Nutrition Advisor for Policy, Advocacy, and Communication

Mogadishu

Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
Location: Mogadishu
Grade: Senior level - Senior
Occupational Groups:
- Legal - Broad
- Political Affairs
- Communication and Public Information
- Nutrition
Closing Date: Closed

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. IRC works in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities to help restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The International Rescue Committee has been working in Somalia since 2006, providing essential services to conflict and disaster affected communities. The IRC is operational in Benadir, Southwest, Galmudug and Puntland regions implementing interventions in the areas of Economic Recovery and Development, WASH, Women Protection and Environment, Governance, and Health and Nutrition.

IRC Somalia is seeking the Nutrition Policy Technical coordinator to be based in Mogadishu, Somalia. The ideal candidate must have excellent coordination, advocacy and communication, networking, innovation skills. He/she must be able to work effectively with IRC program teams and other departments, and a variety of stakeholder including both federal and state government including ministry of health, UN agencies, Implementing partners, Academia, other multisectoral forums like the SUN movement and the like

Scope of Work and Objectives

Based in the Country Office (Mogadishu), the Nutrition advisor for policy, advocacy and networking/communication will lead IRC’s policy, advocacy, and communications work to create systemic change in nutrition policy in country. Globally, about 52 million children currently suffer from acute malnutrition, with the global food crisis and climate change threatening to increase cases imminently. Closing the treatment gap is a significant opportunity to reduce child mortality in the country.

We have an opportunity to improve child mortality and wellbeing by scaling wasting treatment to close the 80% coverage gap. IRC seeks to support the policy, planning, and implementation for scaling treatment. The Nutrition Policy Technical Advisor consultant will jumpstart the implementation of this initiative at the national level by laying the groundwork for an emerging partnership on scaling treatment.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Map and analyze the national nutrition policy landscape.

o Working with the IRC health and nutrition sector to conduct a political economy/landscape analysis of national and subnational level nutrition policies, stakeholders, influencers, and decision makers with a focus on wasting treatment.

2. Develop and begin implementing a targeted IRC strategy to advance practice and policy shifts to scale wasting treatment including through simplified approaches at national and subnational level.

o Frame key context specific asks based on the landscape analysis

o Identify targets and key stakeholders for advancing policy recommendations.

o Identify working groups and other key fora that IRC join.

3. Identify and assemble the information, tools, and products to support advocacy. Proactively and actively support MOH with strategic, technical, and coordination assistance, serving as a thought partner in strengthening national nutrition policies.

o Actively participate in technical working groups, task forces, and forums established by the MoH and take on leadership responsibilities as requested.

o Work with the SUN, and other nutrition-focused civil society organizations to advance the national scaling efforts.

o Assist and build the capacity of MOH staff in advocacy and issues relating to wasting treatment reforms, as required.

4. Foster knowledge management systems and engage in internal and external learning and coordination within the IRC regarding evidence and tools for scaling nutrition treatment.

o Document and share useful tools, presentations, analyses, good practices and lessons learned and exchange learnings with other Nutrition Policy Technical Advisors in different Country Offices.

o Gather, analyze and synthesize data documenting the process and barriers to national level scaling of wasting treatment, with a focus on the policy environment.

o Take lead in ensuring IRC nutrition research findings are widely and effectively disseminated to relevant stakeholders.

5. Represent the IRC in external nutrition coalitions and other forums.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: DDP of the Country Office and Regional Advocacy Communications Coordinator – West Africa and/or Senior Health Policy and Communications Advisor

Position Directly Supervises: N/A

Indirect Reporting: TBC

Other Internal and/or External Contacts:

· Airbel Nutrition GRIP

· Health Unit Policy, Advocacy, and Communications Team

· Nutrition Technical Advisors (particularly the TA for West Africa)

· Nutrition Coordinator in the CO

· Ministry of Health, National Nutrition Cluster, and relevant national nutrition working groups

Job Requirements

· At least 10 years of experience in global health or humanitarian policy, advocacy, or research uptake required.

· At least five years of health or nutrition policy, advocacy, research uptake, or communications required.

· Master’s degree in nutrition, public health, public policy, or another closely related field strongly desirable

· Demonstrable technical understanding of nutrition and/or public health

· Prior experience working and /or collaborating directly with stakeholders in the Ministry of Health and with national partners and civil society organizations,

· A candidate will have extensive connections to MoH at the national and/or subnational level is preferred. Advocacy experience achieving national policy change strongly desired

· Expertise in communications: proven ability to develop materials and presentations for external audiences.

· Excellent written and oral communications skills; ability to communicate with many and diverse audiences; you listen intently and actively to all audiences; your communications are direct, simple, and respectful.

· Strong negotiation, influencing and networking skills.

· Knowledge of local context and dynamics.

· A Somali national who is fluent in both written and spoken Somalia.

Standards of Professional Conduct : The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

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