Senior Technical Advisor – Research, Data Systems, and Capacity Strengthening, USAID Advancing Food Fortification Opportunities to Reinforce Diets

Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of businesses and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.

The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing...when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off. 

Project Description:

The USAID Advancing Food Fortification Opportunities to Reinforce Diets (AFFORD) program is designed to provide operational support to field Missions and other Operating Units (OUs) of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), contributing to the goals of the U.S. government Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) through the implementation of programming aligned with USAID’s Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF) Results Framework. AFFORD seeks to safely and sustainably reduce micronutrient inadequacies and improve diets, particularly for women and children, through LSFF of staple foods and condiments. 

Job Summary:

The Senior Technical Advisor – Research, Data Systems, and Capacity Strengthening will report to the Food Fortification Research, Data, and Systems Director. The Senior Technical Advisor will provide leadership and strategic inputs and direction to USAID AFFORD to ensure high quality design and implementation of research, data generation and use, and capacity strengthening activities to support achievement of the project’s large-scale food fortification (LSFF) objectives. The Senior Technical Advisor will work collaboratively with project staff, partners, and stakeholders to lead and support the design and implementation of needs assessments and research protocols to identify and fill research, data, and data use gaps. The position will also lead efforts to strengthen the capacity of regional and national civil society organizations (CSOs) in data collection, analysis, interpretation, and use for evidence-based LSFF advocacy, and accountability. The Senior Technical Advisor may supervise other technical staff on the project.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and implementation of needs assessments to identify research, data use, and capacity strengthening gaps and priorities at global, regional and country levels.
• Lead the design, planning, and conducting of prioritized research to respond to key gaps in effective LSFF programming and critical areas of learning to ensure achievement of project objectives.
• Provide technical leadership in the design, development, planning, implementation, and monitoring of capacity strengthening activities for civil society organizations.
• Ensure the use of state-of-the-art capacity strengthening methods to improve CSO capacity to conduct quality LSFF assessments and improve data availability, access, visualization, and use for advocacy and accountability.
• Support regional and country stakeholders to generate and use data for LSFF decision making.
• Provide guidance and technical assistance to develop new and/or update existing guides, tools and/or training materials for large-scale food fortification program design and implementation.
• Lead the development and application of training, mentoring, and coaching materials to strengthen civil society organization capacities in identified areas of need.
• Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team to ensure research and capacity strengthening activities and learning (Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting, CLA) are captured in the MEL data system and reporting and used for project improvement.
• Work with the USAID AFFORD Knowledge Management and Communications team to identify, document, and disseminate research results and successes and lessons learned in civil society capacity strengthening related to LSFF.
• Represent USAID AFFORD in regional LSFF meetings, webinars, working groups, and professional meetings and conferences.
• Support regional and national research and civil society partners and stakeholders to participate in global or regional events to share LSFF research and advocacy and accountability experiences and lea