Lead Technical Specialist (Nutrition)

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at local, national and international levels for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

The Strategy and Knowledge Department (SKD) provides expert guidance on IFAD's strategic direction, thematic priorities and technical quality of IFAD operations. It plays a critical role in providing technical expertise to operational teams to enhance development effectiveness, by generating and disseminating IFAD’s development knowledge and evidence on strategic themes, and encouraging innovative application of cutting-edge global knowledge and evidence in IFAD investments to help countries tackle their most complex development challenges in fostering inclusive and sustainable rural transformation. SKD is composed of the: (i) Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG); (ii) Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI); and (iii) Research and Impact Assessment Division (RIA).

ECG is composed of two clusters: (i) Environment and Climate Change Cluster; (ii) and the Social Inclusion Cluster. ECG takes the lead in integrating cross-cutting themes of environment and climate, nutrition, gender, youth, and indigenous peoples into IFAD's portfolio, with the aim of strengthening the quality and impact of IFAD’s operations. ECG also contributes to the generation of evidence and knowledge on these themes, and facilitates their use in IFAD-funded projects and activities. In addition, ECG provides guidance and support to ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups, particularly women, indigenous peoples and rural youth, into IFAD operations. Addressing environmental, biodiversity and climate change issues are inseparable from IFAD’s mission to overcome poverty.

The Lead Technical Specialist (Nutrition) reports to the Director, Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion.

Job Role  

The Lead Technical Specialist  technically supports country/regional programmes as well as the corporate agenda by providing state-of-the-art technical advice throughout the project cycle (strategic and operational) on issues related to Youth and other Social Inclusion themes. Within her/his areas of responsibility, the Lead Technical Specialist, exercises a high degree of independence in providing reliable programme delivery and strategic advice to the ECG Director. The incumbent at this level performs the full complexity range of work independently, including analysis and approval of complex and/or precedent-setting cases, with the aim of ensuring cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support.

Position specific: The Lead Technical Specialist (Nutrition) aims to strengthen the quality and enhance the impact of IFAD's portfolio of country programme investments (comprising loans, grants and associated activities) in terms of technical, institutional and policy aspects at all stages of the project cycle and during country strategy development with respect to nutrition in agriculture, food systems, and rural development. The incumbent will (i) provide operationally relevant state-of-the-art technical advice on nutrition during all stages of the project cycle (identification, conceptualization, preparation, project design and implementation), including support for Results-based Country Strategic Opportunities Papers, project design and the Quality Enhancement (QE) process, and project supervision and implementation; (ii) lead preparation of knowledge products and coordinate knowledge sharing and learning processes in an effective and systematic way, strengthen partnerships and support capacity building on nutrition, agriculture, food systems and rural development within IFAD (staff and consultants), with IFAD partners, and with the interested public; and (iii) ensure effective policy engagement and advocacy through projects as well as various global and regional initiatives, networks, and partnerships in order to keep IFAD abreast of recent developments and trends, position IFAD effectively in the global arena, and enhance IFAD's profile as a competent and viable partner.

The Lead Technical Specialist (Nutrition) manages Officers (NOCs) and consultants for advancing the Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Rural Development agenda at regional, country and project levels. She/he works closely with the respective front office teams of ECG and the Regional Division, Country Directors (CD), Heads of Multi-Country Offices (MCOs), NOCs, ECG technical specialists, PMI technical specialists, and other staff to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical guidance Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP), and programme development support. She/he maybe called upon to undertake the role of Cluster Technical Lead (Social Inclusion Cluster) which includes providing input to budget requests for the cluster, managing the expenditures against allocations and ensuring the work programme of the cluster is adequately budgeted and executed.

Key Functions and Results  

1. POLICY AND STRATEGY ADVICE AND DEVELOPMENT: The Lead Technical Specialist, provides technically authoritative advice informed by empirical evidence to improve the capacity of IFAD to position itself as an influential global player in agricultural and rural development with particular emphasis on social inclusion themes. The incumbent ensures that IFAD is regarded as a trusted and valued partner of national governments and farmers’ organizations in policy dialogues and fora. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to:

1. Providing IFAD staff and partners with up-to-date, evidence-based advice on relevant investment and policy interventions related to  Youth and Social Inclusion, development, strengthening and empowerment to promote inclusive and sustainable food system transformation, value chain development, collaboration with the private sector, and rural market creation and development, among others;
2. Providing evidence-informed recommendations to IFAD management on IFAD's rural development agenda using a wide range of data sources and analytical tools;
3. Providing substantive support to IFAD senior management participation in high-level fora with policy implications for Youth and Social Inclusion and rural transformation, including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, and preparing documents and presentations;
4. Leading the preparation of technical products (e.g. complex papers, analysis, substantive sections of reports and studies) to advance IFAD’s voice in the global debate on rural transformation, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and strengthening of their role in promoting inclusive and sustainable food system transformation, greater and better collaboration with the private sector, and rural market creation and development, among others, in close collaboration within PMD and other SKD divisions.

   2. KNOWLEDGE ADVISORY LEADERSHIP: The Lead Technical Specialist, leads and contributes to the development of viable and sustainable policies, and supports regional and global thematic input through authoritative technical knowledge sharing for her/his area of specialization (Youth and Social Inclusion). The incumbent ensures access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthens technical capacity, and establishes new knowledge and advisory partnerships on how rural institutions should be leveraged, empowered and strengthened to promote change in the rural economies and food systems in which they operate, as well as strengthens partnerships with the private sector. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to:

   1. Leading processes related to intelligence gathering and analysis of debates relevant to Youth and Social Inclusion, inclusive and sustainable rural transformation in the global debate, and facilitating knowledge sharing and experiences in this area within SKD, IFAD, and other stakeholders in the global arena;
   2. Coordinating relevant knowledge development and dissemination with institutions outside IFAD, within the region concerned, and national institutions, disseminating knowledge and lessons learned with external partners and stakeholders through publication of Occasional Papers, journal articles, seminars and workshops, through electronic media, and the development of new knowledge products and operational tools that are informed by learning from the field;
   3. Participating in IFAD-wide thematic discussions and developing appropriate technical and operational approaches of relevance to country/divisional strategies and programmes;
   4. Planning and leading learning events to strengthen IFAD’s knowledge and capacity to engage in global debates with policy implications for rural transformation.

      3. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES: The Lead Technical Specialist, develops and maintains a network of strategic partnerships to help advance IFAD's mandate and messages around inclusive and sustainable rural transformation in the global debate. The incumbent develops peer contacts inside and outside IFAD to develop new products and services, keep up-to-date on activities at country and regional levels, support joint advocacy, and share knowledge to enhance the Fund’s profile as a highly competent and reliable partner in development. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to:

      1. Building partnerships with farmers’, producers’, and youth’ organizations, centers of excellence, complementary technical organizations, and specialized departments of other development agencies as strategic partner;
      2. Promoting greater partnerships between farmers’, producers’, and youth’ organizations, and private sector and other value chain actors, including with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in rural systems, with particular focus on social inclusion themes;
      3. Strengthening IFAD’s representation and communication in policy processes (including representing IFAD at international, regional, and inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences);
      4. Generating new resources for IFAD through partnerships and outreach activities;
      5. Identifying major opportunities, as well as serving as focal point, for strategic collaboration with centers of excellence, complementary technical organizations, private sector, MSMEs, and specialized departments of other development agencies as strategic partners;
      6. Leading wider IFAD and Rome-based discussions on the development of sustainable and inclusive approaches to rural transformation as requested.

          

         4. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING: The incumbent supports the Director in monitoring and corporate reporting activities to enhance knowledge creation, country level programme and funding decisions.

         📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

         ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

         5. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: The Lead Technical Specialist, is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources. The incumbent acts as global anchor in charge of the overall oversight of the  Social Inclusion cluster as well as youthexpertise in IFAD. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to:
         (a) Contributing to the supervision of key divisional programme activities, including key missions and other initiatives, leading and directing a team of staff, overseeing research and impact assessment activities, planning and allocating work assignments, coaching, mentoring and evaluating staff, and participating in recruitment, selection and training of new staff and in the development of training programmes;
         (b) Contributing to the personnel and financial management of the work unit, including the development and implementation of work plans and budgets.

         Position specifics: The Lead Technical Specialist (Nutrition) accountabilities are to:
         1.    Provide appropriate, up-to-date, innovative and authoritative leadership, technical advice, support and information on nutrition and agriculture, food systems, and rural development to IFAD staff and partners, particularly country programmes, in terms of project design and implementation, country strategies, capacity building and knowledge management, including monitoring and evaluation.
         2.    Provide creative, effective leadership, management of staff, coordination and mentorship of junior staff to the nutrition team in IFAD in the organization, planning, and budgeting of the work program and in the implementation of the nutrition mainstreaming Action Plan.
         3.    Advise on all aspects of the planning and implementation and reporting associated with the Canadian Supplementary Fund on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Rural Development and lead planning and implementation of ECG responsibilities.
         4.    Proactively support the development of a learning approach at IFAD and develop, supervise and manage innovation, learning and knowledge activities through operations as well as grants at country, regional and international levels in the areas of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, food systems and rural development, working closely with colleagues within ECG and across IFAD divisions.
         5.    Provide a proactive orientation to applied research and strengthen the evidence base by contributing to documentation of field- and research-tested approaches, with a focus on improving investment impact, implementation capacities, and potential for scaling up at the country, regional or inter- regional levels.
         6.    Proactively identify opportunities and challenges in nutrition-relevant aspects of IFAD corporate documents and mandate and collaborate effectively with other Departments (SKD, COM, PRM) to develop effective responses and input to strengthen IFAD positioning on nutrition.
         7.    Strengthen and develop partnerships at the national, regional and international levels for purposes of joint policy engagement, knowledge generation and sharing, and project implementation.
         8.    Represent FS2, ECG or IFAD in global/high-level conferences and other meetings relevant to the nutrition agenda, contributing through presentations, speeches or other material as relevant, in order to help improve policy and governance around nutrition, agriculture, food systems, and rural development.
         9.    Collaborate with other colleagues in FS2 in the development, day-to-day management, supervision and evaluation of relevant FS2 grant projects.

         Key Performance Indicators  

         Assignments require the provision of authoritative professional expertise and technical leadership at global, regional and national levels on Youth and Social Inclusion issues. Lead Technical Specialists define, propose, revise and/or develop programmes or policies for the Fund, as well as represent the position of IFAD in national, regional and global fora and conferences. Innovation is required in the adaptation and development of approaches and methods to evolving technical and programmatic contexts.
         
         Work at this level is considered substantially complex and of critical concern to the Fund. In particular, analytical and advisory work requires in-depth identification and consideration of a full range of factors relevant to the examination and discussion of programme problems and policies in the solution of methodological problems or in the formulation of policy proposals and project recommendations.

         Working Relationships  

         The work relationships of Lead Technical Specialists involves the provision of authoritative technical advice for policy, programme and strategy development, resource mobilization,and the negotiation and resolution of problems that arise in mission planning, technical project appraisal or the preparation of studies and reports. The incumbent typically serves as the Fund’s senior technical advisor in the field of specialization and exercises wide professional latitude in contacts in her/his field(s), providing technical leadership and methodological guidance to management, Regional Directors/CDs/Heads MCO, national governments, development partners and other country programme staff in the technical area of specialization.

         Position specific: Represent IFAD in global and regional nutrition governance fora, particularly the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition, the UN Network for Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

         Job Profile Requirements  

         Organizational Competencies:

         Level 2:

      7. Building relationships and partnerships - Builds and maintains strategic partnerships internally and externally
      8. Communicating and negotiating - Acquires & uses a wide range of communication styles & skills
      9. Demonstrating leadership - Leads by example; initiates and supports change
      10. Focusing on clients - Contributes to a client-focused culture
      11. Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating - Challenges, innovates & contributes to learning culture
      12. Managing performance and developing staff - Manages wider teams with greater impact on others and on the organization
      13. Managing time, resources and information - Coordinates wider use of time, information and/or resources
      14. Problem-solving and decision-making - Solves complex problems and makes decisions that have wider corporate impact
      15. Strategic thinking and organizational development - Staff in management and/or strategic leadership roles
      16. Team working - Fosters a cohesive team environment

          Education:

      17. Level - Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) from an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php in a job related field (*):  The advanced university degree may be substituted by a first university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) plus at least four additional years of relevant professional experience, over and above the minimum number of years of experience as stipulated below.
      18. Areas - Nutrition, Public Health, or Social Science with appropriate nutrition-focused postgraduate qualification, and strong familiarity with agriculture, food systems, food security, and rural development and their relationship to nutrition.

          (*) Note:  For internal candidates, this requirement will be assessed in line with the provisions set forth in the IFAD’s Human Resources Implementing Procedures. 

          Experience:

      19. At least ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of specialization, particularly in the formulation of technical guidance and input to development programmes. 
      20. Three (3) years in a multi-cultural organization or national organization providing support on a global scope.
      21. Position-specific experience: Experience in the design, implementation, supervision, and performance monitoring and evaluation of nutrition in an agricultural or rural context or nutrition-sensitive projects dealing with agriculture, food systems, and rural development. Demonstrated experience in working as part of a multidisciplinary team and in working with country governments and international development partners. Familiarity with the key regional and global centres of excellence in the field of nutrition, agriculture, and rural development. Experience in international policy frameworks related to global issues is an asset.

          Languages:

      22. Required English (4 – Excellent) 
      23. Desirable: French, Spanish  and/or Arabic (3 – Good) 

          Skills:

      24. Advocacy: Ability to leverage IFAD knowledge and/or communication materials to maintain and promote constructive dialogue around IFAD`s vision and strategic priorities to external actors
      25. Knowledge strategy & management: Extensive expertise in knowledge management & dissemination strategies
      26. Evidence-based policy: Know-how in the formulation of concrete and actionable policy recommendations based on hard evidence (going beyond simple data interpretation)
      27. Risk management (e.g. reputational): Identification and assessment of potential liabilities and risks in IFAD's activities, particularly vis-à-vis third parties; ability to handle risks via contingency and mitigation strategies
      28. Stakeholder management: Strong alignment capabilities and consultation skills, building on effective interactions and relationships with different stakeholders (e.g. for the co-creation of communication material with member states) and ability to build and maintain a strong network (e.g. with journalists, media outlets, etc.)
      29. Strategy implementation: Ability to lead and manage the development and implementation of medium to longer-term strategies for IFAD / for respective divisions
      30. Resources management: Know-how in the management of human, financial and material management of IFAD resources
      31. Adaptability: Adaptability and flexibility when facing new or unexpected situations, and to specific constraints and circumstances and managing complex processes