Technical Director - Nutrition, Enhancing Local Achievement in Nutrition Excellence (ELAINE) Project

Job Description

The USAID Enhancing Local Achievement in Nutrition Excellence (ELAINE) Project will continue USAID’s commitment to address the underlying determinants of undernutrition through a new multi-sectoral nutrition activity which will focus on a subset of technical and functional priorities that require cross-sectoral collaboration; to embrace locally-led development; and to build the evidence base on how to implement for impact. USAID’s goal is to rapidly scale up quality high-impact, evidence-based solutions. This project will work with USAID partners to advance local ownership and leadership of high-quality nutrition programs and policies to improve the nutritional status of women and children, particularly in the first 1,000 days.

The Technical Director will provide leadership, vision and direction to the design and implementation of the ELAINE technical portfolio, including: Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN), adolescent nutrition, prevention and management of wasting in non-emergency setting, nurturing care and nutrition, and strengthening nutrition in health system programming. S/he will work closely with USAID to ensure their priorities to strengthen nutrition specific outcomes are reflected in ELAINE’s work and to encourage planned collaboration across and among USAID bureaus, missions and offices to promote multi-sectoral nutrition investments and outcomes worldwide. This position will collaborate closely with other ELAINE leadership to lead or contribute to jointly funded multi-sectoral activities. S/he will manage a team of nutrition experts to ensure timely delivery of quality plans and outputs. The position is based in Arlington, VA and will be supervised by the Deputy Program Director.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Leads a project portfolio overseeing MIYCN, adolescent nutrition, prevention and management of wasting in non-emergency setting, nurturing care and nutrition, and strengthening nutrition specific interventions through the health system.
• Leads contextualization and scale up coverage of evidence-based quality nutrition-specific interventions through health systems.
• Leads implementation research and new approaches aimed at identifying and addressing gaps in wasting prevention in non-emergency setting and addressing range of barriers and bottlenecks inhibiting high quality nutrition programs at the local level.
• Collaborates with other ELAINE staff and local partners to contribute to implementation research and new approaches or innovative interventions to scale up SBC approaches, improve diet quality, and strengthen accountability for nutrition governance, policy, and financing.
• Collaborates with project staff to develop and implement core workplans, and ensure alignment with USAID priorities and global best practices.
• Collaborates with the project lead regional and local partners to identify needs and build capacity of local partners on nutrition specific and ECD assessments, design, and contextualization of interventions and approaches.
• Facilitates communication and cross-sectoral linkages across project activities and between partner organizations; ensures full integration of multi-sectoral approach within activities.
• 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.
• Anticipates evolution of assigned portfolio throughout the project lifecycle, driving technical innovation and collaboration while proactively planning for resource and staffing needs.
• 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.
• Works closely with the Knowledge Management team to write, edit, review, and disseminate technical content through strategic networks highlighting USAID’s accomplishments.
• Supervises or directs the work of partners, technical Advisors and Specialists in a matrixed environment according to both planned and requested priorities of USAID.
• 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.
• 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.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 10+ years of experience in international public health programming with an emphasis on nutrition, health systems, ECD or medical sciences.
• Demonstrated experience both in direct supervision of staff and in collaborative team environments is required.
• Ability to undertake field travel (up to 25%).
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite.
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals and teams at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining and environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in nutrition, public health or related field is highly preferred.
• Experience providing direct technical assistance to country programs, national entities and/or USAID as required at local, regional, or national level.
• Experience implementing policy agendas, advocacy, and developing strategic partnerships.
• Ability to conduct and support research activities, data collection, analysis, and report writing.
• Exceptional personnel and project management skills; comfortable helping others prioritize.
• Fluency in French, Portuguese, or other foreign language desirable.

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $113,000 – $155,000 base salary
• Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $102,000 – $141,000 base salary
• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $92,000 – $127,000 base salary

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location. Employee may be eligible for an incentive program. Save the Children also offers paid vacation, accrued at least 12 days a year, depending on paygrade and length of service, paid safety and wellness leave of at least 1 day per month worked for a full time employee which is pro rata reduced for employees working less than a full time schedule, and at least 10 paid holidays a year. Employees may be eligible for additional bonus compensation. Save the Children US also offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, a retirement savings plan with employer contribution, family leave, paid parental/adoption leave of 60 days, commuter benefits, paid caregiver leave days, 1 paid volunteer day a year, paid critical child illness leave days, dress for your day, and much more.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in YOU!

About Save the Children

No matter your role when you join Save the Children, each and every day you will challenge yourself to devote your skills, talent and expertise to changing the world for kids. It’s an ambitious goal, and a meaningful one no matter how you see yourself professionally: an accountant, a writer, a data analyst, a teacher, a driver, a designer, or any one of the hundreds of dozens of roles we’re looking to fill every day.

You see, Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

About the Organization

Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we are dedicated to ensuring every child has the best chance for success. Our pioneering programs give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Our advocacy efforts provide a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. As the leading expert on children, we inspire and achieve lasting impact for millions of the world's most vulnerable girls and boys. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours.