ABOUT CRS
Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

JOB SUMMARY:
The Regional Technical Advisor for Health and Nutrition will provide technical support and advice to programs in 11 countries in the West Africa Region, including Burkina Faso (Cote d’Ivoire), Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal (Gambia, Guinea Bissau), and Sierra Leone.

The RTA for Health and Nutrition will lead the health portfolio in the West Africa Region, supervising the RTA for Health Systems Strengthening and Malaria, and will provide technical expertise in nutrition. The inc umbent will possess strong expertise and experience in nutrition and health programming, knowledge of industry standards and best practices, and strong capacity in technical writing (in English and French) for products such as proposals and technical studies. S/he will work closely with his/her counterpart TAs in other sectors to ensure cross-sectoral integration of activities and to jointly advance WARO’s strategic priorities. The incumbent will also collaborate closely with members of the Agency global health technical team to advance health/ nutrition programming in WARO. With the current crisis of the global COVID 19 pandemic, he/she will also serve as the regional focal point for COVID 19, liaising with health staff within the region and across the Agency, and collaborating closely with CRS’s Humanitarian Response Department. S/he will represent CRS in regional and global working groups in the domain of health and nutrition, for example the West Africa Regional Nut rition Working Group and the West Africa Regional Health Working Group.

CRS’s health projects in the West Africa region include nutrition-specific projects as well as large integrated nutrition and MNCH programs funded by donors such as USAID, USDA and Helmsley Foundation. The West Africa region is home to several national, large-scale malaria programs funded by Global Fund, and CRS is currently leading emergency or recovery programming in response to the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel, which include health and food security components, as well as emergency response to the COVID 19 health crisis.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
* Provide technical leadership and strategic assistance to WARO country programs in the design, implementation and monitoring of nutrition and other health activities to ensure technically sound and high quality projects, in alignment with regional and Agency strategic priorities.
* Ensure the application of Agency and industry best practices and standards, and facilitate robust learning for evidence-based health programming across WARO.
* Support funding acquisition by providing technical/design leadership, leveraging existing learning, identifying and cultivating strategic opportunities, and assisting country teams in the development of winning proposals.
* Mentor and build the capacity of Country Program staff in nutrition and SBC.
* Ensure CRS’s presence in the regional arena in actively participating in appropriate regional and global technical groups.

Technical Leadership and Assistance
* Provide technical guidance and solutions to West Africa country programs in the design, implementation, and monitoring of health-related programming.

This shall include, but not be limited to, the following responsibilities:
* Articulate a clear vision and lead the health strategic priority areas for the West Africa Region in alignment with the Agency 2030 strategy and WARO 2030 Vision for the sector;
* Engage in project start-up, monitoring, analysis, course-corrections and evaluations to ensure high quality, impactful program implementation.
* Support programs in the development of M&E studies including baseline surveys, participatory rural assessments, operations research and analysis of results, as needed.
* Share guidance in the use of relevant agency policies and key conceptual frameworks in the development of regional and country level health programs and project proposals.
* Lead and coordinate the application of health behavior models and behavior change strategies into new and ongoing nutrition and health programs in the region.

QUALIFICATIONS
* Advanced degree in nutrition, public health, behavior change or health-related field.
* Minimum of 5 years of experience in international health development either as a technical advisor or health / nutrition program manager, preferably in Africa.
* Excellent writing skills with the ability to design and lead proposal processes.
* Experience in program design/management, program quality and performance assessment as part of ongoing efforts to improve aid effectiveness.
* Experience applying social behavior change communication models.
* Strong analytical skills, sound judgment and the capacity to think and plan strategically.
* Excellent leadership and coordination skills and capabilities with high-level of personal motivation and initiative.

Required Language(s)
* Fluency in oral and written communication French and English.

Travel Required
* The position will require extensive travel (25-30%) throughout West Africa and trips to CRS headquarters in Baltimore, as necessary.

Supervisory Responsibilities: RTA for Health Systems Strengthening & Malaria

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

This vacancy is archived.

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