Save the Children is a partner in USAID Advancing Nutrition, USAID’s flagship nutrition project, led by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), and a diverse group of experienced partners. Launched in September 2018, USAID Advancing Nutrition implements and provides technical support to nutrition interventions across sectors and disciplines for USAID and its partners. The project’s multi-sectoral approach draws together global nutrition experience to design, implement and evaluate programs that address the root causes of malnutrition. Committed to using a systems approach, USAID Advancing Nutrition strives to sustain positive outcomes by building local capacity, supporting behavior change and strengthening the enabling environment to save lives, improve health, build resilience, increase economic productivity and advance development.
The Director will provide leadership, vision and direction to the design and implementation of the USAID Advancing Nutrition technical portfolio on nutrition-specific interventions, integrating early childhood development, and strengthening nutrition in health systems.
The Director will work closely with the Bureau of Global Health and the Center for Children in Adversity at USAID to ensure their priorities are reflected in USAID Advancing Nutrition’s work and to encourage collaboration across and among USAID bureaus, missions and offices to promote multi-sectoral nutrition investments and outcomes world-wide. This position will collaborate closely with other USAID Advancing Nutrition Technical Directors (e.g. Food Systems, Food Security in the Humanitarian Transition, Social Behavior Change) to lead or contribute to jointly funded, multi-sectoral activities. The Director will manage a team of health systems and nutrition experts and ensure the nutrition and health system team’s timely delivery of quality plans and outputs.
Strategic Direction and Planning (40% Level of Effort)
- Leads and directs the projects Nutrition in Health Systems and Early Childhood Development teams, comprised of diverse and talented technical Advisors and Specialists in a matrixed environment according to both planned and requested priorities of USAID.
- Anticipates evolution of assigned portfolio throughout the project lifecycle, driving technical innovation and collaboration while proactively planning for resource and staffing needs.
- Collaborates closely with other Technical Directors and senior staff to develop the project’s strategic direction to develop and implement core workplans, ensuring alignment with USAID priorities and global best practices.
Management, Implementation and Technical Excellence (40% Level of Effort)
- Assigns and oversees direct technical assistance to specific work orders, project countries and USAID Missions and their implementing partners, including planning and designing deliverables in collaboration with U.S. and field based management teams.
- Mentors and maintains strong relationships with colleagues, including thoughtful alignment of skill-to-activity during work planning, and purposeful cultivation of internal (project staff and partner) talent and capacity.
- Ensures consistency with project direction and strategy, and provides timely, accurate data for USAID reports.
- Oversees activity portfolio and budgets, collaborating with finance staff to monitor spending and ensure appropriate allocation of resources.
Learning, sharing and documentation (20% Level of Effort)
- Facilitates communication and cross-sectoral linkages across project activities and between partner organizations; ensures full integration of multi-sectoral approach within activities.
- Works closely with the Knowledge Management team to write, edit, review, and disseminate technical content through strategic networks highlighting USAID Advancing Nutrition’s accomplishments.
- Work closely with the MEL team to ensure measurement, evaluation, and learning are integrated into all design, implementation, and reporting that results contribute to the evidence base throughout the life of project.
- Minimum 10+ years' experience in in international public health programming with an emphasis on nutrition, health systems, or medical sciences. Demonstrated experience both in direct supervision of staff and in collaborative team environments is required.
- Experience providing direct technical assistance to country programs, national entities and/or USAID as required at local, regional, or national level, particularly in developing country settings.
- Experience implementing policy agendas, advocacy, and developing strategic partnerships.
- Experience overseeing technical quality of programs integrating nutrition into maternal and child health, family planning, food security/livelihoods and/or HIV/AIDS.
- Ability to conduct and support research activities, data collection, analysis, and report writing.
- Exceptional personnel and project management skills; comfortable helping others prioritize.
- Able to successfully lead a team with multiple competing priorities to consistently submit timely, high-quality deliverables.
- Experience interacting with high-level officials among government and non-government stakeholders in the U.S. and around the world.
- Experience preparing and making oral presentations for a range of audiences.
- Impeccable time management, delegation, and prioritization skills.
- Experience delivering technical assistance in developing country settings.
- High social/emotional intelligence, and able to give and receive direct feedback professionally and with empathy.
- Excellent written and oral English communication skills. Fluency in French, Portuguese, or other foreign language desirable.
- Ability to undertake field travel (up to 25%)
Preferred Qualifications
- Knowledge of USAID and other donor policies, strategies, and priorities highly preferred.
- Aetna Medical and Dental insurance with a concierge service
- Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
- Vision Insurance
- Life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Commuter Benefit Program
- Vacation and Sick leave
- Paid holidays
What makes us special!
- Generous Retirement Savings with matching company contributions of up to 8%
- Family Leave – 10 additional days of paid time off for you to use to care for your family members
- Additional Maternity and Paternity Leave – 30 days where parents can take additional paid leave (beyond short-term disability and FMLA) at the birth or adoption of a child during that critical first year!
- Critical Child Illness Leave – We hope you never have to use it, but we will provide an additional 30 days of paid leave per year should your dependent child be faced with a critical illness.
- Pet Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Identity Protection, Home, Auto and additional Life insurances
- Summer Fun Fridays – Early release at 1:30 pm on selected Fridays during the summer months.
- Volunteer Day – One paid day a year to support the causes that matter to you!
- Ergonomic Options – Every employee at our HQ offices has the option of a sitting/standing desk
- Leadership and Employee Development Training, including:
- Our remarkable in-house CORE, Senior Management Development, and Leadership Development Programs
- Language learning opportunities
- Continuous Improvement skill development programs
- Lunch and Learn information sharing sessions
- Work hard/Play hard! We make sure there’s ample opportunity for fun, engagement, and celebration while you work, such as networking events, March Madness, World Cup, Dodgeball Tournaments, Take Your Child to Work Day, Founder’s Day, and our annual Day of Service