Nutrition Specialist at Sahel Capital

Project Description

• The Nigerian Dairy Development Program (NDDP) is geared towards improving the livelihoods of smallholder dairy farmers in Nigeria by improving the productivity of their cattle and integrating them into the formal dairy value chain in Nigeria.
• The Project also includes a nutrition component and gender component which are geared towards improving nutrition outcomes and promoting women empowerment in smallholder farming communities.
• This project is implemented by Sahel Capital Partners & Advisory Ltd. and a consortium of other partners.
• The project seeks to boost the yields and incomes of smallholder farmers, increase nutrition outcomes and empower women involved in agriculture in Africa.

Role Summary

• The role of the Nutrition Specialist is to serve as the project’s technical advisor on nutrition activities, as well as to manage and lead 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 anthropometric 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 approaches.
• These program activities will be undertaken with dairy products as a central theme.
• The Nutrition Specialist will work closely with a wide range of stakeholders including private sector companies involved in the project, sub-grantees, rural community leaders, development organizations active in nutrition issues, civil service organizations (CSOs) and stakeholders at the federal and state ministries of agriculture and health in Nigeria.

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

• In coordination with the NDDP’s Project Management Office (PMO), partner dairy processors, the Gender 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.
• Together with the Gender Specialist, oversee the development of harmonized, methodologies, approaches and instruments for conducting the Nutrition Study.
• In coordination with the Project Manager and Gender Specialist, oversee the organization of two stakeholder meetings in Lagos and Abuja 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 the project funder and other stakeholders in the public, private and development sectors.
• Assist the Project Manager in the selection, contracting and remuneration of sub-grantees working on the nutrition study in accordance with donor guidelines.
• Assist the PMO in supporting the implementation of other project activities, including the women empowerment component of the program.

Documentation, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:

• Assist the Project Manager and Project Coordinators to develop project strategies, project plans technical capacity building interventions, activities and policies related to implementing the 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 PMO 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 Project Manager in monitoring progress and evaluation of project activities including financial performances
• Assist the Project Manager 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 Project Manager to maintain good relations with project beneficiaries, partner organizations, and other stakeholders
• Oversee the preparation of the results of the nutrition study in compelling formats for eventual publication on selected platforms.
• Participate in public forum within and outside Nigeria to share and communicate the results of the study to public, private and development sector stakeholders.
• Work with the Project Director and Project Manager to develop proposals for a potential 2nd Phase of the NDDP incorporating proposed nutrition interventions and developing a framework for the implementation of those interventions.

Relationship Management:

• Develop and maintain relations with a wide variety of private, public and international stakeholders working on malnutrition, agriculture-nutrition and food security related 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:

• Masters Degree in Nutrition, Food Security, Health Science, International Development or other related field with at least five years of work experience in a similar capacity working on food security and nutrition issues in Nigeria or West Africa (Preferred) or
• Bachelors Degree in Nutrition, Food Security, Health Science, International Development or other related field with at least ten years of work experience in related fields, five of which should have been in a similar capacity working on food security and nutrition issues in Nigeria or West Africa.
• Strong program management skills and high level of analytical skills in planning and project implementation
• 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.
• Knowledge of the cultural norms influencing food choices and consumption patterns in Northern and Southern Nigeria.
• Knowledge of international and local stakeholders in Nigeria in the agriculture, health, food aid and nutrition sectors
• Ability to interact directly and independently with senior management of technical partners and senior government officials.
• Ability to formulate and present expert analyses from personal observations, surveys, journal articles, and other documents, and demonstrated ability to express views clearly and logically before groups and individuals verbally or in writing
• Understanding of the social and cultural contexts that underpin Fulani and smallholder farming communities in Nigeria.
• Willingness and enthusiasm for working with rural and vulnerable communities living in remote areas of the country.
• Proficiency in the English language (required) and Yoruba and Hausa (preferred)
• Position based: Lagos (Project Management Office) with frequent travel to project sites across Nigeria, including North as will be required