Independent Contractor, Senior Country Program Advisor, Nigeria at Vitamin Angels Alliance, Inc. (VA)

Role or Purpose of Position

• VA seeks a full time program consultant for an 18-month term beginning on/about January 15th 2017 with opportunity for renewal.
• The position is based in Abuja, Nigeria. VA seeks to continue expansion of its programming partnerships in Nigeria, and seeks to engage a Senior Consultant Advisor to stabilize and expand an existing network of indigenous, non-governmental (NGO) or community based organizations (CBOs) to deliver essential micronutrient and deworming products.
• In general, VA’s model is to work with local partners who seek, with defined assistance from VA, to add or expand locally sustainable micronutrient distribution systems in Nigeria that address the problem of micronutrient deficiencies among pregnant women, their unborn child (or children) and children up to 5 years of age.
• Senior Country Program Advisor will familiarize him/herself with all relevant, National/Regional policies for vitamin A supplementation (VAS) and deworming, as well as VA policy and technical documents.
• In assisting VA to advance its programming in Nigeria, Consultant will supervise and support product-based nutrition interventions (e.g. primarily vitamin A and albendazole, but potentially also multivitamin tablets for pregnant women) that are:
  
  • Evidence based;
  • Planned and designed consistent with internationally accepted project planning and design practices;
  • Conformant with VA’s strategic plan (FY 2017 – 2019), iv) conformant with VA’s guidelines for universal supplementation projects, and v) consistent with the legal requirements of the country of implementation.
• This system should operate through locally registered NGOs and CBOs, preferably, concurrently with the health/nutrition services they already offer to the public OR other non-health services that present a unique and innovative opportunity to achieve micronutrient distribution among at-risk women of reproductive age and pre-school children in need of nutrition services (e.g., not covered by government services).
• Under limited circumstances, VA may help a local governmental authority to launch micronutrient distribution services, but only in conjunction with a NGO partner with local operations.

Job Responsibilities
The Consultant’s key responsibilities are:

• Advocate for universal supplementation and use of various supplementation interventions, targeted interventions to combat selected childhood infections and support for infanct and young child feeding practices (IYCF). Typically, the specific interventions currently offered or sought to be expanded in any country through the NGO network includes vitamin A capsules, deworming, and multi-micronutrient supplements for pregnant women - in Nigeria Among NGO and Government Stakeholders.
• Provide Strategic and logistical support to ensure implementation and tracking of VA’s services to grantees. VA utilizes a local product supply chain to make product grants to grantees. Senior Country Program Advisor will use database information to create and implement national strategic plans that promote sustainable growth of the program in Nigeria.
• Assist VA’s field partners. VA has a technical assistance capacity that can be deployed or otherwise directed by the Senior Country Program Advisor that is available to provide follow up support and technical assistance or refer partners to appropriate technical resources (e.g., in-country consultants trained by VA, VA’s Country Technical Advisor) for targeted technical support and activation/on-going training.
• Manage activities of additional staff/consultant/advisor resources required to operate the VA Nigeria program. Consultant will be responsible for overseeing the monthly activities of at least 4 additional VA Independent Consultants in Nigeria, consistent with their respective “Scope of Work”.
• S/he applies expertise in all aspects of program design, management and implementation while working to promote, exemplify, and further the mission[1] and values of VA.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (Required and Desired)
Required:

• Master’s degree or higher in Public Health, Community Medicine or a related discipline,
• Minimum ten years’ experience performing program management
• Minimum five years’ experience supervising multiple staff,
• Minimum five years leading large projects, organizations or initiatives in Nigeria,
• Substantial work experience work with NGOs and government in Nigeria,
• Existing network of contacts within international, bilateral, and government agencies in Nigeria
• Computer literacy, including experience working with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint, and able to input data to an online database after training,
• Currently based in Abuja Nigeria with easy access to local/international transportation,
• Willing to work from a share office space and also has reliable telephone/internet connectivity from the home
• Willing and able to travel domestically and internationally during consultancy,
• Superior written and oral communications skills,
• Superior organizational skills and attention to detail, and
• Fluent in English

Highly Desirable:

• Public Health Physician or Pediatrician with both clinical and management experience in Nigeria
• Minimum five years’ experience providing technical assistance to NGOs
• Fluent in local language(s)
• Field Level work experience in Francophone West Africa
• Experience scaling up a national program to reach all corners of Nigeria
• Documentable network of contacts in public health and development which consultant can use to facilitate a successful consultancy.

Challenges of the Position

• The challenge to individuals hired as an Independent Consultant to Vitamin Angels is functioning in an environment characterized by autonomy and managing long distance communication with the VA home office.
• On an ongoing basis, the main challenge to the Senior Country Program Advisor is an ability to thrive in an environment that requires significant self-initiative, collaboration among many team members both internal and external to VA, and an ability to work effectively and efficiently with VA staff situated in the US (several time zones away) by phone, Skype, and email.
• Our mission is to mobilize and deploy private sector resources to advance availability, access and use of micronutrients, especially vitamin A, among at-risk populations in need.