Overall Purpose/Broad Function:
Lead on, and take responsibility for all technical aspects of program planning and delivery, including providing strategic and technical guidance and quality assurance to the overall Technical Team and sub-contracted TA on all core project activities.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Provide technical leadership on Component 1: Technical assistance to federal, provincial and special area governments
· Provide support to governments at all levels (federal, provincial, special area and districts) to ensure improved political commitment for legislation, regulations and enforcement related to food fortification;
· Support multi-stakeholder national and provincial co-ordination platforms for food fortification including the private sector; ensuring legislation, standards and guidelines for mandatory fortification of wheat flour and edible oil/ghee;
· Lead on activities that strengthen public/private sector management for food control/quality assurance (QA) including inspections, sampling, laboratory capabilities and enforcement/sanctions; and ensuring financial sustainability for the regulators to enable food fortification enforcement and monitoring activities, through for example, incrementally increasing provincial/special area budgets or enabling the ring-fencing of registration/licensing fees.
Provide technical leadership on Component 2: Technical assistance to the flour and vegetable oil/ghee industries
Provide support to industry to ensure that agreed targets for wheat flour and edible oil fortification are met. This will include:
- Engagement with millers and their associations at the provincial and national level to get their support and commitment for food fortification;
- Oversight of equipment specifications and issues related to the installation of micro-feeders;
- Management of the subsidy program for the provision of premix to the wheat flour and edible oil industries on an optimal subsidized sliding scale to ensure sustainability
- Design and troubleshoot QA/QC controls.
Provide technical leadership on Component 3: Public advocacy, media and communications
- Support the communications team to develop and lead public advocacy campaigns to increase public awareness, demand and acceptance of fortified foods, with emphasis on the poor, women of child bearing age and parents of children; and decision-makers and influential actors to make food fortification an issue of national importance.
- Proactively engage large food procurement groups to increase the demand for fortified wheat flour
Provide technical leadership on Component 4: Targeted studies to improve implementation strategies
- Identify potential studies to strengthen implementation strategies and where appropriate maximise impact and programme efficiency. Study findings will be made publically available and may be disseminated nationally and internationally.
Advise on and support an M&E strategy
- Advise on procurement issues including storage, distribution, quality control, due diligence, etc.
Support the Team leader in preparing project reports.
- Other duties and responsibilities as may be required.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- At least 8 direct reports: Oil/Ghee Fortification Manager, Wheat Flour Fortification Manager, 5+ Provincial/sub-provincial Managers
Education/Professional Designations/Experience:
- Minimum 8 years of experience in a managerial role for an international NGO or public sector agency
- Minimum 8 years of experience in public health and/or food security programs in Pakistan
Language Skills
- Fluency in written and spoken English
Travel Requirements
- The position is based in Islamabad
- Frequent travel is expected within Pakistan and occasional travel globally
Other Specific Skill Requirements:
- Proven project management and staff management skills
- Strong network in Pakistan government and fortification industry in Pakistan
- Strong understanding of fortification industry and nutrition context in Pakistan
- Strong advocacy skills
- Demonstrated understanding of results-based management, performance measurement frameworks and fundamentals of program monitoring and donor reporting
- Strong MS Excel and Word skills
- Strong interpersonal communication skills; able to work diplomatically with different stakeholder groups