National Nutrition Advocacy Coordinator

Job Description

Based in the Country Office, the National Nutrition Advocacy Coordinator will lead IRC’s policy, advocacy, and communications work to create systemic change in nutrition policy in country. Globally, about 52 million children currently suffer from acute malnutrition, with the global food crisis and climate change threatening to increase cases imminently. Closing the treatment gap is a significant opportunity to reduce child mortality in the country.

We have an opportunity to improve child mortality and wellbeing by scaling wasting treatment to close the 80% coverage gap. IRC seeks to support the policy, planning, and implementation for scaling treatment. The National Nutrition Advocacy Coordinator will jumpstart the implementation of this initiative at the national level by laying the groundwork for an emerging partnership on scaling treatment.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Map and analyze the national nutrition policy landscape.

o Conduct a political economy/landscape analysis of national and subnational level nutrition policies, stakeholders, influencers and decision makers with a focus on wasting treatment.

2. Develop and begin implementing a targeted strategy to advance practice and policy shifts to scale wasting treatment including through simplified approaches at national and subnational level.

o Frame key context specific asks based on the landscape analysis

o Identify targets and key stakeholders for advancing policy recommendations.

o Identify working groups and other key fora that IRC joins or should be joining.

o Identify and assemble the information, tools, and products to support advocacy

3. Foster knowledge management systems and engage in internal learning and coordination within the IRC regarding evidence and tools for scaling nutrition treatment.

o Document and share useful tools, presentations, analyses, good practices and lessons learned and exchange learnings with other Nutrition Policy Technical Advisors in different Country Offices.

o Gather, analyze and synthesize data documenting the process and barriers to national level scaling of wasting treatment, with a focus on the policy environment.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Senior Programs Coordinator of the Nigeria Country Office and the Regional Advocacy Communications Coordinator – West Africa

Position Directly Supervises: N/A

Indirect Reporting: TBC

Other Internal and/or External Contacts:

· Airbel Nutrition GRIP

· Health Unit Policy, Advocacy, and Communications Team

· Nutrition Technical Advisors (particularly the TA for West Africa)

· Nutrition Coordinator in the CO

· Ministry of Health, National Nutrition Cluster, and relevant national nutrition working groups

Job Requirements:

· At least 7 years of experience in global health or humanitarian policy, advocacy, or research uptake required.

· At least three years of health or nutrition policy, advocacy, research uptake, or communications required.

· Master’s degree in nutrition, public health, public policy, or another closely related field strongly desirable

· Demonstrable technical understanding of nutrition and/or public health

· Deep knowledge of the national context and stakeholders

· Prior experience working directly with stakeholders in the Ministry of Health and with national partners and civil society organizations.

· Advocacy experience achieving national policy change strongly desired

· Expertise in communications: proven ability to develop materials and presentations for external audiences.

· Excellent written and oral communications skills; ability to communicate with many and diverse audiences; you listen intently and actively to all audiences; your communications are direct, simple, and respectful.

· Strong negotiation, influencing and networking skills.

· Fluency in English required, knowledge of local languages an asset.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

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