Manager, Agriculture and Nutrition ~ Paradaise Today

Manager, Agriculture and Nutrition

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is driven by the vision of a world without malnutrition. GAIN is a Swiss based international organization that mobilizes public-private partnerships and provides financial and technical support to deliver nutritious foods to those people most at risk of malnutrition. The organization is delivering improved nutrition to an estimated 700 million people in more than 30 countries, half of whom are women and children.

By strengthening the value chain, GAIN's Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative intends to make nutritious diets more affordable and accessible for vulnerable populations. To this end, we take a market-based approach, promoting local private-sector investment across the value chain. We have also developed tools to improve the nutritional outcomes of more traditional agricultural interventions. Because little research exists in this field—into how agricultural systems can be modified to improve the nutritional density of foods, or into how to reduce an agricultural commodity's loss of nutrients as it moves up the value chain—we are building the evidence base through rigorous research. With our strategy, we hope to reach a formative, sustainable and scalable solution to food insecurity and malnutrition. For instance, through The Marketplace for Nutritious Foods (The Marketplace), we are supporting local enterprises in Africa.

Manager, Agriculture and Nutrition

The Manager, Agriculture & Nutrition Initiative will work closely with the Initiative's Director and the wider team to build and expand the scope of GAIN's work in agriculture and nutrition in priority countries and to provide support and ensure that all project activities are delivered according to the set targets and implementation timeframe.

Responsibilities

Manages GAIN's networks and partnerships across agriculture and nutrition sectors.
Contributes domain expertise in agriculture and nutrition, especially post-harvest systems, and rigorous analysis to preparing proposals.
Manages the day-to-day project design process, funding and implementation approval of projects in selected countries, including the submission of concepts to the Investment Committee and Project Review processes.
Supports the transition of projects to Program Delivery and ongoing interaction with country offices during project implementation.
Liaises with program development and delivery teams to ensure that all project activities are completed according to the project implementation timeframe and budget.
Analyzes the performance progress of the Initiative in collaboration with GAIN's Monitoring, Learning and Research team.
Raises visibility of the Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative, with some representational responsibilities. Manages the Initiative's knowledge management and visibility strategy internally and externally. Prepares high-quality, rigorous reports and other materials to communicate the achievements of the Initiative to GAIN's Executive Management Committee, the Board of Directors, donors and the general public.
Supports the Initiative Director in the annual work and budget planning processes.

Experience

5-10 years of experience in developing and managing nutrition and/or agriculture projects in a development or commercial context, including delivery experience in the field.
Experience in a multi-cultural environment and preferably in managing local issues in developing countries.
Experience working with private sector partners or within an agriculture or food business in a relevant role.
Knowledge of most recent literature on the subject and science behind the programs.
Track record of preparing successful proposals for agriculture, nutrition or public health programs.

Skills & Attributes

Technical knowledge of agriculture, food security and nutrition, with a particular knowledge in post-harvest systems.
Excellent project management and strategic thinking skills.
Proven ability to use initiative, prioritize, multi-task and to work well under pressure to meet deadlines.
Proven ability to operate within the corporate and public sectors to effectively liaise with private companies, development agencies and governments in multiple cultures.
Strong communication skills, oral and written, in English. Effective communicator in multicultural, multi-lingual environments.
Flexible, goal oriented and willingness and ability to travel in challenging environments.
IT literate with excellent MS Office skills including advanced Excel and PowerPoint.
Knowledge of another language is an important asset.

Education