition in humanitarian contexts

Ensure high-quality M&E in nutrition:

-          Support assessing nutrition outcomes and effectiveness across the IRC (e.g. cost-efficiency assessments, coverage surveys, M&E deep dives, etc)

-          Serve as the M&E focal point in nutrition for the Health and Measurement units supporting organizational strategic priorities on measurement (e.g. annual statistics, core indicators in nutrition) working closely with the HU M&E team and the Measurement unit

-          Develop M&E guidance to support the delivery of the OEF and the core indicators in nutrition

-          Support the piloting and learning of a high-quality nutrition M&E standard database to improve the quality of M&E across the IRC

-          Develop tools and guidance to conduct nutrition assessments to drive appropriate programming

Deliver effective technical assistance of essential functions:

Engaging in business development:

-          Support country program staff to design programs and proposals, provide technical review of proposals and budgets

-          Ensure that programming is aligned with the nutrition outcomes and evidence framework and informed by IMPACT standards

-          Support the selection of indicators in line with the nutrition core indicator list and support the development of the M&E framework

-          Engage with donors and do outreach in support of country programs

-          Capture learning, capacity and performance of nutrition programming across relevant regions

Building technical capacity of country program staff to ensure ongoing program quality and innovation:

·         Conduct technical training and ongoing technical coaching for country program staff, including on IRC outcomes, theories of change, evidence, assessments and indicators

·         Share cross-context learning with country program staff across the region

·         Support senior country program staff recruitment and onboarding

Project delivery support:

·         Work with country program colleagues to help analyze data that inform periodic review and course correction as-needed

·         Review and share program-specific tools / resources / curricula and work with Technical Unit specialists to contextualize and adapt global and country-specific materials

Management and Coordination:

·         Coordinate and plan with country coordinators and health technical unit sector advisors the technical assistance country programs require

·         Participate in coordination efforts within the health unit and with other technical units

·         Provide vital management support to any direct report

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to: the Senior Technical Advisor for Nutrition located in New York

Position directly supervises:  This position could potentially supervise interns or fellows.

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal:   Regular communication with the HU M&E team, the Measurement unit, the nutrition, health, education, economic recovery & development, governance, research and innovation, advocacy, violence prevention response and gender equality teams. Close relationships with regional and country program teams including regional measurement action coordinators (RMACs). Interacts with IRC internal departments, including business development, external relations, communications and advocacy, to keep them informed of program activities.

External:  Serve as an IRC program representative in outside regional meetings and global meetings and academic forums with donors, other non-governmental organizations, inter-agency groups and foundations as agreed by the supervisor.

Requirements

-          A Master’s/post-graduate degree in Public Health Nutrition or equivalent

-          A minimum of 5 years of work experience in nutrition in humanitarian contexts in Africa, of which at least 3 have been in managerial/coordination positions with Non-Governmental Organizations in humanitarian or post-conflict settings in nutrition

-          An authority in the field of nutrition programming in humanitarian settings. Must be able to provide technical advice on the treatment of wasting, evidence-based programs to address undernutrition, nutrition assessments and M&E

-          Demonstrated expertise in working with donors, project design, proposal development, and monitoring and evaluation, with the ability to turn concepts and strategy into measurable action.

-          Must be able to write a strong proposal and budget with effective writing skills

-          Must work respectfully with multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams maintaining a positive work environment and communication

-          Strong interpersonal verbal and written communication skills and ability to facilitate collaboration

-          Thinks strategically, ability to build consensus, influence and problem-solve

-          Outstanding capacity to understand the country context in West Africa, the portfolio, and overall programmatic needs, and pull and coordinate the relevant technical assistance from within and outside the health unit.

-          Ability to transfer technical knowledge and skills to a diverse audience and in writing. Demonstrated commitment to renewing and maintaining currency with best practices. 

Language Skills: Fluency in English and French is required. Proficiency in Spanish is preferable. The role requires work in all three languages and candidates must be able to speak, read and write in at least English and French with ease. Candidates who do not speak English and French proficiently will not be considered.

Working Environment

·         Standard office work environment (with remote work an option during high COVID-19 transmission)

·         Up to 40% travel may be required. Must be willing to travel to IRC country offices and field sites, sometimes in very difficult conditions

·         Job available in these locations: London, New York or Washington, D.C. Candidate must have the right to work in the location they apply for

COVID-19: All IRC staff travelling must adhere to the IRC’s core COVID-19 measures, as well as guidance outlined within the IRC’s guidance on mitigating COVID-19 travel related risks. Adherence to these measures is intended to reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure whilst travelling, as well as limit the likelihood and impact of transmitting COVID-19 infection during travel and whilst in-country.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, le Service, l’Égalité, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles. 

Interested candidates should apply here