Job Vacancy: Job title: Food Fortification Specialist, Inspiring Good Nutrition Initiatives Through Enterprise (IGNITE) and Digital QA/QC (DQAQC) Program
Job description: Description :
Title: Food Fortification Specialist, Inspiring Good Nutrition Initiatives Through Enterprise (IGNITE) and Digital QA/QC (DQAQC)Program
Reports to: Senior Program Manager, IGNITE
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
About TechnoServe:
Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business 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.
Job Summary:
The Food Fortification Specialist will report to the IGNITE Senior Program Manager and engage closely with local food companies to help identify capacity gaps and specific Technical Assistance (TA) needed to support quality fortification. He/She will also collaborate with the Fortification Partners to design and deliver technical modules through program templates.
Program/Practice/Department Overview:
The Inspiring Good Nutrition Initiatives Through Enterprise (IGNITE) will build on the foundations of the Technical Assistance Accelerator Prelude (TAAP) program to achieve increased motivation and fortification capability of millers leading to increased proportion of fortified staple foods and conversion of a critical mass of millers to improved FF practices across at least eight countries.
IGNITE will facilitate the activation and expansion of a catalytic collective impact initiative – the Millers 4 Nutrition (M4N) coalition – to globally coordinate and locally implement an ultimately sustainable model for delivery of technical assistance (TA) and other services to millers. These TA services, and associated engagement platforms, will establish business cases and motivate and develop capabilities of food processors to improve their performance in the fortification of selected staple foods and condiments, and thereby to achieve large-scale and relevant (contributing to the diets of large proportions of populations in countries where staple FF has been identified as part of national nutrition strategies) coverage on a sustained basis. The IGNITE program will be implemented in eight priority countries namely Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Tanzania.
The Digital DQAQC Program is a Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation-funded initiative. The program consists of a consortium of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), TechnoServe (TNS), expert IT companies, private sector partner, and consultants to pilot and scale up the development of a Digital DQAQC System for food fortification. The Digital DQAQC System is specifically designed for the food producers to create an internal quality control check and a country-owned digital user-friendly system that would enable the producers and the authorities to generate data, monitor data, and trace data on food fortification quality from the factories to the markets.
The aim of the program is to reduce hidden hunger, commonly referred to as micronutrient deficiency, through large-scale food fortification. The program will work with selected edible oil processors in Nigeria to develop a platform of integrated sensors and software that will present an effective and efficient oversight of the production process and product quality at every point along the fortification pathway. The strategy is to strengthen food fortification compliance by promoting and reinforcing automated data collection during the production process for the efficient delivery of high-quality products to consumers. To understand the adequate quality of fortified foods and to initiate corrective actions, data collection throughout various points of the food fortification value chain.
Primary Functions & Responsibilities:
Technical Duties
- Identify, engage, and maintain relationships with edible oil producers for the IGNITE/DQAQC program.
- Support the execution of stakeholder engagement and operational plan for program node.
- Coordinate stakeholder convenings and sector-wide training, in collaboration with the Senior Program Manager and in alignment with strategic objectives.
- Work with selected food processors to identify their challenges to adequate fortification compliance, support assisted companies with solutions to address these challenges and coordinate with Strategic Fortification Partners (SFPs) to execute Technical Assistance (TA).
- Identify common fortification challenges and work with the IGNITE/ DQAQC team to support the design and delivery of sector-wide training workshops to strengthen these gaps.
- Review, monitor, and report on all programmatic activities including periodic progress, and financial reports, ensuring strict compliance with Techno’s objectives, strategies, policies, and procedures. Make appropriate recommendations for the implementation plan.
Key Organizational Relationships
The Food Technologist will report directly to the Senior Program Manager on strategic issues related to work planning, targets, budgets, staff, and program delivery.
- The Food Technologist will receive technical oversight and support from the Senior Program Manager and the Strategic Fortification Partners (SFP) with respect to training and technology transfer to assisted companies.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelors degree with 3 years of experience working in the food industry for either the private sector or implementing on behalf of a development program in food technology, Nutrition, or food industry related fields
- Alternatively a Master’s degree with 1 year experience preferred.
- Sales or marketing experience, including identification and classification of stakeholders.
- Budget management and use of project management system is an advantage.
- Computer literacy with excellent Excel, MS Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Food processing experience, preferably in staple foods, with an understanding of quality management, food regulatory compliance and fortification technology.
- Analytical mind and commitment to quality; rigorous approach with a high level of attention to detail.
Knowledge, skills and Abilities:
- Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills. Demonstrated ability to capture, synthesize, and present programming and organizational successes and lessons learned.
- Experience working in Nigeria or other West African countries.
- Experience travelling independently within different regions in Nigeria for work.
- Proven ability to work in an environment requiring collaboration with the private sector, government, and national and international organizations.
- Strong negotiation and communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Flexible, proactive, goal-oriented and with a willingness to travel in challenging environments.
- Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
- Ability to use initiative, prioritize, multi-task, and work well under pressure to meet deadlines.
- Clear and systematic thinking demonstrating good judgment, problem-solving, and creativity.
- Organizing, planning and time management.
- Teamwork/relationship – works cooperatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member or leader.
Required Languages:
- Excellent command of spoken and written English is essential.
- Working knowledge of French and any other Nigerian language, Hausa/Igbo is highly desirable.
Travel: Ability and willingness to travel both locally and abroad.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Good understanding of working remotely.
- Strong analytical, program management, and analytical skills.
- Demonstrated ability to convey messages through clear and concise methods.
Supervisory Responsibilities – None applicable.
Advert close date: July 19, 2023
Closing Statements:
We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe’s vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.
With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.
We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.
If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at or call +1 202 785 4515.
Location: Nigeria
Job date: Sun, 16 Jul 2023 04:49:59 GMT
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