West Africa Regional Coordinator, SUN Business Network at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is driven by the vision of a world without malnutrition. GAIN was launched at the UN in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. GAIN is a global, Swiss-based foundation that mobilises public-private partnerships and provides financial and technical support to deliver nutritious foods to those people most at risk of malnutrition.

The organization is delivering improved nutrition to an estimated 1 billion people in more than 30 countries, half of whom are women and children. Our programs in Africa and Asia enable better diets through working with national and multinational businesses, governments and civil society to promote fortified staple foods and to improve the quality of food along agricultural value chains. By building multi-stakeholder alliances that deliver impact at scale, we believe malnutrition can be eliminated within our lifetimes.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: West Africa Regional Coordinator, SUN Business Network

Location: West Africa

SUN and the SUN Business Network
Since 2010, the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement has inspired a new way of working collaboratively to end malnutrition, in all its forms. With the governments of 57 SUN Countries in the lead, SUN unites civil society, the United Nations, donors, businesses and researchers-in a collective effort to improve nutrition. The SUN Business Network (SBN) was established in 2013 to mobilise business at a global and national level, in SUN Countries, to support the SUN Movement.

The SBN has recruited over 300 companies to join the network, and supports over 20 SUN Countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to build awareness of the importance of nutrition in the business community. National SBNs work with national business to advance nutrition through improved work force practices or the provision of nutritious goods and services. The SBN is convened at global level by GAIN and the UN World Food Programme (WFP). An Advisory Group of global business leaders provides guidance to the network, which operates a small SBN global team from GAIN’s offices in London, UK.

The SUN Business Network (SBN) is creating a Regional Coordinator role in Africa to support existing networks in the region, and support the development of new national SBNs in more African SUN Countries, particularly in West Africa. This role will support the network in developing the tools available to SUN Countries to engage business in nutrition through its SBN Country Toolkit.
This role is fully-funded until 31st October 2017, and the tasks below are related to this deadline. Further funding is likely beyond this date.
       
Overall Purpose

• The Regional Coordinator will help existing African national SBNs increase their business reach and impact by increasing the number of business members and number of members taking forward components of national SBN action plans.
• The Regional Coordinator will also support 3 SUN Countries in West Africa to develop national SBNs.
• This will be achieved through the provision of guidance to SUN Countries, and where relevant, to national SBN coordinators.
• The regional coordinator will ensure the sharing of good practice amongst national SBNs at a regional level and also ensure that tools within the SBN’s Country toolkit are fully utilized to strengthen existing and develop new SBNs.
• Further, they will ensure that updated business nutrition indicators are shared and the performance management framework applied.       

Tasks & Responsibilities
Specifically the Regional SBN Coordinator will:

• Support 3 SUN countries in West Africa to develop new national SBNs, through advocacy, stakeholder engagement and the identification of fundraising opportunities, as well as through the engagement of WFP regional offices
• Establish a regional SBN support and coordination mechanism for national SBNs in Africa. To include a mechanism for sharing and applying the SBN SUN Country toolkit and lessons learned.
• Provide guidance to existing African SBNs in development and strengthening of networks in the two countries
• Ensure the SBN Country toolkit of guidance and best practice tools are made available to African SUN countries, WFP regional offices and other appropriate organisations, and utilised appropriately through guides, workshops, country visits or 1:1 calls
• Ensure business nutrition indicators and performance management framework are shared with all national SBNs through guides and workshops, and applied by at least two SBNs in Africa
• Identify issues/areas within relevant government strategy documents and action plans where the private sector could play an instrumental delivery role, through their core business operations
• Manage a small fund for regional activities that could include regional events or studies

Key Organizational Relationships:

• Reports into SBN Senior Manager (London-based), and will work closely with the SBN global team
• This role will directly support SBN National Coordinators in Africa and also SUN Partners in Countries developing national SBNs

Job Requirements       
Skills and Attributes:

• Strong project management skills, including budget management
• Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Self-starter and good team player; Strong internal and external collaboration, diplomacy, representation and negotiation skills
• Highly motivated and capable of delivering high value under tight timelines
• Partnership building/brokering
• Analytical/strategy oriented
• Drive, rigor, lateral thinking and problem solution oriented
• Existing network of private sector partners in the region
• Ability to adapt and work within a multicultural, multilingual and multidisciplinary environment
• Advanced Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint skills

Core Competencies:

• Project Management
• Initiative
• Teamwork/Collaboration/Negotiation
• Knowledge Sharing

Experience:

• At least 10 years’ experience working in Africa, either in a private company or in a multi-stakeholder development partnership involving business
• Strong experience in project management, business strategy, business processes, business development, communications, marketing and / or management
• Excellent relationship management experience, and familiar with managing a wide platform of stakeholders
• Understanding of the role of business in contributing to Sustainable Development Goals

Education:

• Qualified to Bachelors or Masters degree level in Business/Management/Development studies or other social sciences, or equivalent experience

Other Requirements

• Business English and French, written and verbal is essential
• Willingness and ability to travel globally

Application Closing Date
9th December, 2016.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online