Lead Technical Specialist Nutrition (P5), IFAD, Rome
Job Vacancy available @ https://www.ifad.org/en/careers
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at local, national and international levels for policies that contribute to rural transformation.
ECG is composed of two clusters: (i) Environment and Climate Change Cluster; (ii) and the Social Inclusion Cluster. ECG takes the lead in integrating cross-cutting themes of environment and climate, nutrition, gender, youth, and indigenous peoples into IFAD's portfolio, with the aim of strengthening the quality and impact of IFAD’s operations. ECG also contributes to the generation of evidence and knowledge on these themes, and facilitates their use in IFAD-funded projects and activities. In addition, ECG provides guidance and support to ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups, particularly women, indigenous peoples and rural youth, into IFAD operations. Addressing environmental, biodiversity and climate change issues are inseparable from IFAD’s mission to overcome poverty.
The Lead Technical Specialist (Nutrition) reports to the Director, Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion.
Job Role
The Lead Technical Specialist technically supports country/regional programmes as well as the corporate agenda by providing state-of-the-art technical advice throughout the project cycle (strategic and operational) on issues related to Nutrition and other Social Inclusion themes. Within her/his areas of responsibility, the Lead Technical Specialist, exercises a high degree of independence in providing reliable programme delivery and strategic advice to the ECG Director. The incumbent at this level performs the full complexity range of work independently, including analysis and approval of complex and/or precedent-setting cases, with the aim of ensuring cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support.
Position specific: The Lead Technical Specialist (Nutrition) aims to strengthen the quality and enhance the impact of IFAD's portfolio of country programme investments (comprising loans, grants and associated activities) in terms of technical, institutional and policy aspects at all stages of the project cycle and during country strategy development with respect to nutrition in agriculture, food systems, and rural development. The incumbent will (i) provide operationally relevant state-of-the-art technical advice on nutrition during all stages of the project cycle (identification, conceptualization, preparation, project design and implementation), including support for Results-based Country Strategic Opportunities Papers, project design and the Quality Enhancement (QE) process, and project supervision and implementation; (ii) lead preparation of knowledge products and coordinate knowledge sharing and learning processes in an effective and systematic way, strengthen partnerships and support capacity building on nutrition, agriculture, food systems and rural development within IFAD (staff and consultants), with IFAD partners, and with the interested public; and (iii) ensure effective policy engagement and advocacy through projects as well as various global and regional initiatives, networks, and partnerships in order to keep IFAD abreast of recent developments and trends, position IFAD effectively in the global arena, and enhance IFAD's profile as a competent and viable partner.
The Lead Technical Specialist (Nutrition) manages Officers (NOCs) and consultants for advancing the Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Rural Development agenda at regional, country and project levels. She/he works closely with the respective front office teams of ECG and the Regional Division, Country Directors (CD), Heads of Multi-Country Offices (MCOs), NOCs, ECG technical specialists, PMI technical specialists, and other staff to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical guidance Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP), and programme development support. She/he maybe called upon to undertake the role of Cluster Technical Lead (Social Inclusion Cluster) which includes providing input to budget requests for the cluster, managing the expenditures against allocations and ensuring the work programme of the cluster is adequately budgeted and executed.