USAID/Modernizing Agriculture Activity

Nutrition/Food Systems Advisor

CNFA

CNFA is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to stimulating economic growth in the agricultural sector by nurturing entrepreneurship, private enterprise, and market linkages. CNFA specializes in fostering private sector investments in training, new technologies and marketing as a means to increase the overall competitiveness of agricultural value chains and rural development, to increase people’s incomes, to develop skills in the rural workforce, and to facilitate exports.

Program Description USAID/Rwanda Modernizing Agriculture Activity:

The purpose of the Modernizing Agriculture Activity is to support increased agriculture productivity and income, access to finance and markets, and access and consumption of nutritious food products in Rwanda, while increasing the resilience of the agriculture and food systems to the changing climate. To achieve this goal, the Activity will sustainably increase agricultural productivity, increase access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses, improve producers’ nutrition and market outcomes, and strengthen the enabling environment to foster market-driven outcomes in agriculture.

Position Description:

Under the guidance and supervision of the Nutrition and Market Development Director, the Nutrition/Food Systems Advisor will provide technical guidance on ModAg nutrition and food system strategies, design, and implementation. S/he will provide technical support to the project staff and nutrition stakeholders, and generate evidence to enhance the demand for and supply of nutritious foods in the market. S/he will contribute to achieving the overall goal of improving income and nutrition for healthy, productive, and resilient households, including vulnerable populations, especially women, and children aged 0-59 months.  This position will report to the Nutrition and Market Development Director. The position is based in Kigali.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Guide the technical aspects of the project regarding nutrition outcomes. Ensure that activities are implemented in compliance with the requirements of the donor and in line with market-based approaches to promote nutrition best practices. Develop work plans and activity budgets for the project and build the capacity of the project staff and relevant market actors.
• Develop and maintain a detailed understanding among project staff of the nutrition issues at the market level in Rwanda including national policy development, key players in government, INGOs, UN, national and local civil society organizations and private sector.
• Facilitate and where necessary lead the development of training manuals, tools, procedures, materials in market to nutrition management, food fortification and dietary diversification practices. Work with the technical teams and relevant market actors to organize and facilitate training programs on best practices and innovations in nutritious foods’ marketing and nutrition and provide technical support to ensure effective nutrition messaging in market places.
• Integrate gender transformative and socially inclusive strategies to food system interventions to increase leadership, income generating opportunities, and access to/utilization of nutrient-rich foods by women, adolescents, and children.
• Maintain networks with key stakeholders relevant in the field of nutrition in Rwanda. Engage with the private sector (including the Scaling Up Nutrition Business groups and private sector clusters and market actors’ groups) to leverage expertise, and resources to deliver sustainable and scalable access to locally available nutritious foods (proxy healthy diet as determined by the project), such as high-quality grains, aflatoxin-free peanuts, soy beans, milk, premixes and micronutrient supplements.
• Support the coordination and implementation of nutrition market system activities related to the project as outlined in the detailed implementation plan.
• Work in close collaboration with all identified stakeholders to improve value additions capacity for food processing that supports healthy diet through fortification (biofortification and food fortification using country identified micro-fortificants).
• Work with the public, private sector, cooperatives and all market actors in increasing access (physical and financial), demand, and consumption of nutritious agricultural foods and products
• Work in collaboration with other components and stakeholders to develop sustainable strategies that can increase availability and use of genetic material for bio-fortified foods and promote the existing high value and/or nutritious crops (High Iron Beans, Orange Sweet Fresh Potatoes and Horticulture)
• Utilize market facilitation approaches to strengthen input and output market systems and increase access to and affordability of nutritious food in rural identified markets.
• Support the development of behavioral change communications, social mobilization, and events to increase income and improve nutritional outcomes through Social Marketing, Behavior change and gender messages.
• Contribute to timely, accurate, and appropriate reporting of program activities and results to the donor, including progress reports and annual reports
• Work collaboratively with project staff to ensure learning and steering of activities, proper financial projections, reporting, spending, and compliance with project terms and conditions.
• Ensure all component deliverables are met on time and of high quality.
• Promote and support the dissemination of best practices among the project teams.
• Establish and maintain a productive relationship with key stakeholders, including private sector, government officials, NGOs, and community groups for smooth implementation.
• Other duties as assigned by the Chief of Party or designee.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in nutrition, public health, or relevant discipline required, plus min. 5 years of relevant experience
• Additional education may substitute for some experience
• At least 5 years of experience working within market systems development contexts and/ or applying nutrition-sensitive principles to private sector strengthening for economic growth and nutrition outcome objectives
• Demonstrated agriculture nutrition-sensitive and/or food systems and market development experience, ideally in USAID programming
• Familiarity with USAID funded programs and working for an International NGO would be an asset.
• Effective team player, able to develop and maintain effective working relationships.
• Flexible, creative and problem solving-oriented
• Fluent in English and Kinyarwanda
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work in fast-paced environment, report writing and presentation skills
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.