Project Manager, Advancing Nutrition Project – Biofortification at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the UN in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with both governments and businesses, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious food for all people. We aim to make healthier food choices more desirable, more available, and more affordable. GAIN’s mission is to advance nutrition outcomes by improving consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially those most vulnerable to malnutrition.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Manager, Advancing Nutrition Project – Biofortification

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Classification: D4 Project Manager
Direct Reports: 1 – 5
Travel Required: Up to 40%

Overall Purpose

The GAIN Advancing Nutrition in Staple Crop Value Chains in Nigeria project proposes a set of nutrition-sensitive interventions to support the BMZ/GIZ Green Innovation Centre (GIC) in Nigeria to strengthen businesses and the value chains of cassava, maize, potato and rice through targeted business support activities, workforce nutrition interventions and increased production and use of biofortified crops.
GAIN proposes to deliver an integrated suite of activities to support the GIC in Nigeria to strengthen their priority value chains and improve food and nutrition security through improved diets for farmers, farm workers, other workers in businesses in these value chains, and among the wider population in Nigeria.
The biofortification component of this project will support and strengthen current activities under the GIC to make them more nutrition sensitive over the next 5 years in at least four focal states. The initiative is intended to achieve the increased consumption of nutritious foods by smallholder farmers, their families, and the wider population, strengthen the cassava, maize, potato and rice value chains in Nigeria to provide more, safe nutritious foods to consumers, increase the use of nutritious varieties of the target staples in processed food, and improve the productivity and efficiency of farmers and other businesses to improve the production of nutritious foods in the target value chains
The post holder will support the Senior Project Manager, Supply Chains and will be directly responsible for the implementation and oversight of the biofortification component. They will apply social and commercial marketing tools to bring these nutritious staples to scale in the implementation states.

Tasks and Responsibilities
Project Management and Oversight:

Deliver project management in accordance with the GAIN guidelines.
Support the Senior Project Manager, Supply Chains for Commercialization to manage the development of project workplans and budgets and track progress, including direct provision of regular updates to the Workstream global leads, funders, and country team leadership.
Provide technical oversight to the implementation of activities that strengthen businesses and advance nutrition in target crop value chains.
Work with GAIN’s leadership to provide effective monitoring and tracking activities, outputs, outcomes and impact and adhere to the reporting requirements of the project.
Provide mediation to resolve any project implementation issues including differences between stakeholder and internal groups.

Knowledge Management:

Ensure project outputs are well informed and up to date by keeping an eye on the relevant literature to ensure that the project remains fully informed by advances in the field.
Maintain a reference document repository.
Maintain high level liaison with government stakeholders and other organizations working on complementary projects in the country context to share knowledge and best practice.
Plan and lead the creation of communications materials and capture lessons learned with support from the Communications Lead.
Take part in and lead webinar presentations etc. to share GAIN’s experience.

Donor Relations:

Prepare and be accountable for periodic donor reports and support global collation of wider programme reports and updates.
Support the identification of new funding opportunities to fund the project as part of a long-term strategy.
Support resource mobilisation efforts for GAIN Nigeria programme, based on the business plan and wider strategic objectives.

Gender Focus:

Ensure the initiative is gender-sensitive, and where feasible, gender-transformative working through project design and implementation to continuously strengthen gender focus.
Keep track of gender results, ensure the initiative is gender-sensitive, and where feasible, gender-transformative.
Synthesize and disseminate knowledge and evidence from GAIN Nigeria programmes that can help drive the agenda for nutritious and safe food in Nigeria

People Management:

Support the recruitment of key staff (direct reports) and motivate team members to attain project goals, adhere to their responsibilities and project milestones.
Monitor staff performance and complete performance reviews.

Key Organizational Relationships:

Reports to the Senior Project Manager, Supply Chains for Commercialization
Close working with the colleagues working on the EatSafe Project, Marketplace for Nutritious Foods, Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F), Commercialization of Biofortified Crops (CBC), and the SUN Business Network (SBN)
Regular engagements with global Workstream Leads and colleagues in other GAIN Country Offices delivering similar projects.
External partners including government, complimenting organizations and donors
Line manages 1-5 direct reports.
Close collaboration with the project teams in GAIN Nigeria
Other Nigeria Country Office staff

Job Requirements
Education:

Minimum degree level qualification related to food science, nutrition, health, agriculture, business management or suitable equivalent.
Master’s level qualifications in the above or similarly relevant field of study/expertise highly preferred

Other Requirements:

Excellent communication and command of English (written and spoken)
Project management qualification desired
Ability/fluency in one or more of the major Nigerian languages an asset

Competencies:

Strong project management skills
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
Ability to present sometimes complex information to a diverse audience.
Ability to build relationships and influence at a high level.
Able to work effectively within a multi-cultural, matrix-style organization.
Analytical skills, able to review data and present meaningful reports.
Able to effectively prioritize and multi-task, often working under pressure to achieve deadlines.
Computer literate, with the ability to use MS Office Suite and other bespoke systems to support effective delivery

Experience:

Proven project management experience in creating demand in the food or agricultural value chains.
Experience of working with government at municipal, and state levels.
Experience or deep understanding of the private sector especially MSMEs
Understanding and some experience/technical knowledge of health systems
Demonstrated success in building strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Working with stakeholders from business, civil society, government, donors at national international level
Experience in stimulating demand for food and agricultural commodities through commercial and or social marketing methods.

What Gain Offers