The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.
WFP is seeking a Food Fortification Specialist to lead, oversee, and provide technical guidance for food fortification initiatives across Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO).
Key Responsibilities
1. Lead and oversee fortification landscape analysis for Eastern and Southern Africa
- Review the fortification scoping tools and propose adjustments based on experiences from completed analyses and in discussion with the nutrition team at GHQ.
- Conduct scoping exercises on fortification-related information such as national policies, guidelines, strategies, work plans, private sector engagement, and key stakeholders in 5 priority countries.
- Identify key internal programmatic entry points (Supply Chain, procurement, partnerships, programme) and external opportunities (government, donors, technical agencies).
- Conduct validation interviews and workshops in priority countries based on gathered information.
2. Lead the implementation of WFP ESARO's food fortification strategy
- Enable successful implementation of WFP ESARO's food fortification strategy and country operational plans.
- Oversee continuous capacity strengthening of key technical human resources on food fortification.
- Drive strategic positioning of WFP as a key technical agency in food fortification in ESARO.
- Lead regional advocacy and support resource mobilization and reporting efforts to advance and sustain WFP's food fortification portfolio in Eastern and Southern Africa.
- Monitor progress of strategy implementation across ESARO and identify bottlenecks and solutions.
3. Oversee provision of technical guidance to ESARO country offices
- Provide technical guidance in the planning, design, implementation, and monitoring of fortification programmes.
- Provide technical support to country offices in designing and conducting formative studies such as landscape studies.
- Provide technical support for capacity building of government stakeholders as well as development/revision of regulatory frameworks and relevant policy instruments including standards, monitoring guidelines, etc.
- Provide technical support to country offices in creating an enabling policy environment for integration of fortified foods into WFP operations and government-led programmes.
4. Shape regional and country-level decision-making
- Lead implementation of WFP's roadmap for increasing the use of fortified maize meal/flour and other fortifiable staples in WFP operations.
- Provide technical support on evidence generation, research, and other activities related to integrating and/or scaling up fortified foods into WFP operations and government-led programmes.
- Participate and contribute in internal cross-functional committees, working groups, and task forces.
- Strengthen collaboration with Supply Chain Units such as Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Local and Regional Procurement, and Logistics as key collaborators.
5. Provide technical and coordination support for regional engagement
- Provide strategic coordination and technical backstopping for WFP's engagement with regional institutions, networks, and initiatives relevant to food fortification across Eastern and Southern Africa.
- Contribute to regional advocacy and thought leadership on food fortification by supporting policy dialogues, regional forums, technical working groups, and knowledge-sharing events.
Qualifications and Experience Required
- Education: An advanced degree related to Food Fortification, Food Processing, Food Technology / Food Science, Nutrition, Public Health, or a related field.
- Experience: Minimum five (5) years of experience preferably including food fortification, food technology, food science, food-value addition, food value chains for fortified foods, food security, project planning and management, partnership engagement, advocacy.
- Demonstrated experience in providing technical support preferably on food fortification.
- Experience working with national governments, private sector, and fortification stakeholders.
- Demonstrated experience of directly/indirectly working in the ESARO region.
Knowledge & Skills
- Knowledge and awareness of fortification strategies, technical expertise in food fortification country capacity strengthening approaches, and food systems frameworks.
- Excellent writing and presentation skills.
- Ability to develop and maintain productive relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
- Ability to work independently, handle multiple tasks, work under pressure, and deliver assignments on time, while working collaboratively and cross-culturally.
- Languages: Fluency (level C) in English language. Additional good working knowledge of French is preferred.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit their application online through the World Food Programme Application Portal.
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