Regional SMART Coordinator
Job location : Action contre la Faim Canada, Nairobi Office
Direct supervisor: Director of Operations
Type of position: Full time
Context and responsibilities
Action Contre la Faim – Canada (ACF-CA) is part of the international ACF International Network which provides humanitarian relief to over 45 countries worldwide, for the nutrition, water and sanitation, and food security sectors.
Tasks and Responsibilities
Since 2007, ACF-Canada has been leading initiatives in SMART (Standardised Monitoring Assessment in Relief and Transition) and has trained over 550 health workers in 20 countries on how to apply this methodology when conducting nutrition and mortality surveys.
ACF-CA acts as the SMART project convenor for the Global Nutrition cluster. The SMART initiatives are targeted towards all humanitarian and development agencies conducting surveys and using the methodology. On behalf of all agencies, ACF-CA is directly involved in the development and dissemination of standardised training tools to build essential skills in SMART and to provide ongoing technical assistance to nutrition agencies during the survey process.
Under the direct supervision of the Director of Operations of ACF-CA, the ACF-CA SMART technical team and in close collaboration with nutrition agencies in East Africa, the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for SMART, your responsibilities will be:
1- Respond to Humanitarian Survey Needs
Respond to humanitarian survey needs on short notice when the security situation is permissible[1]. This includes, but is not limited to the following tasks:
- Identify and articulate the survey needs of nutrition agencies in East Africa, particularly during humanitarian crisis.
- Provide technical on-the-ground or remote support to partners implementing SMART surveys, notably for initial survey planning, sampling strategy, recruitment and training of survey teams, technical support for data analysis, validation of reports.
- Coordinate with nutrition agencies and other nutrition coordination mechanisms on the necessary human and financial resources required to undertake the surveys.
- Ensure collaboration with key governmental authorities and other relevant groups (e.g. nutrition agencies, UNICEF, other INGO’s).
2- Training and Development
Identify, develop, deliver and evaluate training and capacity building events related to SMART as they conform to the ACF-CA work plan and inter-agency priority needs, including the following tasks:
- Work closely with the Director of Operations and SMART Program Manager based in Toronto for the development and implementation of SMART.
- Provide technical guidance and support in SMART to fellow colleagues in developing training and support tools that ensure capacity building for individuals and agencies working in nutrition.
- Develop the training skills and materials of SMART team members in East Africa.
- Identify and coach individuals who will be part of the Global Pool of SMART Master Trainers.
- Lead survey-manager level trainings and Master Trainers workshops.
- Oversee the general planning and organization of SMART training events in East Africa (e.g. cost-budget forms and Terms of Reference with partners).
- Carry out learning needs assessments when necessary.
- Develop monitoring tools and indicators to measure training results.
- Provide feedback and suggestions for the continued development and improvement of the SMART methodology and any methodological updates.
- Keep up to date with developments in training styles, techniques and resources to ensure appropriate and effective training delivery.
3- Representation, Coordination and Communication
- Act as a technical point of contact and representative of SMART to all nutrition agencies in the region.
- Give presentations on behalf of SMART during various events in order to raise awareness on the methodology to the general population and share SMART experiences.
- Engage with a range of regional consortia and coordination groups, while assisting the Nutrition Working Groups of different countries in the region in order to better understand country level needs.
- Build a pool of SMART survey consultants for the region who can be recommended to agencies.
- Act as a focal point for the dissemination of information of nutrition information from SMART surveys for all of the countries in the region.
4- Programme Development
- In collaboration with ACF-CA, the development of concept notes, proposals and/or budget for the continuation of funds, future funding opportunities or for new project proposals, ensuring proposed outputs are aligned with programme outcomes and impacts.
- Assist in grant seeking to diversify funding for SMART in East Africa.
- Document and capitalize on best practices, evaluation outcomes and lessons learned for SMART stakeholders.
5- Financial and Resources Management
- Prepare of quality and timely narrative and financial reports on program achievements as per donor requirements.
- Prepare reports as per required for cash requests and budget allocation for the donor.
- Provide technical feedback for the annual performance appraisals for SMART staff in East Africa.
6- General
- Attend planning sessions, team meetings and annual performance reviews as required.
- Pro-active exchange and collaboration with the ACF-CA HQ team.
- Keep up to date with technical nutrition developments within the humanitarian sector and share information with the ACF-CA program team.
- Ensure an on-going process of personal professional development and learning
- Other duties as assigned
Specific conditions
Staff work a five-day, 37.5-hour work week.However, the different tasks involved may sometime require irregular working hours, particularly in times of crisis. This position involves regular international travel, for 2-4 weeks at a time, sometimes on a short notice and in emergency contexts.
Qualifications
Essential Skills
· Post-graduate Degree in Nutrition/Public Health/Epidemiology/Statistics or a mix of relevant study and work experience;
· At least two-years of experience in undertaking nutrition and mortality surveys;
· Knowledge of the following tools required: ENA and SMART;
· Strong facilitation skills for trainings, workshops and seminars;
· Excellent networking skills;
· Ability to work independently and under tight deadlines, and to multi-task;
· Positive attitude and strong analytical, interpersonal and coordination skills;
· Strong analytical, interpersonal and coordination skills;
· Experience in result-based management and proposal writing;
· Excellent knowledge of MS Office;
· Fluency in the English language.
Desirable Skills:
· Knowledge of the following tools preferred: EPI info and SPSS
· Proficiency in French would be an asset;
· Ability to develop training modules, innovative training tools and adult education skills that foster learning transfer.
We are looking for an autonomous and very dynamic professional to complement our team.
How to apply:
If you are interested in this position, please send your resume and cover letter to rec@actioncontrelafaim.cabefore September 08th , 2014 end of day. In the subject line, please indicate Regional SMART Coordinator.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
To learn more about ACF, visit our website at www.actioncontrelafaim.ca
