BACKGROUND

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.

GAIN fights malnutrition in Ethiopia through innovative and sustainable models that increase access to affordable nutritious foods among communities vulnerable to malnutrition and is currently implementing a project that contributes to address undernutrition among vulnerable groups of people. This project is designed to improve access to affordable nutritious foods for children 6-59 months through providing technical support to the selected nutrition/fortified children’s food producers and community-based delivery channels and to increase demand to the consumption of those foods.

OBJECTIVE

The Consultant Junior Associate - will monitor and support the availability of nutritious children’s food in the identified delivery channels and demand creation activities in the target areas under the supervision of Senior Project Manager and technical support of Market Specialist.

The Junior Associate-Better Diet For Children (BDFC) will work closely with the government, business partners, private sectors, other civil society organizations and consultants to assist achieving impacts through scalable models of nutritious children’s food production, identifying and activating effective delivery channels and stimulating demands for the consumption of nutrition children’s food by the target groups.

ASSIGNMENT LOCATION

Aksum and Inda Silase Towns

NUMBER OF REQUIRED CONSULTANT

Two (one per town)

DURATION OF THE CONTRACT

Twelve (12) months

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE  JUNIOR ASSOCIATE   

Delivery Channels

·       Reinforce targeted delivery channels to position nutritious food for mothers of targeted children

·       Sensitise existing delivery channels and identify sells gap to supply nutritious food through the existing channels

·       Support the selected public and private delivery channels to increase take-up of nutritious food by the targeted children.

·       Support the safe stocking and delivery of nutritious food in the targeted delivery channels

Demand Creation and Behaviour Change

·       Assist the demand creation activities implemented in target areas in collaboration with government, GAIN team and consultants

·       Assist to explore determinants of nutritious food consumption by targeted groups

·       Facilitate the implementation of effective and innovative demand creation activities

Production

·       Assist the identification of distribution challenges of local nutritious food and assist the implementation of the solutions

·       Sensitise targeted producers to deliver selected nutritious foods to the targeted delivery channels timely

Facilitation 

·       Liaise the project with government and other stakeholder with the support of GAIN Marketing Specialist and Senior Project Manager

·       Facilitate enabling environment for the implementation of GAIN’s complementary food project

·       Develop relationships with private sector producers and distributers of nutritious children food and work closely with them to assist the production, promotion and distribution of nutritious foods and supplements.

·       Participate in the supportive supervision and project monitoring activities to contribute to the   smooth running of the proect with clear project deliverables and reporting system.

·       Develop monthly report with simplified reporting format and submit to GAIN Ethiopia office

·       Assist in documentation and record keeping including taking minutes with partner meetings

KEY ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

·       Senior Project Manager and Market Specialist

·       Other GAIN Ethiopia country team

·       Interaction with key project partners and external stakeholders

DELIVERABLES

·       Monthly progress report including self-performed and performed by other consultants within the project in the target town

·       Strong communication and negotiation skills

·       Basic computer literacy with Excel, MS Word, and Power Point skills.

·       Able to prioritize, multi-task, and work well under pressure with frequent deadlines.

·       Strong facilitation skill

·       Analytical, with the ability to effectively liaise with government offices and private business sectors.

·       Proactive with a commitment to quality and accuracy with close attention to detail.

·       Willing to travel within the towns frequently

·       Skill of riding bicycle

Experience

·       Relevant experience in project implementation and management, preferably for social marketing and behaviour change programs.

·       Experience in public health and/or nutrition is highly desirable but not essential.

Education

·       Diploma in nutrition, health, agriculture, marketing or any suitable equivalent is required

Other Requirements

·       Very good command of English and the local language