Senior Technical Advisor - Maternal And Newborn Health And Nutrition (mnhn)
full-time
Description Role: Full Time Contract Duration: 2 Years, Fixed Term and Contract Renewable Reports to: Sr Consortium and Project Director, with dotted-line reporting to the Sr Global Portfolio Director, Maternal and Newborn Health and Nutrition (MNHN) Salary: Annual Gross KES 6,749,952 -KES 8,200,000 Location: Nairobi, Kenya Deadline for submission: 25th July 2026 The role is open to candidates who are legally eligible to work in Kenya. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. About Us Founded in 1992, Nutrition International is a global organization dedicated to delivering proven nutrition interventions to those who need them most. Working in partnership with countries, donors and implementers, our experts conduct cutting-edge nutrition research, support critical policy formulation, and integrate nutrition into broader development programs. In more than 60 countries, primarily in Asia and Africa, Nutrition International nourishes people to nourish life. For more than 30 years now, Nutrition International has focused on delivering low-cost, high-impact, nutrition interventions to people in need, driven by our mission to achieve a world where everyone, everywhere, is free from malnutrition and able to reach their full potential. Nutrition International’s work is guided by a dedicated and talented team of experts working globally, regionally and within countries to end malnutrition worldwide. About the NOURISH Investment The NOURISH investment (Nurture the ecosystem, Optimize the market, Unlock financing, Reinforce ANC platforms, Integrate and Scale MMS and Calcium for Healthy Futures) is an exciting new multi-country investment designed to accelerate the sustainable scale-up of MMS and strengthen systems for the integration of calcium supplementation across Africa. NOURISH takes a comprehensive, systems-based approach that brings together expertise across the critical areas required for successful scale-up: strengthening health systems, improving local product quality, affordability and availability, advancing sustainable health financing, and fostering the enabling policy and implementation environment needed for long-term success. At the heart of NOURISH is a commitment to placing women and their nutritional needs at the center of program design and implementation, while ensuring strong government leadership and ownership throughout the scale-up journey. NOURISH connects partners in a coordinated and complementary way, aligning technical expertise, implementation support, and country priorities to accelerate impact. Funded by CIFF and led by Nutrition International, the NOURISH consortium brings together a unique combination of global and country-level expertise. Consortium partners currently include UNICEF Ethiopia, Sight and Life Rwanda, and CHAI Ghana, each contributing specialized technical and operational capabilities to support either country-led scale-up or regional efforts. NOURISH is supporting Ethiopia and Rwanda as the first countries to receive support through the initiative. Over the coming years, up to six additional African countries are expected to benefit from NOURISH support, working alongside governments navigate the pathway from MMS introduction to sustainable national scale-up. About the role The Senior Technical Advisor provides strategic technical leadership to ensure the NOURISH programming is evidence-informed, high quality, and delivers its intended outcomes. The role works across consortium partners and Nutrition International teams to provide technical oversight, strengthen learning and knowledge translation, support performance and reporting, and foster collaboration to maximize program impact. Key Duties and Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Advisory Provide high-quality technical advice to support evidence-informed decision-making across NOURISH. Review and oversee partner workplans, technical designs, theories of change, and outputs. Ensure monitoring, evaluation, and data align with investments, strategic priorities, and outcomes. Enable application of the latest evidence, best practices, and learning across implementation. Knowledge Translation & Learning Lead synthesis and translation of program evidence and technical outputs into accessible knowledge products. Support development and dissemination of technical briefs, guidance, reports, and learning products. Contribute to and help lead the NOURISH learning agenda, fostering continuous learning and adaptive management. Representation & Stakeholder Engagement Represent NOURISH in technical meetings, working groups, partner engagements, and relevant forums, internally and externally. Build and maintain effective relationships with consortium partners, donors, government stakeholders, and technical networks. Collaboration & Partnership Work collaboratively across the NOURISH team, including finance, health financing, MEAL, and consortium leadership, to deliver integrated, high-quality outputs with efficiency. Engage with Nutrition International's regional and HQ teams, mobilizing technical expertise through clear workplans and deliverables. Support partners in implementing workplans, synthesizing learnings, enabling cross-learning, and providing technical support and coordination. NOURISH Reporting and Performance Management Provide technical leadership in partner reporting, ensuring evidence-based reporting that demonstrates progress against deliverables, KPIs, commitments, and program objectives. Review performance data to identify opportunities for strengthening implementation and results. People Leadership Provide line management and technical supervision to assigned staff, supporting performance, professional development, and accountability. Foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture with shared ownership of NOURISH objectives across teams and partners. Supervisory Responsibilities The Senior Technical Advisor, MNHN will provide direct supervision and line management to the Technical Advisors. Requirements Education/Professional Designations/Experience Master's degree (or higher) in nutrition, public health nutrition, maternal health and nutrition, nutrition and international development. Minimum 10 years' experience providing senior technical leadership in international development, public health, nutrition, health systems strengthening, or a related field. 5-7 years of experience at a regional level in Senior Technical roles in nutrition programs in international development / Public Health / NGO environments. Experience working in a senior technical capacity across multiple African countries, including within consortium-based or multi-partner settings. Demonstrated upstream and downstream health system experience with nutrition actions for a positive pregnancy, including micronutrient supplementation - MMS and calcium supplementation. Experience working in the public health/nutrition sector in Africa; understanding of health systems. Demonstrated experience providing strategic technical advice and translating evidence into programme and policy decisions. Significant experience reviewing technical designs, theories of change, implementation plans, and technical deliverables. Extensive experience supporting monitoring, evaluation, learning, and the use of data to improve programme performance. Proven experience leading knowledge translation, including synthesising evidence and developing technical guidance, reports, learning products, and dissemination materials. Experience working on large, multi-country, donor-funded programmes and coordinating across multiple partners. Other Specific Skill Requirements: Skills Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Demonstrated understanding of results-based management, performance measurement frameworks and fundamentals of program monitoring and donor reporting. Demonstrated experience in project start up processes. Demonstrated understanding and/or experience operationalizing child safeguarding principles and policy. A working knowledge of French is an asset. Competencies Organization: Exceptional organizational and planning skills with a proven ability to prioritize and work in a dynamic fast paced environment. Leadership: Confident leader with a proven ability to motivate and support project teams. Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate with internal teams and external stakeholders. Relationship Building: Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with team members, project stakeholders and partner organizations. Cultural Sensitivity: Ability to navigate diverse cultural environments and tailor solutions to country and regional contexts. Project Management: Strong project management skills, with experience in the direct management of international development projects. Benefits A competitive market pay, health benefits, pension plan, flexible work hours, vacation, support for learning and development opportunities and health and wellness. We offer a collaborative and engaging work environment. Nutrition International is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible work environment. Upon request, accommodations due to a disability are available throughout the selection process. Safeguarding Commitment Nutrition International upholds a zero-tolerance policy on safeguarding concerns and sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH). Following the principles of the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, reference checks will include safeguarding verifications with previous employers. By applying to this position, candidates acknowledge and consent to these reference checks being conducted with previous employers. Please note that all our offers are conditional subject to appropriate screening checks and satisfactory reference checks.