Senior Project Manager, Food Fortification Job at The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the UN in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with both governments and businesses, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious food for all people. In particular, we aim to make healthier food choices more desirable, more available, and more affordable. GAIN’s mission is to advance nutrition outcomes by improving consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially the most vulnerable to malnutrition.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: Senior Project Manager, Food Fortification

Job Location: Abuja
Travel Required: 50%

Job Summary

• The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is seeking a Senior Project Manager, Food Fortification to lead and oversee all the fortification projects carried out in Nigeria.

Overall Purpose

• The Large-Scale Food Fortification investment will focus on delivering a number of outcomes including; Fortification governance mechanisms strengthened, implementation of systems innovations and generation and dissemination of Fortification knowledge. This project implementation will be based on the lessons and results of the ongoing Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods (SAPFF) project on the enabling environment for food fortification funded by BMGF though TNS.
• The Senior Project Manager, Food Fortification will work closely with the GAIN Nigeria Country Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grantmakers and the GAIN Food Fortification team to deliver the Nigeria outcomes
• They will also ensure that the legacy outcomes are delivered. This includes;
  • A new way of organising to make coordination and regulatory policy and operations for food fortification in Nigeria more strategic, systematic, collaborative, transparent and economical, and therefore more effective overall;
  • Establishment of a National Procurement Service/Facility for premix, industry fortification equipment (hardware), system inputs (such as laboratory reagents), and diagnostic devices;
  • A modular training manual and a certificate training course for laboratory technical skills sustainably institutionalised
  • Scaled implementation of an innovative consumer voice strategy delivering a new approach to fortification
  • Additionally, the post holder will lead and oversee all the fortification projects in the country office to ensure that the are delivering on the prescribed output timey.

Tasks and Responsibilities
Strategically supporting the effective implementation of the overall project with specific emphasis on strengthening the Fortification governance mechanisms:

• Complete the redesign of the Systems (key targets - National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), and Federal Competition and Consumer
• Protection Commission (FCCPC) to better positioned to regulate the compliance of food fortification in Nigeria.
• Strengthening capacity of the laboratories to expand the national pool of accredited laboratory testing and analytical capacity to support monitoring and enforcement of compliance to food fortification standards, further strengthening the national fortification program.
• To deliver protocols for regulatory agency auditing the premix industry in Nigeria and ensure that these protocols are integrated by the government agencies responsible for industry oversight.
• To expand and institutionalize the convenings of the Nigeria Food Processing and Nutrition Leadership
• Forum (the CEO Forum) as a way of engaging CEOs of the major food producers, holding them to account for their own commitments on behalf of industry and facilitating accountability from the regulators and implementing partners for progress on commitments made towards enhancing the quality and performance of the national fortification program
• The grant will support two convenings over the 2-year period post SAPFF and the work that will be done in-between these meetings.

Lead and manage the implementation of systems innovations:

• Lead on the pilot procurement facility and creation of new fortification business models
• Support the Institutionalising laboratory analytical capacity development
• Formulate the and deliver on a nationwide rollout of the national consumer voice strategy

Design and implement the creative means of generating and disseminating the fortification knowledge in-line the national guidelines by:

• Assessment of the complementarity of multiple micronutrient deficiency mitigation programs (e.g. Vit A) completed.

Lead to produce the following legacy output of the project:

• A new way of organising to make coordination and regulatory policy and operations for food fortification in
• Nigeria more strategic, systematic, collaborative, transparent and economical, and therefore more effective overall;
• Establishment of a National Procurement Service/Facility for premix, industry fortification equipment (hardware), system inputs (such as laboratory reagents), and diagnostic devices;
• A modular training manual and a certificate training course for laboratory technical skills sustainably institutionalized
• Scaled implementation of an innovative consumer voice strategy delivering a new approach to fortification advocacy

Additional Tasks:

• Coordinating communications and coordination between government institutions, non-governmental organisations, UN agencies, and private industry, including organizing meetings and workshops.
• Ensuring that all project activities are completed according to the Nigeria project implementation time frame.
• Preparing and ensuring timely submission of implementation, progress, and financial reports.
• Delivering technical assistance and monitoring progress on the field.
• Leading the delivery of all the suites of fortification projects in Nigeria
• Contributing to the monitoring and evaluation and subsequent dissemination of the outputs of fortification
• coverage using Fortification Assessment Coverage Tool (FACT) surveys.
• Acting as Lead Representative for GAIN at strategic and technical meetings/workshops pertaining to food fortification.
• Other activities as may be assigned by the GAIN Country Director.

Key Organizational Relationships:

• Reports to the Country Director, Nigeria.
• Works with other GAIN Nigeria programmes including SBN, PLAN, BDC, Support to the FMARD, etc.
• Liaises as required with GAIN’s global food fortification team and the QUAD project management mechanism.
• Liaises with local partners and stakeholders to ensure optimal project implementation.
• Liaises with consultants and experts who provide technical assistance to the project.
• Liaises with partners, donors, and other stakeholders to safeguard GAIN’s external reputation and to support resource mobilization.

Job Requirements
Competencies, Skills and Attributes:

• Strong leadership / team management
• Strong presentation and communication skills in multi-cultural, multi-lingual environments
• Takes initiative, prioritises, multi-tasks, and works well under pressure to meet deadlines
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Effective risk management
• Organisation and planning Skills
• Ability to provide direction and support in the development and dissemination of strategy, policy analysis, and recommendations
• Critical thinking that demonstrates good judgment, expert problem solving, and creativity
• Excellent stakeholder management, with the ability to operate within the corporate and public sectors to
• effectively liaise with private companies, development agencies, and governments at senior level.
• Ability to advocate, cultivate and negotiate significant senior level partnerships and relations and operate in high level meetings and similar settings
• Strong ICT proficiency
• Excellent follow-up skills within a diverse set of concurrent operation, programme, and business development related functions.

Experience:

• At least seven years of work experience in developing and managing projects and programmes in international development (experience of nutrition or related areas would be an advantage)
• Experience and knowledge of best practice in quality assurance and control systems and processes
• Experience in strategy development, advocacy, communications, and documentation of best practices
• Experience in providing on-the-job and formal training to various partners as well as management of workshops and other public events
• Experience of managing and developing staff
• Knowledge of food fortification and public nutrition programming will be advantageous.

Education:

• Minimum of a Master's Degree in Social Sciences, International Development, Business Management, Public Health, Nutrition, or related fields.

Other Requirements:

• Experience working in Nigeria
• Fluency in spoken and written English is essential
• Business Acumen
• Comfortable to travel up to 50% of the time.

What Gain Offers

• Flexible working hours
• Friendly working environment
• Professional development opportunities.

Salary

• Competitive.