Global Health Fellows Program II

Technical Advisor II: Nutrition Advisor

Nutrition Division, Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development

Location: Washington, DC

Assignment: Two year fellowship

GHFP-II-P3-107

The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with Global Health Corps, GlobeMed, Management Systems International and PYXERA Global. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

GHFP-II’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by addressing the Agency’s immediate and emerging human capacity needs. The program seeks to accomplish this goal first through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels. These program participants include fellows, interns, corporate volunteers and Foreign Service National professionals. The program then provides substantial performance management and career development support to participants, including annual working planning assistance, and ensures that professional development opportunities are available.

Looking to the future, GHFP-II also seeks to establish a pool of highly-qualified global health professionals that will ensure the Agency’s ongoing technical leadership and effectiveness. This objective is supported by an extensive outreach program that brings global health opportunities and specialized career advice to a diverse range of interested individuals, with a particular focus on those underrepresented in the field of global health.

BACKGROUND:

The Nutrition Division, located within the Office of Health, Infectious Disease and Nutrition in the Bureau for Global Health (GH), provides global technical leadership to USAID Missions, host governments, partners and stakeholders to improve strategies, policies and programming on nutrition and food security. The Division works with various USAID operating units and partners in the implementation of nutrition and food security programs; including the Feed the Future Presidential Initiative; the Global Health Initiative; Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths; Title II Cooperating Sponsors/Private Voluntary Organizations; the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief partners; and Child Survival and Health Grant Program partners.

INTRODUCTION

The Nutrition Division seeks a Nutrition Advisor who is going to provide broad expertise in public health nutrition toward achieving the overall operational objectives of USAID, specifically in two main areas of application: (a) nutrition assessment, designing, programming, monitoring and evaluation, focusing on specific-nutrition interventions, mainly maternal nutrition and care, breastfeeding, infant and young child feeding, and analysis and interpretation of nutritional indicators including biomarkers; and (b) food security, food and nutrient intake assessment, cross-support with agriculture, food processing and technology, food safety, water and sanitation, and private sector roles in support of nutrition programs  

Under the programmatic direction of the Nutrition Team Leader and the technical guidance of the Senior Nutrition Scientist, the Nutrition Advisor is going to contribute significantly to the implementation of USAID’s strategies, policies, and programming as they relate to nutrition and food security.  The Advisor will be responsible for technical management and guidance to centrally-funded projects, and provide USAID technical leadership to various activities related to the reduction and treatment of acute undernutrition and stunting, prevention of overweight and obesity and non-communicable chronic diseases, nutritional anemias, iodine deficiency disorders, and other micronutrient deficiencies.  S/he will support actions on the Scaling-Up Global Nutrition movement, and the USAID Global Health and Feed the Future initiatives.  The Advisor will contribute to providing the human nutrition support to nutrition and food security projects, humanitarian assistance, and national surveys and research on nutrition and food security. 

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

The primary responsibilities of the Nutrition Advisor include:

• Support to the Nutrition Element Team Leader in overall strategy development toward design and implementation of nutrition interventions and technical nutrition leadership.
• Collaborate with the Senior Nutrition Scientist and the Chief of the Nutrition Division in promoting the advancement and application of human nutrition in programs and projects, and the dissemination and implementation of the USAID-Nutrition Strategy (2014-2025), and the US Government (USG) Global Nutrition Coordination Plan.
• Provide technical advice to centrally managed programs: Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance-3 (FANTA-3) Project; Strengthening Partnerships, Results and Innovations in Nutrition Globally (SPRING); the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); the UNICEF-implemented Universal Salt Iodization (USI); and others as needed.
• Contribute to USAID’s technical input to the Scaling-Up Nutrition movement, and the USAID Feed the Future, Global Health, and Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths.
• Track latest evidence for relevant global activities aimed to improve population nutrition status, such as breastfeeding promotion, infant and young child feeding, preventive supplementation, food fortification, increase of dietary diversity, promotion of healthy eating and life habits, and others.
• Respond to requests for information on nutrition and food security.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation at project, national, and global levels for assessing evolution of the nutritional situation, as well as changes on nutrient intakes, biomarkers, and other biological outcomes.
• Provide strong technical expertise on actual and potential activities related to nutrition research both within the Nutrition Division and across various entities of USAID.
• Provide technical advice to the Global Health Bureau, the Bureau for Food Security, Office of Food for Peace, the Office of HIV/AIDS, and USAID Missions in relation to the integration of nutrition into food security, family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, water and sanitation, and infectious disease programs through field support and core programs.
• Plan, facilitate and deliver important technical presentations at international and domestic meetings, workshops and conferences.
• Prepare and lead the development of communications materials, talking points, briefers, analyses, reports, and participating in meetings and a variety of forums relevant to Nutrition.

Training and Professional Development

• Keep abreast of literature and latest developments related to nutrition programming.
• Deepen knowledge of latest developments related to USG nutrition policy and frameworks, especially as they relate to interagency collaboration.
• Participate in interagency working groups and professional meetings, as appropriate to SOW.
• Participate in professional continuing education and skills training within the purview of GHFP-II.  

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree or higher in nutrition, public health, food science, health science or related disciplines.
• Minimum five (5) years’ experience working in nutrition and food security issues and programs with at least two (2) years’ experience in an international or resource challenged setting.
• Extensive experience working in nutrition and/or food science issues associated to health, food security, monitoring and evaluation, and development settings preferred.
• Experience working with host country governments, cooperating agencies, international organizations, or private voluntary organizations preferred.
• Strong interpersonal communication, public speaking and writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse teams.
• Demonstrated adaptability and flexibility as policies, programs and priorities evolve.
• High degree of professional judgment, ingenuity and originality to interpret and provide input into the development of strategy, to analyze, develop and present work and to monitor and evaluate programs.
• Ability to travel internationally.
• Fluency in a foreign language preferred.
• US Citizenship or US Permanent Residency required.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

Salary based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs.

TO APPLY:

All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP-II’s online recruitment system at https://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application All applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on  April 22, 2014.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Employer.