The Senior RMNCH Technical Advisor for francophone ECOWAS will provide technical MIYCN leadership and support to implement Alive &Thrive’s (A&T) activities through existing stakeholder initiatives in four to six countries, and strengthen organizational and technical leadership for MIYCN in regional organizations. S/he will work in close collaboration with the Program Director and Deputy Director, A&T ECOWAS regional director in Dakar and the Burkina Faso national program director in Ouagadougou, as the principal technical advisor for A&T in the region.

S/he will be responsible for providing strategic high-level RMNCH and MIYCN technical assistance to national ministries, donors and implementing partners to advance implementation of maternal nutrition interventions through ANC services, improvement in breastfeeding practices through essential newborn care and immunization linked strategies, and to improve complementary feeding practices through IMNCI and CCM strategies. These are expected to improve maternal and child health and nutrition outcomes in francophone West Africa. Areas of technical assistance include advising on the development and implementation of nutrition components of national RMNCH policies and programs, building the capacity of implementing partners on MIYCN service delivery, advising on the effective design and use of MIYCN social and behavior change (SBC) approaches, and delivering RMNCH and MIYCN technical support to governments, donors, technical collaborators, and implementing partners.

In coordination with the A&T Africa Program Director and Deputy Director, and the two regionally based directors, the Senior RMNCH Regional Advisor, ECOWAS will also provide project representation and technical expertise at high-level meetings.

This position is to be located in Dakar, Senegal. It could possibly be located in Ouagadougou , Burkina Faso.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategic Planning:

Support the Regional Director, and Country Director in Burkina Faso in developing A&T’s strategy in francophone West Africa;
In collaboration with the A&T Project Directors, provide high-level MIYCN technical assistance to national- and state-level RMNCH programs of government and implementing partners to accelerate coverage of evidence-based MIYCN interventions;
Contribute to the development of annual work plans, planning documents, reports, and program impact pathways; and ensure their alignment with the project’s strategy and priorities; and
In collaboration with the A&T Program Directors of Burkina Faso and ECOWAS, ensure that A&T is well-positioned as a nutrition thought leader for RMNCH policies and programs in francophone W. Africa.

Technical Leadership:

Coach and build the capacity of A&T team members and their collaborators at the regional and country levels on RMNCH and MIYCN technical issues
Ensure that A&T provides high quality and timely RMNCH and MIYCN technical assistance to national- and regional stakeholders including government and implementing partners;
Ensure technical activities are evidence-based, aligned with global best practices; and consistent with A&T’s priorities and areas of expertise;
Represent and position A&T as a nutrition thought leader for RMNCH programs at regional, national, and international meetings;
Develop and/or contribute written technical expertise to thought leadership pieces, concept notes, program plans, tools, materials, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, and SBC approaches, messages, materials, and tools;
Ensure that country-level learning rises to inform regional dialogue on RMNCH and MIYCN and foster cross-country dialogue
Implementation:

Develop and/or support the development of A&T relationships with regional and national donors and government and non-government partners;
Assist in the scoping and delivery of technical assistance to governments and partners;
Provide technical input, leadership, and coordination for the design and implementation of all program components, particularly but not solely in A&T’s four key components: policy advocacy, SBC, and strategic use of data;
Oversee the use of data on evidence, program design, program monitoring and advocacy/policy, in the delivery of high quality MIYCN services, and evaluation of innovations in the region;
Facilitate and maintain close communication and coordination with the A&T staff at HQ, and in the regionally based offices, and consultants;
Ensure effective use of A&T policies and procedures regarding program design, procurement and communication, in consultation with A&T HQ.
Other duties as assigned.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with a job.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Medical degree or DrPh, or PhD in health sciences preferred or Master’s degree in one of the following or related fields: Medicine, Public Health, Human Nutrition, International Health, Behavior Change Communications or Behavioral Science.
Bachelor’s Degree or its International Equivalent Required.
Experience:

Typically requires 10+ years of experience in a specialized technical/medical field of study.
Prefer 15 years of relevant experience required with at least 7 years in a senior technical leadership role providing technical input to a large scale international nutrition or public health project in a developing country (preferably francophone West Africa).
Expert knowledge of MIYCN, infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition global recommendations, programs and policies
Extensive knowledge of nutrition indicators, especially MIYCN data collection, analysis, and reporting
Extensive field experience in designing, implementing, monitoring and reporting on technical assistance and capacity building in more than one component of a public health nutrition program (e.g., advocacy, training, use of data, SBC)
Oversight and/or design or large-scale program implementation and/or operations research of community activities
Significant track record of publications in peer reviewed journals
Recognition for thought leadership contribution in the area of MYICN and/or RMNCH
Skills:

Ability to work independently, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities while communicating, connecting, and collaborating with HQ and field office staff, subcontractors, and a broad coalition of international agencies, government and NGO partners
Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills
Outstanding organizational skills
Excellent problem-solving skills
Excellent writing, editorial, and communication skills, including strong oral presentation skills
Fluency in English required
Travel:

Travel outside of duty station at least 40-50% time. Possible travel to US.
This job description summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.
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