Nutrition Advocacy Consultant

Position:Nutrition Advocacy Consultant

Organization: World Food Programme (WFP)

Duty Station: Sunninghill, Johannesburg, frequent travel to WFP’s operations in Southern Africa

BACKGROUND:

As the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) core mandate and strengths centre around three priorities: saving lives in emergency situations; improving the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people; and helping to build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities.

WFP has a critical role to play as a development partner and nutrition agency, particularly in the southern Africa region, where economic growth is combined with deep inequalities and persistently high rates of HIV and chronic malnutrition. Within this context, WFP’s capacity to advocate for the integration of nutrition and HIV within larger national agendas and priorities, garner partnerships and joint efforts around it, and contribute to long-term investments in nutrition and HIV sensitive programming, must be a central focus. WFP’s efforts in this realm serve to support government priorities, in alignment with the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement.

OBJECTIVE:

The consultant will lead in the development of a nutrition advocacy strategy in one or two selected WFP country offices (COs), with the overall objective to 1) raise the profile of nutrition among government, donors, and partners in view of strengthening commitments and investments in nutrition-specific and -sensitive actions, and 2) enhance WFP’s positioning in nutrition to facilitate opportunities for fostering partnerships, mobilizing resources, and ultimately supporting the government in achieving nutrition objectives outlined in national frameworks or movements.

SPECIFIC TASKS:

• Identify commitment gaps and key nutrition issues that WFP can help address through an advocacy strategy and action plan, as based on information from a nutrition situation analysis; and
• Conduct a mapping of all stakeholders, partners or potential allies, target audiences, and key influencers (including those who might argue opposing views) to inform joint advocacy and relationship-building strategies.
• Assess capacity within the WFP CO to implement potential advocacy actions - including a stock-taking of available financial resources and staffing/time capacity.
• Based on these assessments, help the CO determine whether a WFP-specific or joint UN advocacy strategy is most appropriate and feasible for the context; and generate advocacy objectives with specific and measurable plans for their achievement for the CO and/or joint strategy. Plans to follow up and monitor actions should be built into the plan.
• Help initiate the process of advocacy roll-out, including planning for or convening meetings with allies, stakeholders, and key influencers with the potential to support or undermine the advocacy objectives.
• While working closely with a junior staff, the consultant will act as lead in the advocacy strategy support mission(s), He/she will also provide guidance to the junior colleague throughout the process, helping to build the junior staff‘s capacity to independently carry out similar processes in the future.

DELIVERABLES:

• A gap analysis looking at nutrition response capacity at both WFP and national level, as well as commitment gaps among government/donors/partners with potential to be addressed through advocacy
• A comprehensive stakeholder mapping to give a picture of potential allies, key influencers, and target audiences for nutrition messaging
• A nutrition advocacy strategy developed with the CO as based on these assessments
• An advocacy action plan to implement the strategy, containing objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound
• A budget plan indicating the resources necessary for the achievement of the actions outlined in the advocacy plan

TIMELINE

Between June and December 2015 for a maximum of 60 working days, with possible extension to 90.

LOCATION

The consultant shall be based in the Regional Bureau in Johannesburg. For the in-country advocacy strategy support work with country office(s), the consultant will have to travel to the selected target countries.

SUPERVISION

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Nutrition/HIV Senior Regional Programme Advisor, in consultation with other regional bureau nutrition/HIV unit members.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

University degree, preferably advanced, in social science, especially Communications, International Development, Public Health, or other related fields; Degree in Nutrition or related technical areas also valuable in conjunction with experience in areas mentioned below

Experience:

10 years of experience in international development, preferably geared towards nutrition/HIV, advocacy, communications, donor relations, fundraising, or partnership development;

Extensive experience cultivating partnerships with high-level government counterparts, media, multi-lateral agencies, and NGOs;

Previous work in an advisory role for strategic planning linked to nutrition advocacy is highly desirable

Knowledge and Skills:

Knowledge of nutrition and HIV development landscape in southern Africa and global nutrition priorities and frameworks (including the SUN Movement);

Strong analytical as well as verbal and written communications skills

Language:

Excellent written and verbal communication in English is requisite and proficiency in French is desirable

Desirable:

Previous work with WFP or other UN agencies in Africa is an asset; Experience developing budget plans for advocacy-related activities

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested individuals meeting the above qualifications are requested to submit a cover letter together with a detailed curriculum vitae and a United Nations Personal History Form (P.11), via email to:HR.Johannesburg@wfp.orgquoting Announcement No: 002/2015.