Strategic Learning Advisor at Helen Keller International

Helen Keller is seeking a candidate for an upcoming project that implements and provides technical support to nutrition interventions across sectors and disciplines for both its donors and partners. The project’s multi-sectoral approach draws on global nutrition experience to design, implement and evaluate programs that address the root causes of malnutrition. Committed to using a systems approach, the project strives to sustain positive outcomes by building local capacity, supporting behavior change and strengthening the enabling environment to save lives, improve health, build resilience, increase economic productivity, and advance development.

The overall purpose of the project in Nigeria is to provide technical support, implement innovative nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions, and generate evidence to enhance nutrition programming toward achieving the overall goal of improving nutrition indices for a healthy, productive, and resilient Nigeria. This activity will support the donor’s effort to strengthen the enabling environment for innovation, commitment, capacity strengthening, coordination, collaboration, and support for multi-sectoral nutrition policies and programs among government, donors, civil society, and private sector stakeholders in Nigeria.

Scope of the Position

The Strategic Learning Advisor (SLA) will ensure coordination, collaboration and learning across all activities for the nutrition project. The SLA will serve as the learning and knowledge-sharing lead for the project and will work closely with the Deputy Chief of Party, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager and other technical leads of the program, as well as other colleagues at Helen Keller’s Nigeria office and headquarters. The position also requires close cooperation with the government of Nigeria, partner NGOs, the private sector and other key stakeholders.

Specific Responsibilities

The SLA will be responsible for the following:

•   Working closely with all staff, the SLA will ensure coordination, collaboration and learning across all activities of the project. The SLA will also ensure that coordination and joint planning occur with other USAID investments and other donor activities in the supported states so that learning and knowledge are shared across all Activities.
• The SLA will ensure robust stakeholder coordination by project staff with entities including local partners, USAID and the host country government.
• Ensure active, intentional, and adaptive learning exercises within and across the project’s multi-sectoral activities.
• Improve peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and application, activity-based capacity strengthening, evidence, and data utilization; and ensure that collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) principles are followed throughout the project.
• Build the project evidence base to support collaboration and organizational change across all stakeholders.
• Ensure that lessons learned are incorporated into project activities and shared with the larger internal and external stakeholder group.
• In collaboration with the project’s leadership team, refine the project’s theory of change, integrating the strategic approach across the work plan.
•  Work with the monitoring and evaluation manager to ensure CLA principles are integrated into the project’s monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Participate in communities of practice to stay abreast of innovation and best practices within the field, identify opportunities for collaboration amongst stakeholders, and attend events or other mechanisms for dissemination and sharing of the project’s learnings.
•   Create guidelines for CLA in the context of the program. Manage CLA ‘pause and reflect’ events and resulting adaptive management analysis, decision-making, program/ approach adjustments, training and follow-through.

Required Qualifications/Competencies

•  An advanced degree (Master’s) plus a minimum of 10 years directly relevant experience is required, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of and experience with USAID collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) principles.
• Demonstrated experience in food security, nutrition and resilience programs, knowledge management, organizational learning, and capacity strengthening.
•  Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organisations, and partners.
• Understanding and experience in developing and leading stakeholder engagement activities, knowledge management programs, communities of practice and social networking.
• Demonstrated abilities and track record in strategic, systems and holistic thinking, managing resistance to change, whether internal or external and an understanding of organizational cultures, learning and change management.
• Computer literate in the use of word processing and spreadsheets required, experience in statistical software, data analysis and interpretation, a plus.
•   An ability to work in challenging and changing environments, and to see through challenges to find solutions; an ability to maintain balance when under stress.
• Demonstrable respect for all persons regardless of religion, ethnicity, class or gender, with a high comfort level working in a diverse environment with a demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards.
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Gender Equity, Diversity, and Social Inclusion, as evidenced in previous management positions and programming. 
• Ability to translate complex and complicated ideas into easily accessible and understandable concepts and/or messages.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English is highly desirable

Physical Demands:

• Ability to travel regularly to the project states (Bauchi, Kebbi, Ebonyi, FCT, and Sokoto) as needed.

Terms & Conditions

This is a local posting in Nigeria, and as such, is subject to local terms and conditions.