Nutrition Specialist at Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Limited (SCANL)

Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Limited (SCANL) is a leading management consulting firm focused on the agricultural and nutrition sectors in Africa. We partner with government agencies, private sector companies and leading international development organizations to conduct research, analyze policies, develop strategies and implement programs that promote sustainable food security and improved nutrition. We have worked on a variety of projects across West Africa, including in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal.

We are currently recruiting for a program focused on developing the local Nigerian dairy sector:

Job Title: Nutrition Specialist

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Type: Full Time
Reports to: Chief of Party (CoP)
Travel: Limited travel across project States in Nigeria

About the Program

• Sahel, in collaboration with other partners, seeks to catalyze the local dairy sector in Nigeria in an inclusive way through a program that will improve the livelihoods, productivity, nutrition, and empowerment of smallholder female dairy farmers and the communities in which they live.

The program will span 5 years and will:

• Advocate for an enabling environment for local sourcing through engagements with the government and relevant private sector stakeholders.
• Increase demand for locally sourced milk through partnerships with dairy processors currently or interested in sourcing locally.
• Improve smallholder dairy farmers’ productivity by increasing their access to technical support services and appropriate inputs.
• Empower women dairy farmers and enable them to improve their livelihoods and that of their households.
• Improve nutrition outcomes among smallholder dairy households through innovations in food systems.

Role Summary

• The role of the Nutrition Specialist would involve serving as the project’s technical advisor on nutrition activities, as well as managing and leading the execution of a holistic nutrition study that will assess the nutrition situation in smallholder farming communities in Northern and Southern Nigeria
• He/she will be required to manage sub-grantees recruited to support the nutrition study which will comprise of a baseline assessment incorporating anthropocentric and related health indications to assess malnutrition levels; an in-depth assessment of food basket and consumption patterns among smallholder farming communities to uncover dependencies or causalities influencing the malnutrition situation; testing and investigation of approaches to address malnutrition and influence improved nutrition outcomes and the organization of a stakeholders meeting to obtain buy-in from stakeholders in the government, private and development sectors on the proposed approachesThese program activities will be undertaken with dairy products as a central theme
• The nutrition specialist will also work closely with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure services are provided to smallholder dairy farmers while working with stakeholders at the federal and state ministries of agriculture as well as development agencies involved in the program to design and implement sensitive approaches for enhancing the livelihood of smallholder dairy farmers improving their nutrition.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities
Sub-Grantee Management - Nutrition Study:

• In coordination with the ALDDN’s Project Management Office (PMO), partner dairy processors, the Nutrition Specialist and the sub-grantee for the nutrition study, the Nutrition Specialist will plan, design and lead the execution of the nutrition study in smallholder farming communities in Northern and Southern Nigeria.
• Oversee the development of harmonized methodologies, approaches and instruments for conducting the Nutrition Study.
• In coordination with the National Team Lead, oversee the organization of two stakeholder meetings to share the results of the nutrition study and obtain buy-in for proposed nutrition interventions
• Oversee the development of regular progress reports on the nutrition studies for the PMO and project funder use.
• Oversee the development of interim and final project reports from the nutrition studies for onward submission to stakeholders in the public, private and development sectors.
• Assist the National Team Lead in the selection, contracting and remuneration of sub-grantees working on the nutrition study in accordance with donor guidelines.
• Oversee the development of regular progress reports on the gender studies for the PMO and project funder use.
• Assist the Chief of Party in the selection, contracting and remuneration of sub-grantees working on the nutrition study in accordance with donor guidelines.
• Assist the Chief of Party in supporting the implementation of other project activities, including the women empowerment component of the program

Documentation, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:

• Assist the National Team Lead and Project Coordinators to develop project strategies, project plans technical capacity building interventions, activities and policies related to implementing the gender and nutrition components of the NDDP.
• Participate in regular field visits to project sites (up to 50% of the time) to ensure high quality project performance and monitor and track progress against project timelines
• Support the National Team Lead, M&E team and other sub-grantees on the collection and reporting of program results especially with regards to the baseline studies and any nutrition-related interventions.
• Support the National Team Lead in monitoring progress and evaluation of project activities including financial performances.
• Assist the National Team Lead in preparation of progress reports (quarterly, annual, final) and respond to the queries related to the nutrition components of the project.
• Coordinate with federal, state and local governments, communities, project beneficiaries, private sector service providers and suppliers, consultants, and other stakeholders at project level for effective delivery of project activities.
• Assist the National Team Lead to maintain good relations with project beneficiaries, partner organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee the preparation of the results of the nutrition studies in compelling formats for eventual publication on selected platforms.
• Participate in public forums to share and communicate the results of the study to public, private and development sector stakeholders around the dynamics influencing the success of dairy development , nutrition interventions targeted at West Africa.
• Work with the National Team Lead to develop proposed nutrition interventions and a framework for the implementation of those interventionsRelationship Management
• Develop and maintain relations with a wide variety of stakeholders working on malnutrition, agriculture-nutrition, food security issues to ensure coordination of activities, support best practices, and build partnerships.
• Represent the Project on technical working groups focused on nutrition issues including initiatives such as the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) working group.
• Build relationships and partnerships with a wide range of Government officials including ministerial directors at the national level, state and local levels, and representatives from multiple ministries at the management, technical and administrative levels.
• Build relationships and partnerships with potential implementing partners as necessary, including meetings at a senior level with key NGO implementing personnel to discuss issues related to the effective implementation and support for potential interventions

Minimum Qualification and Requirements
Candidates should have:

• Master's degree in Nutrition Studies, Development Studies or any related field, or a relative discipline with at least two years of work experience in a similar capacity in Nigeria or West Africa, or·        
• Bachelor’s in Nutrition or a Social Science course with at least five years of work experience in women’s nutrition issues, with skills and abilities working with women in Nigeria or West Africa.
• Knowledge of international and local stakeholders in Nigeria in the agriculture, health, food aid and nutrition sectors.
• Ability to be flexible, respond professionally, and establish priorities in often fluid, changing, and challenging situations with little clear guidance is necessary
• Ability to work calmly, tactfully, and effectively under pressure and to demonstrate extreme flexibility in managing more than one activity.
• High evaluation, data collection, analytical and report writing skills   
• Willingness and enthusiasm for working with rural and vulnerable communities living in remote areas of the country.
• Ability to interact directly and independently with senior management of technical partners and senior government officials    
• Understanding of the social and cultural contexts that underpin Fulani and smallholder farming communities in Nigeria.·        
• Proficiency in the English language (required) and Yoruba, Hausa and Fulfulde (preferred).

Application Closing Date
Open until filled.