Senior Technical Advisor - Alive & Thrive (A&T) Initiative (Apply by: December 19, 2015)

JOB DESCRIPTION
Senior Technical Advisor, Alive & Thrive (A&T) Initiative
New Delhi

1. POSITION VACANT: Senior Technical Advisor, Alive & Thrive Initiative, New Delhi

2. ORGANISATION/ PROJECT BACKGROUND:

Alive & Thrive (A&T) is an initiative to save lives, prevent illness, and ensure healthy growth and development. Good nutrition in the first 1,000 days, from conception to two years of age, is critical to enable all children to lead healthier and more productive lives. A&T is scaling up improved infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition through large-scale programs in several countries in Asia and Africa and through strategic technical support and the dissemination of innovations, tools, and lessons worldwide. A&T is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the governments of Canada and Ireland.

In India, the initiative focuses on the transfer of lessons, tools and approaches, in Bihar and UP, in association with BMGF partners. A&T will work closely with the government to   improve Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN).

For more information about the A&T project, please visit http://aliveandthrive.org/

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

A&T/India would like to recruit an outstanding Maternal Health professional to fill the key vacancy forSenior Technical Advisor (STA).

Reporting to the A&T Global Project Director and working in close collaboration with senior A&T staff who support India (viz. Senior Technical Director/HQ, the Regional Technical Advisor, and the A&T/India based, M&E Advisor), the post-holder is expected to provide technical Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) leadership and support in the development, implementation, deliverables (outputs), reports, and impact (outcomes) of the A&T/India initiative overall. 

This position shall constitute a focal point for the BMGF India office to communicate with A&T on technical and strategic matters and also provide strategic technical assistance to the Ministry of Women and Child Development and other related Line Ministries and Missions (e.g. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Rural Health Mission and National Rural Livelihoods Mission), National Medical Colleges and other academic institutions and foundation-supported mechanisms for strengthening MIYCN such as the World Bank Multi Donor Trust Fund, and potential collaboration with the TATA Trust and national coalitions (to leverage support from these institutions).

This is a newly created position developed to help A&T/India apply its MIYCN technical and program advocacy, behavior change communications, training, and monitoring approaches through capacity building with designated national and State level partners. This position will play a major role at the national level of technical support to inform the development of evidence based policies and plans. A substantial level of effort of this position will go to support the A&T state teams in Bihar and UP and ensuring state learning rises to inform national dialogue on MIYCN and will also facilitate cross-state learning.

During year one, this position will lead an assessment to identify clear roles for A&T at the national level to inform the scope of technical assistance through the life of the grant. The position will also provide highest level strategic program and technical leadership and quality assurance in India to ensure that technical and operational program components of state level activities of A&T and India level technical inputs reach project goals and objectives in a timely manner. In addition to the staff listed above, the position is also expected to work in close liaison with the A&T headquarters’ A&T Director, Program Officers who oversees the India country program for A&T HQ, and with HQ specialists (staff, consultants, subcontractors).

Job Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership and Quality Assurance/India including Bihar and UP:
(1) Using the latest global technical recommendations (WHO, Lancet, UNICEF, other sources) and the Program Framework developed by A&T for improving nutrition behaviors at scale, and the approaches, examples and tools developed by A&T in Phase 1 (see A&T website and FNB Supplement 2013), provide guidance on evidence-based technical interventions and comprehensive implementation strategies to ensure MIYCN results on a large scale in India;
(2) Provide technical input, leadership, and coordination for the design and implementation of all program components, particularly but not solely community-based elements (behavior change communications, capacity building, advocacy, monitoring and learning); 
(3) Provide leadership to and oversight of the development, testing and application of A&T’s approaches, messages, materials, and tools;
(4) Provide oversight to the same coordinated approach for delivery of program components at the state level in UP and Bihar and maintain close communication and coordination with State A&T Program Managers;
(5) Work closely with the HQ and Region based A&T/India Senior Nutrition Advisors, to provide input into strengthening public health sector capacity building, coverage, delivery, and monitoring;
(6) Develop and implement directly and through other stakeholders, an overarching MIYCN behavior change communication initiative and monitoring, learning, and evaluation framework to ensure A&Tcapacity building efforts in the WCD, NRLM and public health sectors and other sectors, at the national and state levels, are efficiently and effectively put into action and documented and show results;
(7) Help develop annual work plans and project reports, and ensure timely reporting and responses for information to HQ and to donors;
(8) Actively participate in, contribute to, and in some cases conduct or help facilitate major program development and implementation activities (strategic planning, program presentations, technical inputs for advocacy and policy meetings, workshops, training, assessments), as appropriate;
(9) Facilitate the planning, delivery and uptake of technical and strategic inputs provided by A&Tconsultants and staff visiting India for A&T objectives;
(10) In consultation with A&T/HQ, present program results, based on program experience, M&E and evaluation data, to the WCD, NRLM, MOHFW and other professional colleagues and organizations, both in country and internationally;
(11) Ensure that A&T procurement and branding requirements are met for all activities and final products including presentations, in consultation with A&T/HQ;
(12) Other duties as assigned.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES: 

Qualifications
(1) Applicants must have a Master’s degree in one of the following or related fields:  Public Health, Human Nutrition, International Health, Behavior Change Communications or Behavioral Science; 
(2) Applicants having an MBBS, Doctorate in Public Health or Ph.D., shall be strongly preferred.

Experience 
(1) Minimum 8-11 years of relevant experience, with at least five years in a senior technical leadership role for providing technical inputs to a large scale international nutrition or public health project across multiple sectors in a developing country (preferably India);
(2) Extensive knowledge of infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition;
(3) Recent senior technical and program work experience in an Indian setting, (3-5 years in the last 10 years);
(4) Extensive field experience in designing, implementing, monitoring and reporting on technical assistance and capacity building in more than one component (e.g., advocacy, training, BCC) of a public health nutrition program;
(5) Oversight and/or design or program implementation and/or operations research of community activities;
(6) Familiarity with nutrition indicators especially IYCF data collection, analysis, and reporting;
(7) Familiarity with maternal nutrition interventions and global program experience.

Skills and Competencies
(1) Ability to work independently, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities while communicating, connecting, and collaborating with HQ and field office staff, subcontractors, and a broad coalition of government and NGO partners; 
(2) Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills;
(3) Outstanding organizational skills;
(4) Excellent problem-solving skills;
(5) Excellent writing, editorial, and communication skills, including strong oral presentation skills;
(6) Fluency in English (and preferably Hindi) is essential.

Special Requirements: 
(1) This job will require a criminal background check;
(2) Travel to the states of UP and Bihar for 20-30% time; Possible travel in US and/or Asia.

5. COMPENSATION OFFERED:

The gross compensation budgeted for the position is extremely attractive and the offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with qualifications, experience and salary history.

6. LOCATION: New Delhi

7. REFERENCE: STA-AT

8. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Senior Consultant
Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.
1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar 
New Friends Colony, New Delhi 110 025 
Phones: 011-2684-2162; 011-4165-3612; 011-4101-1564 and 011-4101-1565
Email: sta-at@sams.co.in  

9. LAST DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:

Eligible candidates interested in this position are requested apply to sta-at@sams.co.in with a cover letter, discussing their interest in and suitability for the position, along with an updated resume, giving details of three references, current cost to organization and expected compensation, by or before December 19, 2015. For further details please visit www.sams.co.in.