The Implementer-Led Design, Evidence, Analysis and Learning (IDEAL) activity aims to enhance the food and nutrition security of vulnerable populations through improving the design, implementation, and overall effectiveness of development and emergency food security activities funded by USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP). The Food Security Strategic Development Advisor is the lead position managing IDEAL’s engagement in the Refine and Implement (R&I) process for FFP-funded Development Food Security Activities (DFSAs) and the application of learning in the later adaptive management of these programs. This position will work with FFP and DFSA staff and the IDEAL team to facilitate and strengthen aspects of the R&I collaborative process, recently introduced by FFP to enable DFSAs to improve activity design, adapt to context and better align with FFP’s strategic and programmatic priorities. The Advisor will be a central member of IDEAL’s Senior Management Team and will provide leadership in enabling IDEAL to reach its own objectives of improved capacity, improved adaptive management and strengthened linkages among programs.
The Food Security Strategic Development Advisor is responsible for developing and overseeing implementation of IDEAL’s overall engagement strategy with Implementing Partners (IPs) and FFP related to the R&I refinement period during the first year of DFSAs. The DLA Advisor will work with other key IDEAL staff, including the Program Design and Integration Advisor, in facilitating the application of R&I learning to the DFSA Theories of Change and the adaptive management of programs to ensure greater quality and impact. This position also oversees the integration of refinement of refinement year learnings into the other components of IDEAL’s work (through its implementation pathways of Capacity Strengthening, Peer-to-Peer Learning, Small Grants, and Stakeholder Consultations) and manages linkages with relevant IDEAL Associate Awards.
Refine & Implement Engagement Strategy (45%)
- Responsible for determining, communicating, and overseeing implementation of an R&I engagement strategy for IDEAL
- Responsible for coordinating with USAID/FFP to develop agreed upon objectives, formats, roles & responsibilities, and timelines for R&I workshops and related preparatory and follow-up activities
- Accountable for developing and implementing strategies to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of IDEAL’s engagement in R&I
- Responsible for linking the capacity strengthening and strategic learning activities of R&I with the learnings resulting from the IP-Led Evaluation & Learning Associate Award, along with future IDEAL Associate Awards as applicable
Program Leadership and Project Management (45%)
- Connect DFSAs with resources (including those created or curated by the IDEAL activity) to enable them to refine Theories of Change, measure outcomes and impact, strengthen sustainability and enable program learnings to inform later program design and developmental strategy
- Provide leadership in the planning and facilitating of field-based workshops supporting R&I objectives
- As needed, visit DFSAs in the field to better understand challenges, priorities and opportunities for support
- Connect DFSA leadership and staff with resources provided by IDEAL, Strengthening Capacity in Agriculture, Livelihoods and Environment (SCALE), Practices, Research and Operations in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PRO-WASH) and other FFP-funded activities that can 1) help them carefully construct formative and implementation research Scopes of Work that specify how to design, manage, and carry out research within the refinement period and 2) develop a cogent and comprehensive approach for building staff knowledge, skills, and abilities in the refinement period work plan.
- Lead IDEAL staff engaged in the R&I process and manage staff level of effort related to engagement in the range of R&I workshops, ensuring close coordination with consortium partners and other key stakeholders
- Oversee the development of materials related to all aspects of R&I workshops
- Supervise the R&I Knowledge Management Sr. Specialist and other staff as identified
- Build and maintain partner and donor awareness of IDEAL’s role in R&I through ongoing contact with donor and partner development food security staff
- Oversee the hiring and management of consultants and short-term technical advisors to carry out specific aspects of R&I workshops and related activities
Technical Representation (10%)
- Represent IDEAL in conferences and meetings as needed to present on DFSA R&I progress, challenges and lessons learned.
- Promote the effective dissemination and application of DFSA evidence and learning
- Facilitate DFSA participation in and contribution to Regional Knowledge Sharing Meetings
- As needed, coordinate with Emergency Food Security Programs (EFSPs) to strengthen linkages with DFSAs and strengthen EFSP capacities, linkages, learning and transition strategies
- 30% Domestic and International travel required
- Minimum 7-10 years of experience leading, managing and implementing large scale international development and/or emergency activities
- Substantive experience with FFP development food security activities
- Demonstrated experience in organizational capacity development and learning
- Strong management, interpersonal, communication, mentoring and facilitation skills
- Demonstrated experience developing agendas for strategic workshops and learning events and overseeing logistical staff
- Ability to network and communicate with a wide range of stakeholders
- Experience working overseas in low-resource environments
- Ability to work with adaptive management systems
- Collaborative work style
- Proven ability to work well with multiple stakeholders and diverse teams and to bring teams to consensus on recommendations for technical practices and knowledge management and dissemination
- Sensitivity to cultural differences and ability to work effectively across a wide variety of cultural contexts
- Strong team player – able to develop and maintain effective working relationships within diverse and dynamic teams
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s or advanced degree in relevant field
- 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 – During the summer months, early release at 1:30 pm every other Friday!
- 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
- Brown Bag 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