Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Nutrition Specialist

Job Title: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Nutrition Specialist

Organization: Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim – Canada

Report To: Associate Director, Nutrition

Location: Nairobi, Kenya (1 position) and Dakar, Senegal (1 position)

Job Type: Full-time, 1-year contract with a possibility of extension

Start Date: October 2022

Work Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Salary: CAD 75K – 80K per annum

ABOUT US

Created in 1979, Action Against Hunger is a non-governmental organization that aims to provide solutions to hunger. Our mission is to save lives by eliminating hunger through the prevention, detection, and treatment of under-nutrition, particularly during and after emergency situations linked to conflicts or natural disasters. Action Against Hunger focuses on nutrition, health, and healthcare practices; food security and livelihoods; water, sanitation and hygiene and advocacy.

Action Against Hunger is one of the 15 organizations (including other international NGOs, United Nations agencies and Regional Inter-governmental bodies) that form the global partnership of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The IPC is a multi-partner initiative to facilitate decision-making for improved food security and nutrition analysis. The IPC uses a set of tools and protocols for classifying the severity and nature of food insecurity and malnutrition linked to implications for response. IPC incorporates a meta-analysis approach drawing on evidence-based analysis that includes a broad range of data sets and stakeholders. It is currently implemented in 30 countries around the world and keeps expanding in response to growing food insecurity and increased levels of malnutrition globally. The operational arm of the IPC Partnership is the IPC Global Support Unit (GSU). In the Sahel and West Africa region, IPC GSU collaborates with the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) partnership, which uses similar tools and procedures to classify acute food insecurity.

In response to the increasing demand for full integration of nutrition analysis within IPC food security analysis, the IPC Acute Malnutrition (IPC AMN) scale was first rolled-out in 2016. Since then, the use of the IPC AMN scale has expanded reaching 19 countries to date, including six countries in the Sahel and West Africa region under the coordination of the Nutrition Task Force of the CH Technical Committee. The IPC AMN has been recommended by the Global Nutrition Cluster as the primary tool for nutrition situation analysis in all countries where acute malnutrition is of concern.

As the demand for IPC AMN findings is growing, there is a need to step up human capacity to support high quality IPC AMN analyses and ensure synergies with nutrition information systems and the humanitarian program cycle, in order to better inform decision-making. Within this context, Action Against Hunger has identified IPC AMN as an area to provide in-depth support.

ABOUT THE ROLE

IPC Nutrition Specialist will help strengthen the coordination and technical support for Integrated Food Security Phase Classification AMN analysis and related activities by closely working with the IPC Global Support Unit.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of Associate Director, Nutrition at Action Against Hunger Canada and indirect supervision of the IPC Regional Coordinator at the IPC Global Support Unit (GSU), the responsibilities of the IPC Nutrition Specialist will be:

Technical Support for Capacity Development and Delivery of IPC AMN Analyses

§ Conduct IPC acute malnutrition trainings for regional and country level partners and other trainings on thematic topics as needed.

§ Support and promote other activities related to IPC capacity development, including preparation of training and analysis packages, cross-country learning exchange package and other efforts in support of the IPC Community of Practice at regional and country level.

§ Provide technical guidance to country stakeholders on data collection and analysis to ensure that data meets the requirements for IPC analysis.

§ Support country IPC Technical Working Groups for the preparation of IPC AMN analyses, including gathering, re-analyzing and organizing data.

§ Lead and facilitate IPC AMN analyses by engaging with partners at country level.

§ Provide remote technical support for IPC AMN analyses led by partners.

§ Provide technical support to country IPC Technical Working Groups for the analysis of linkages between IPC AMN and IPC Acute Food Insecurity (AFI) or to Cadre Harmonisé

§ Provide support for content development of IPC AMN reports and other communication outputs, including joint IPC AMN – AFI communication products.

Planning and Coordination Support at Regional and Country Level

§ Contribute to regular planning of IPC AMN activities at regional level.

§ Support multi-partner coordination efforts for the planning and implementation of IPC AMN trainings and AMN analyses at regional and country level.

§ Promote and support engagement of all relevant country stakeholders in IPC processes.

§ Promote and support synergies, linkages, and complementarities between IPC and nutrition information systems, early warning systems, and the overall Humanitarian Program Cycle at regional and country level.

§ Where relevant, advocate for and support the expansion of data collection by partners and, consequently IPC AMN analyses coverage at country level.

§ Support coordination efforts with regional-level Action Against Hunger technical support service for nutrition assessments.

Other Tasks

§ Support the IPC Regional Coordinator and IPC/CH partners at regional and country level to strengthen the institutionalization and governance of the IPC/CH.

§ Support lessons learning exercises at country level to inform action to enhance in-country IPC AMN analyses within the broader framework of the Humanitarian Program Cycle

§ Support the expansion and introduction of the IPC AMN in new countries, prioritizing those facing major food crises.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

§ Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in one of the following fields: Nutrition, Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Social Sciences, Life Sciences, or other related discipline.

§ Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in nutrition assessments and/or analysis.

§ 3-5 years of work experience in developing countries and emergency context.

§ Experience working with international and local partners and local authorities.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND OTHER ATTRIBUTES

§ Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills.

§ Demonstrable partner coordination skills and ability to work well within multi-sector and multi-agency working groups.

§ Excellent written and verbal communication in English as well as French.

§ Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to establish harmonious working relations in a multicultural environment.

§ Strong interpersonal skills.

§ Knowledge of Portuguese or Arabic would be considered an asset.

WORK CONDITIONS

§ Work from home or extensive travel.

§ Required to be seated whilst completing computer and desk-based tasks for long periods.

Action Against Hunger Canada is committed to the creation of a diverse and inclusive workplace. We actively welcome applications from Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women, persons of all sexual orientations and genders. If you are invited to continue the selection process, please notify our human resources representative of any accommodation or special measures that you may require.

Action Against Hunger Canada is committed to promoting the well-being of people around the world and focuses its efforts on saving lives through the elimination of hunger. To that end, we uphold the principles of independence, neutrality, non-discrimination, unrestricted access to assistance, professionalism, and transparency in all our operations. We have ZERO TOLERANCE towards any behavior violating our Code of Conduct, including workplace violence, harassment and sexual harassment, any form of exploitation and abuse, corruption, fraud, and any behavior lacking integrity.

Action Against Hunger Canada is committed to safeguarding children and adults in the communities where we work. Our safeguarding commitment is to ensure that children and adults are protected from both deliberate and unintentional harm or abuse caused by Action Against Hunger staff, including the Prevention from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).

In an effort to safeguard children and adults in communities we work, our offers of employment are conditional on successfully clearing background checks that may include, but are not limited to, criminal records, vulnerable sector screening, and employment references.