Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Advisor – South Sudan Agriculture Resilience Activity

IMA World Health, a subsidiary of Corus International, is seeking a Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Advisor to support implementation of an anticipated USAID-funded Agriculture Resilience Activity in South Sudan.

Corus International is a family of organizations which believes that those who were born into impossible circumstances deserve the opportunity for a better life. Corus was formed through the strategic merger of IMA World Health (operating as a public health organization since 1960), and Lutheran World Relief (operating as a livelihoods organization since 1945), and today includes smaller entities of Charlie Goldsmith Associates, Ground Up Investing, and Farmers Market Coffee. Corus International works in over 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America with a primary focus on health, livelihoods, and emergency response.

IMA World Health is pursuing a USAID opportunity to strengthen nutrition-sensitive agriculture and resilience in South Sudan via a five-year project that will focus on facilitating the productive capacities of households to increase food production, utilize more nutritious foods, and diversify incomes through off-farm market activities.

JOB SUMMARY

Drawing from his/her experiences in nutrition-sensitive agriculture and social and behavior change programming, the Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Advisor will spearhead interventions focused on improving behaviors and practices linked to positive household nutrition and food security goals. S/he will lead the design, implementation, and monitoring of nutrition-sensitive household agricultural activities and nutrition-sensitive business strategies to:

• Increase availability of fruit and vegetable seeds to farmers, particularly for women who are more likely to manage household gardens
• Develop aquaculture and fish processing activities
• Stimulate demand for more nutritious foods, which may include cooking demonstrations and tailored messaging to women, men, girls, and boys about climate-smart household vegetable gardening techniques, raising livestock for milk and meat, and adoption of biofortified staple crops
• Improve access, availability, and awareness of vegetables at local markets for beneficiaries, especially women and children

The Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Advisor also will provide thought leadership on the development of tools and resources designed to facilitate the integration of nutrition into agriculture interventions and institutions’ way of doing business. This position will report to the Chief of Party and will be embedded in the project office within South Sudan. Hiring is contingent upon successful award and USAID approval.

RESPSONSIBILITIES

• Promote the adoption of biofortified staple crop varieties
• Raise community awareness and engagement in the identification and consumption of diversified, nutrient dense, nutritionally adequate foods, including engagement of local leaders and influential groups to promote positive nutrition-sensitive behaviors
• Support the target population to adopt healthy eating practices by introducing a range of innovative social and behavior change activities
• Coordinate capacity building and technical support for beneficiaries on agri-nutrition issues, including nutrition-sensitive agricultural technologies
• Work with the M&E officer to monitor adoption rates of new agricultural practices and food consumption methodologies, dietary diversification, and nutrient dense diets across different gender and age groups; adapt activities as necessary based on routine monitoring.
• Promote food safety, including appropriate methods of handling, preservation, processing, storage, and utilization of agriculture foods

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Master’s degree in nutrition, public health, or agriculture, with five years of relevant experience; OR a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study with at least eight years of relevant experience
• Experience designing soft skills curricula and facilitating capacity building workshops especially with low literacy populations focused on nutrition-sensitive agriculture
• Ability to lead nutrition analysis and recommend appropriate nutrition-sensitive interventions for agriculture programs, including designing and implementing tools and approaches to integrate nutrition support throughout agriculture programming
• Experience developing and implementing social and behavioral change strategies and activities related to nutrition-sensitive approaches, especially as related to agriculture
• Strong interpersonal and oral and written communications skills
• Demonstrated record of developing and maintaining strong working relationships with various levels of key stakeholders from ministry level counterparts (i.e., Ministry of Health or Agriculture) to community-level actors
• Demonstrated capacity to lead the collection, analysis, and production of high-quality project reporting products
• Excellent English writing skills and analytical abilities, including the ability to effectively expresses ideas, thoughts, and concepts verbally and in written or graphic form, using correct grammar and structure
• Experience working in fragile contexts, including a demonstrated ability to motivate teams to work constructively under pressure and to respond resourcefully when challenges arise
• Advanced cross-cultural sensitivity, including experience working and communicating with professional and support staff in a multicultural, multi-linguistic environment; ability to promote an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 

Preferred

• Working knowledge of gender-integrated agriculture concepts in Africa and ability to apply a gender lens towards nutrition-sensitive agriculture approaches
• Experience managing USAID-funded grants, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts
• Arabic fluency in oral and written communication
• Experience using digital technologies for message dissemination
• Willingness to support IMA World Health’s mission

 IMA World Health prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by US or International law.