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 strengthen multi-sector food and nutrition coordination by 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 regional levels through hiring the regional food system and nutrition president or mayor’s Advisors.

The overarching objective of the recruitment support is to ensure the functionality of the regional food system and nutrition coordination platform and maintain the effective implementation of the food system and food and nutrition strategy at all levels. This position holder is expected to coordinate and lead the implementation of regional food systems and food and nutrition strategies.

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 regional levels through hiring the Regional President advisors.  The overarching objective of the recruitment support is to ensure the provision of high-level leadership for the food system and nutrition planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting at regional and lower levels, to provide leadership support for the food system and nutrition governance, and lead and coordinate food system transformation roadmap, FNS and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase implementation across the food system and nutrition implementing sectors and stakeholders at the regional level.

Essential Job Functions/Roles and Responsibilities:

The Regional President Advisor is responsible for generating and maintaining political support for the food system and nutrition planning, implementation, and monitoring at regional and lower levels. His/her main responsibility will be to ensure the establishment of functional regional food systems & nutrition coordination platforms, particularly the coordination office.

The main responsibilities of the post are:

1) High-Level Leadership for the Food system and nutrition planning, monitoring, and reporting at regional and lower levels

•  Act as a liaison between the regional president/city mayor and regional bureaus, as well as the zonal and woreda administrations, on the food system and nutrition issues that require political and administrative decisions.

•   Ensure effective coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders, as well as effective communication between FS, FNS, and SD implementing sector bureaus, all woredas, zones, development partners, and other stakeholders.

•   Ensure the harmonization/alignment and integration of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions carried out by regional sector bureaus and development partners.

•   Ensure that results are delivered within the agreed-upon time frame and resources, that there is cohesion across all activities, and that the various stakeholders involved work effectively together.

•   Provide comprehensive and integrated support on the overall food system and Nutrition planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

•   Facilitate and support the development of the regional food system and nutrition council, coordination office, and nutrition-specific and sensitive plans.

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

•   Ensure that appropriate food and nutrition structures are created, and that multi-sectoral food and nutrition professionals are assigned at the regional, zonal, woreda, facility, and kebele levels for the implementation of the planned activities.

•  Advocate for the creation of appropriate regional FSNCO government structure and regional government treasury budget allocation for sustaining FSNCOs.

•   Ensure that the regional government allocates the budget for Food and Nutrition and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase costed woreda-based planned activities from the government treasury.

•   Provide coordination support for the incorporation of the food system and nutrition interventions into sector strategic and annual plans and SBCC tools.

•   Organize regional food system and nutrition council and technical committee performance review meetings on an annual, biannual, and quarterly basis.

•   Ensure that the EFS transformation road map, FNS, and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase implementation and progress are regularly monitored and reviewed with stakeholders and that corrective actions are taken as soon as possible at sector bureaus, zonal, woreda, and kebele levels.

•  Support the preparation of woreda-based costed EFS, FNS, and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase annual plan.

•   Work closely with the Regional Multi-sectoral Food System Advisor and Regional Multi-sectoral Nutrition Advisor.

2) Provide Leadership support for the food system and nutrition governance

•   Provide leadership and coordinate with the participating government and development partners at all levels in the operationalization of the rapid assessment of the status of FNCOs and the implementation challenges at regional and lower levels and utilization of the recommendations.  

•   Facilitate the regional president to provide political and administrative leadership and coordination support for the effective implementation of food and nutrition strategies, programs, and guidelines at regional, zonal, woreda, and kebele/community levels.

•  Support the establishment and functionality of the food system and nutrition council and coordination office.

•   Ensure that appropriate procedures and frameworks are in place to support the effective implementation, leveraging, and scaling-up of multi-sectoral food system roadmap, food and nutrition strategy, and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase interventions.

•   Serve as the secretariat for the Regional Food System and Nutrition Council.

•   Ensure the region has an effective multi-sectoral food system and nutrition coordination among FNS implementing sectors.

•  Liaise with key stakeholders, including all implementing sector bureaus.

•   Liaise with non-governmental stakeholders for participation in the implementation of EFS, FNS, and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase.

•   Ensure that all implementing sector bureaus are responsible for the different components are appraised of program progress through regular updates.

•   Facilitate effective ongoing communication and coordination among the regional food system and nutrition council members, sector bureau heads, zones & woredas administrators, development Partners, and other stakeholders.

•  Represent the regional food system and nutrition council at national and across regional meetings.

•   Create a conducive ground for smooth implementation of Food System and Nutrition by identifying and solving bottlenecks and challenges encountered at all levels in the region in consultation with the concerned administrators.

3) Lead and coordinate the Food system transformation roadmap, FNS, and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase Implementation

•   Provide leadership and coordination support for the regional and lower-level food system and nutrition coordination platforms

•   In consultation with the regional president, address problems and challenges encountered during the implementation process that are beyond the capacity of the food system and nutrition council, food system and nutrition coordination office and technical committees.  

•   Provide the day-to-day technical and secretariat support for the regular food system and nutrition council and technical committee meetings 

•   Lead and coordinate the development and implementation of food system and nutrition council, coordination office and technical committees’ plans.

•   Identify capacity gaps and organize high level multi-sectoral food system and nutrition capacity building activities (multi-sectoral coordination, scorecards, nutrition leadership).

•   Coordinate food system and nutrition evidence based advocacy, social and resource mobilizations events at regional and lower levels.

•   Provide leadership to program activities that deepen multi-sectoral coordination.,

•   Supervise the regional food system road map, Food and nutrition strategy and Seqota Declaration Expansion Phase implementation at the regional, zonal, woreda, and kebele/community levels, and provide political and administrative leadership and coordination to ensure effective implementation.

•   Provide leadership in the collection and analysis of evidence, performance management data, and information to enable timely and effective decision-making and planning.

•   Utilize the costed woreda-based plans and resource tracking information for resource mobilization, program budget allocation, transfer, and liquidation in the region.

•   Share best practices and lessons from FNS, FSNCOs, and SD implementations and support local experience-sharing visits.

•   Build and strengthen relationships among governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to ensure that the food system and nutrition are harmonized with sector strategies and programs

•   Create work linkage with the regional food system and nutrition coordination platform with regional universities for evidence-based decision-making.

•   Facilitate and support regional-level EFS Sensitization to relevant stakeholders.

•   Perform any other relevant duties assigned by the Regional President. 

Competencies and critical success factors

Functional Competencies

Technical Expertise:

• knowledge in the areas of food and nutrition, public health nutrition, Agriculture and food sciences and other related fields.

•   Theoretical and practical knowledge of multi-sectoral nutrition coordination and integration within sectoral plans and priorities.

•   Seeing the big picture: Anticipate economic, social, and political developments to keep multi-sectoral nutrition interventions relevant and targeted.

•   Be able to successfully apply data and evidence of the multi-dimensional effects of malnutrition and the importance of adopting a multi-sectoral and integrated development approach to nutrition interventions.

•   Experienced in high-level technical or administrative leadership and demonstrated ability to influence regional, zonal, and woreda-level leadership.

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; and

•   Works in a typical high-level regional government office setting; working conditions include extensive engagement with a wide range of sectors, and development partners and travel to different regions, zones, and sometimes woredas.

Job Requirements

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Educational Qualifications

•   Masters or Ph.D. level degree in a relevant discipline (Health Economics and Management, Business administration, agriculture, food science, and nutrition, public health, public health nutrition, Applied human nutrition, and related disciplines).

Experience:

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

•   At least 10/8 years’ experience in the management of social and/or economic sectors with progressive managerial and coordination responsibilities at regional or national levels.

•   At least 5/4 years of program and personnel management.

•   Thorough understanding of the Ethiopian and regional government’s context and of program management within these contexts.

•   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’s response to Malnutrition through the life cycles.

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

•   Experience working in the region in relevant sectors.

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

•   Strong inter-personal and relationship-building skills.

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

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

Key working relationships

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

•   Regional president

•   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

•   Nutrition Coordination offices at MOH and MOA.

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

•   Alive & Thrive national and regional staffs

How to Apply

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

• FHI360 is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. FHI360 is committed to providing equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran concerning policies, programs, or activities.

• To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume by using THIS LINK

Deadline: December 17, 2023

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

“Women Applicants are Highly Encouraged to Apply.”