Nutrition, Gender and Social Inclusion Coordinator (NOURISH Project)

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner working in more than 20 countries across Africa and Asia. Building on 60 years of experience and together with our team of over 1,600 people, we strengthen capacities and catalyze partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems, which enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all. Grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we work on the core themes of gender equality and social inclusion, climate adaptation and mitigation, and strong institutions and effective governance.

Background: NOURISH Tanzania

‘Empowering Smallholder Farmers for Food Security and Climate Resilience’ (NOURISH Tanzania) aims to achieve resilient food security for smallholder farmer households in key regions of Tanzania.
Tanzanian SHF households heavily dependent on agriculture face significant food insecurity and nutrition challenges. SHFs have low productivity due to poor quality seed, limited and variable rainfall, poor extension services, and limited access to markets. Lack of knowledge of nutritional requirements and how to meet them, exacerbated by gender inequalities, affects household nutrition.

• The project focuses on two geographic areas, both of which experience food insecurity and malnutrition, but which are distinctly different: the central-northern zone (Singida, Dodoma, Manyara) which suffers from acute food insecurity, and the Southern Highlands (Songwe, Rukwa) which faces chronic malnutrition. The project targets 168,000 SHFs and 100 MSMEs and farm organizations, with special emphasis on vulnerable SHFs. With a focus on four high-potential value chains (sorghum, sunflower, common bean, and vegetables), the project will tackle barriers to SHF food security through three interconnected outcome pathways:

1. Increased productivity: strengthening SHF climate-smart agricultural knowledge, skills, and access to inputs and finance.
2. Increased and diversified food supply to local markets: fostering collaborations among market actors, promoting digital solutions, and empowering SHFs and MSMEs.
3. Improved utilization of household resources to provide nutritious and diverse food: promoting nutritious diets, household food budgeting, and enabling women to have greater influence in HH decisions.

SNV is leading a consortium together with Farm Africa, and partners with five local organizations including two local CSOs. The partners have significant experience in climate-resilient agriculture, nutrition, digital technology applications, and GESI. The project’s total budget is NOK 200 million over five years and is funded by Norad.

Purpose of the role

The NOURISH Project Nutrition, Gender, and Social Inclusion (GESI) Coordinator plays a core technical advisory and leadership role in the delivery of the five-year food security and nutrition project. The role is responsible for ensuring nutrition and GESI strategic and technical considerations are mainstreamed into planning, implementation, monitoring and learning across the entire project, and helping ensure the project adequately targets women and vulnerable, food-stressed households. The role is responsible for coordinating and implementing pathway 3 delivery – smallholder farmer household dynamics for improved nutrition. Internally, the Nutrition and GESI Coordinator will also provide necessary strategic and technical inputs to the design and review of key studies including evaluations, and coordinate capacity building of team and partners. The role will manage the selected partner leading on behavior change communication activities and keep close working relationships with key government and non-government partners to establish technical exchanges, strategic advisory, information flows and policy linkages.

The successful candidate will have a track record in successful senior advisory and project management in nutrition and/or GESI, involving aspects of planning, stakeholder coordination, activity implementation, team collaboration, budget management, monitoring, and reporting. She/he will have implementing or project experience on integrated nutrition, gender, and agriculture (rural development) work-streams. The candidate will have relevant in-depth knowledge of gender and socio-economic dynamics across different parts of Tanzania, and practical experience gained from working within either the private sector, public sector, or a development organization.

Project management and technical advisory:

• Provide cutting-edge advisory to the whole team to ensure nutrition and GESI strategic and technical issues are consistently mainstreamed into planning, implementation, monitoring, and learning across the project.
• Primary delivery responsibility for achieving activities and outputs in support of outcome 3 (smallholder farmer household dynamics for improved nutrition):
  • Increased SHF household capacity in nutrition, food safety and budgeting.
  • Increased capacity of SHFs (especially youth) to process nutritious crops.
• Develop and review work plans, budgets, and progress reporting for the household-level activities across two geographic areas, in close collaboration with the Deputy Team Leader and Value Chain Coordinators.
• Provide technical leadership to the design, review, and learning on nutrition and gender findings from baseline, midline and endline studies and evaluations.
• Lead the development of a project-level GESI action plan during the inception phase to guide the project.
• Coordinate and foster collaboration with relevant local-level structures and groups for key household-targeted activities, in collaboration with local CSO partners and other team members.
• Continuously identify opportunities for new interventions and partnerships in support of project outcomes.
• Ensure proper control and management of financial resources for outcome 3 activities.
• Ensure the quality of project deliverables and provide technical input to meet the required standards.
• Identify risks in a timely manner and work with the project team to develop mitigation plans.

Teamwork and stakeholder relationship management:

• Support ‘one team’ matrix ways of working across value chains and geographies, and collaborate with other cross-cutting roles responsible for FinTech, MEL, and communications.
• Coordinate capacity building of the NOURISH team and partners on issues relating to nutrition and gender.
• Establish and maintain good relations with the food security, nutrition and gender departments in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and TAMISEMI, and provide strategic advisory to the Team Leader on issues of strategic and technical importance.
• Develop and maintain an effective network and relationships with key public and private stakeholders for project delivery especially in relation to outcome 3.
• Manage the contractual partnership with selected partners leading on behavior change communication activities.
• Present results and represent the project as required in national, regional, and international forums.

Monitoring, learning and, knowledge management:

• Monitor the progress of the project on nutrition activities, targets, and objectives, and support the project M&E coordinator in data collection and analysis, and the design and review of key studies.
• Facilitate cross-learning and participate in periodic (quarterly and annual) project reflection processes with focus on  progress, adaptation, and learning (with focus on ensuring key learning questions are answered).
• Prepare high high-quality and quarterly reports and contribute to internal and external knowledge sharing by documenting project insights.

• Master’s degree in a relevant field, MBA, or other advanced degree.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant senior management experience with complex development programs.
• Extensive management and technical experience working in the field of agriculture, agribusiness, nutrition, sustainable livelihoods and/or rural development in Tanzania, and preferably in other countries.
• Experience with market-based approaches and working with the private sector to achieve outcomes.
• Strong reputation and network with government and private sector actors in agriculture and agribusiness, with extensive knowledge of political economy.
• Experience managing high high-performing-disciplinary teams, and annual budgets above EUR 3 million.
• Solid understanding of nutrition, climate, and gender-sensitive approaches for smallholder farmers.
• Fluency in both written and spoken English and Kiswahili.
• Experience in collaborative and adaptive monitoring, evaluation, and learning

Desired attributes:

• Able to strategically lead, inspire, and energize program teams in a collegiate manner.
• Self-awareness, possessing high levels of emotional intelligence and respect for staff, colleagues, and partners.
• Highly motivated self-starter, with strong organizational skills, who takes individual accountability seriously.
• Adaptive yet result-oriented with strong planning, analytic and decisive mindset.
• Excellent social and communication skills (written and oral), as well as reporting and presentation skills.
• Commitment to continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
• Strong sense of integrity and personal commitment to the goals and values of SNV and Farm Africa.
• Ability to undertake unaccompanied travel and operate in the field

• Location: Preferably Dodoma or Sumbawanga (but will consider Dar es Salaam for exceptional candidates) with regular field travel (40-50%)
• Reports to: Team Leader, NOURISH Project
• Staff reporting to post holder: N/A
• Contracted to: SNV
• Contract Duration: 2 years, with possibility of extension
• Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, including a competitive secondary benefits package.
• Desired Start Date: April 2024

How to Apply

Submit your application on or before 5 pm EAT on Friday, 20th February 2024, if you wish to be considered for this position. All information will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.  We will revert to you as soon as feasible when we have reviewed your application, though due to the expected high number of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Working at SNV

SNV offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. We offer a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit from, and contribute to, an internal global network of experts across sectors. For more information, please visit our website: www.snv.org

SNV is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are encouraged to apply.

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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