Food Security and Nutrition Specialist

Organizational Setting 

FAO's Subregional Office for Southern Africa (SFS) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO's Regional Office for Africa (RAF). The office provides technical assistance and support to governments and country offices in the sub-region developing policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition while using their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. 

Reporting Lines

Under the general supervision of the FAO Subregional Coordinator and Director of the Food Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR Directorate) at the SADC Secretariat, the Food Security and Nutrition Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the STOSAR II Regional Project Coordinator and technical supervision of the FAO SFS Nutrition Officer. The incumbent will ensure delivery of Component 3 (FNS component) of the Action at regional and national levels by coordinating, managing as well as implementing the FNS project activities. These activities will be executed in close consultation with the SADC FANR Food Security Advisor and the SADC Division of the Social and Human Development (SHD) Directorate Nutrition Advisor. The incumbent is expected to work with a team of experts from the 16 SADC countries within the Food and Nutrition sector as well as other relevant partners related to FNS.

Technical Focus

Food and nutrition security with particular focus on overall management and direction on all aspects of the project implementation on the Food and Nutrition Security Strategy of Component 3 of the STOSAR II project. The project’s Component 3 is ‘Strengthening regional monitoring and the implementation capacity of the SADC Food and Nutrition Security Strategy’.  

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Provide the overall management, coordination and direction on all aspects of Component 3 (FNS) project implementation 
•    Ensure planning, implementation, and monitoring of food and nutrition security component, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets and efficient utilization of resources and quality standards.
•    Organise regional and national workshops in the most cost effective and efficient manner.
•    Identify appropriate partners, develop terms of reference (ToR) for Letters of Agreement (LoA), support selection, and engaging partners for LoAs and manage LoAs
•    Networking, Partnerships and Collaboration: Establish and maintain partnerships with SADC Secretariat, government agencies, NGOs, UN partners, academia civil society organizations, for synergy and effective delivery of FNS Component 3
•    Information Sharing and Knowledge Management: Facilitate knowledge sharing and exchange among stakeholders to enhance collective efforts in delivering of Component 3.
•    Communication, Documentation and Reporting: Communicate FNS Component 3 progress, Prepare comprehensive reports, documentation, and presentations on project activities, outcomes, and impact.
•    Support and work with other specialised short-term consultants in collaboration with the Lead Technical Competent Officer (SFS Nutrition Officer).
•    Provide technical inputs and ensure technical quality of the products and documents written by other short-term consultants before documents are submitted for Lead Technical Competent Officer (TCO) clearance.
•    Ensure Alignment and synergy with other STOSAR II project components
•    Provide 5 % support to SADC Secretariat Food and Nutrition Security related work
•    In addition to ensuring the overall delivery of this output by coordinating and managing the whole Output 3: FNS Component project activities, Food Security and Nutrition Specialist will be fully responsible for delivery of some the Component 3 activities. These activities include:
o    In collaboration with the SADC Secretariat, capacitate SADC Member States (MS) on FNS results reporting and on CAADP Biennial Review processes
o    In consultation with SADC MS revise and update the SADC Food and Nutrition Security Strategy for (2026-2030) including the M & E framework
o    To capacitate SADC Member States to design nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions and related food systems for diversified diets 
o    Support SADC MS to develop Food Security and Nutrition policies that are nutrition-sensitive agriculture and aligned with food systems for diversified diets and draft the documents for country validation.
o    To support at least 5 SADC MS to develop or update the national policies and action plans to implement the Multi-sectoral Action Framework for improving the diets of young children and women of child-bearing age,and draft the documents for country validation.
•    Participate and contribute to the SFS Coordination Unit for Nutrition (CUNUT)
•    Conduct technical support travel missions to Southern African countries to support STOSAR II implementation.
•    Any other related tasks

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced University Degree in nutrition, food security, food systems or related fields 
•    A minimum of five years of relevant experience in nutrition and/or food security
•    Working knowledge (Level C) of English 

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    High level of technical proficiency in Food security and nutrition particularly nutrition sensitive agriculture and food systems transformation for healthy diets.
•    Managing complex food security and or nutrition projects
•    Demonstrated ability to provide comprehensive and analytical review of very technical documents with exceptional attention to detail. 
•    Demonstrated high proficiency in writing technical and strategic documents in a clear, precise and concise manner. 
•    Highly proficient in systemic investigation and analysis of complex issues with demonstrated ability in carrying out rigorous desk research, analysis, synthesis and consolidation of information involving considerable complexity.
•    Ability to distil complex information into actionable knowledge that readers can use.
•    Demonstrated ability to work under limited supervision, with latitude for independent judgment, and ability to handle multiple tasks, and deliver assignments on time,
•    Excellent communication, written and presentation skills in English
•    Experience with working with SADC Secretariat or REIOs is an added advantage
•    Experience with working with various teams, partners and stakeholders and excellent team player.

Selection Criteria

•    Experience of development work related to food security and nutrition in Southern Africa will be an added advantage