Nutrition Advisor: FEWS NET - Decision Support

Background

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage of acute food insecurity. FEWS NET’s work is implemented across several mechanisms by a team of partners that includes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the University of California-Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Center (UCSB-CHC), NASA Harvest at the University of Maryland, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), American Institutes for Research (AIR), Tetra Tech, and Chemonics International (Chemonics). Chemonics implements FEWS NET’s Decision Support (DS) team, which is charged with providing integrated monitoring and analyses of current and forecast acute food insecurity in countries worldwide to support the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) policy and programmatic decisions. The DS Team operates through a Washington-based technical office and regional and select local FEWS NET offices established in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and eastern Europe.

Based on an in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, DS Team members monitor information and data on factors that affect food security, such as conflict, weather conditions and climate, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. The FEWS NET DS Team produces regular reports, including Food Security Outlooks and Outlook Updates, emergency alerts, market and price
updates, and targeted analyses. FEWS NET makes reports available at www.fews.net and distributes them globally to governments, relief agencies, and other organizations engaged in humanitarian response and development programs.

The eighth phase of FEWS NET began in 2024. The work of the FEWS NET DS Team relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security data and information gathering and analysis. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data sharing and exchanges, collaborative analysis and reporting, and technical capacity strengthening. FEWS NET supports local and regional food security networks with the global objective of achieving food security for all.
 

Job Summary:

Nutrition is an integral part of food security analysis. Poor nutritional status contributes to acute food insecurity as both a potential outcome and a potential driver. Along with data on food consumption and livelihoods, nutrition data contribute to the full set of evidence used to classify the severity of food insecurity for a population. The FEWS NET DS Team incorporates nutrition information and data into its convergence of evidence on current acute food insecurity and when developing assumptions in its scenario development process, FEWS NET’s methodology for developing food security projections. Nutrition information is also a key piece of evidence used as part of Cadre Harmonisé (CH) and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) classifications.

The overarching goal for the FEWS NET DS Team’s nutrition sector is to fully integrate nutrition information into FEWS NET’s early warning and food security analysis, to advise on securing access to and/or collecting nutrition data in priority geographies, and to advise on data quality and best practices for using nutrition data and nutrition-related information in food security analysis. The Nutrition Advisor will lead and coordinate nutrition-related efforts with select regional staff, the FEWS NET DS Team’s integrated analysis teams, and key partners in the broader food security and nutrition community.
 

**This position will be required to work from the Chemonics Washington office at 1275 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington DC, 20003 (3) days a week every other week. This requirement is for those based in the MD, DC, and VA areas. The requirement can be waived for candidates based in other states.**

Responsibilities:

The main responsibilities of the Nutrition Advisor include, but are not limited to:

• Managing the DS Team’s nutrition sector, including setting technical priorities of the sector and regional technical senior specialist for nutrition (RTSS-N), leading on the identification and implementation of work plan activities and other nutrition activities as needed.
• Advising on best practices for the use of nutrition data and information in food security and nutrition analysis, including analysis of nutrition data and development of nutrition assumptions
• Leading development, refinement, and delivery of guidance and capacity development materials for the nutrition sector and FEWS NET DS staff engaging with nutrition data or information.
• Leading the FEWS NET DS Team’s efforts to access nutrition-related data, information, methods information, and metadata, and maintenance of related databases.
• Leading on the development of assumptions on the likely evolution of nutrition for countries monitored by the FEWS NET DS Team as a part of the DS Team’s projection of acute food insecurity up to 12 months into the future.
• Leading FEWS NET DS nutrition data collection activities, including leading planning, management, implementation, and review of primary data collection activities.
• Leading sector-specific collaboration and participation in FEWS NET and cross-sectoral activities, including but not limited to qualitative and quantitative data collection, Expanded Global Early Warning (EGEW), Early Warning
Assessment (EWA), and Rapid Monitoring & Assessment (RM&A) activities, Humanitarian Assistance Decision Support Tool (HADST), among others.
• Collaborating with members of the FEWS NET DS Team, including the Data Management Advisor, Data Management Specialists, and Quality Assurance and Methods Advisor to ensure coordination on delivery of data and data analysis products in fulfilment of USG and USAID regulations and in accordance with FEWS NET Data, Learning and Communications Hub (Hub) standards.
• Closely collaborate with other mechanisms of FEWS NET, as relevant.
• Leading the nutrition sector’s bilateral and multilateral engagements with nutrition and food security partners, including but not limited to IPC/CH analyses, IPC/CH technical development activities, food security/nutrition cluster meetings, and other engagements as relevant.
• Support the DCOP-A in meeting USAID’s expectations on timely delivery of decision support products, which includes, but is not limited to: responding to urgent questions within one day; providing briefings within one week of request;
and contributing nutrition assessments to requests for acute food insecurity analysis in EGEW countries that will be delivered within one week of USAID request.
 

Qualifications:

• Minimum 12 years of experience in a relevant field, such as nutrition, public health, epidemiology, or related field, particularly in a humanitarian setting, is required.
• Master's degree or PhD preferred.
• Written and spoken fluency in English is required; French, Spanish, and/or Arabic language skills are desirable.
• Significant regional experience in analyzing and interpreting nutrition data and understanding of nutrition surveillance and information systems.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively conduct nutrition assessments (SMART surveys), focus group discussions, key informant interviews, other rural rapid appraisal techniques, analyze information from relevant sectors using both
qualitative and quantitative methods is required.
• Detailed knowledge of, and experience with, the IPC’s technical methods and approach are desired.
• Previous experience living and working in a region or country in which FEWS NET project staff work is highly desirable.
• Experience with USAID/Washington and field operations, programs, policies, and procedures is desirable.
• Excellent writing, editing, and presentation skills are required.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required, including demonstrated ability to coordinate productively with diverse partner stakeholders (e.g., UN, non-governmental organizations, host government entities) and
multidisciplinary, multicultural teams, and to work effectively with remote-based colleagues.
• Excellent computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are required; ability to effectively use statistical software packages and/or GIS applications is desirable.

• 10-25% Travel may be required.

The expected US-based hiring salary range for this role is listed below. Candidate FHI 360 pay ranges represent national averages that vary by geographic location. When determining an offer amount, FHI 360 factors in multiple considerations, including but not limited to: relevant years of experience and education possessed by the applicant, internal equity, business sector, and budget. 

Base salary is only one component of our offer. FHI 360 contributes 12% of monthly base pay to a money purchase pension plan account. Additionally, all US based staff working full-time, which is calculated at 40 hours/week, receive 18 days of paid vacation per year, 12 sick days per year, and 11 holidays per year. Paid time off is reduced pro rata for employees working less than a full-time schedule.

US Based Hiring Salary Range: $124,000 - $160,000

International hiring ranges will differ based on location.

This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

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