Bill and Melinda Gates foundation
Lead
- Nutrition
New
Delhi, India
Position Summary
To date the Foundation has primarily invested in proven approaches to
improve nutrition, particularly during the 1,000-day window between a woman’s
pregnancy and her child’s second birthday, to prevent nutrition-related deaths
and cognitive impairments.
India is one of the priority countries for our investments in
nutrition, particularly to demonstrate what can be achieved by expanding the
use of known, effective interventions and developing and introducing new
prioritization for nutrition – both for MIYCN (Maternal, Infant and Young Child
solutions. In recent years India has seen an unprecedented government
Nutrition) as well as LSFF (Large Scale Food Fortification). Despite a
based policies, malnutrition remains the underlying cause of more than half of
conducive nutrition ecosystem, with appropriate human resources, funding and evidence
childhood deaths in India. Our goal is to accelerate scaling of evidence-based
India’s POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) and scaling up LSFF.
nutrition interventions by supporting implementation of the Government of
This role will call for engagement on both MIYCN and LSFF
priorities, in pursuit of our MNCH and Nutrition strategies and goals – in
India and globally. Our India goals are aligned to targets in government
wasting, anemia and low birth weight. You will develop and help execute our
plans and commitments to the SDGs in these areas with a focus on stunting,
proven interventions, building on existing foundation investments to support
nutrition work in India including but not limited to supporting the delivery of
MIYCN and LSFF. Work is at national level, priority states (Uttar Pradesh
relate to:
and Bihar) and diffusion states. Current specific priorities going forward
MIYCN
·
Strengthening the accelerated scale up of the
National Nutrition Mission (NNM) at national level, our priority states of
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and in our diffusion states
·
Supporting the strengthening of existing systems
to improve nutritional interventions such as the overlapping areas of a)
quality of nutrition interventions such as counselling, b) strategic use of
data by key sectors for monitoring, problem solving and informing more
intensive action; and c) household level convergence of the range of nutrition
interventions for the mother-child dyad
·
Generating evidence on emerging effective
interventions to improve MIYCN, especially maternal nutrition, through a
combination of efficacy, effectiveness and implementation research.
LSFF
·
Accelerate and sustain the uptake of fortified staples
by the social safety net programs at national level and in early adaptive
states.
·
Supporting the research and introduction of
digital solutions for food fortification quality assurance and quality
compliance (QA/QC).
·
Supporting the generation and utilization of
data for improving the LSFF scale up
·
Generate and guide technical assistance to
support commercial LSFF scale up at national level and key states.
Priorities are agreed as part of the annual performance
management cycle and reviewed regularly. Time allocation is expected to
flexibly respond to changing priorities. In support of the above, given the
multi-sectoral nature of nutrition work, modest involvement in related areas
such as food systems, health systems and social protection systems may be
required. You will report to the Deputy Director, Family Health, India, and be
part of the India office health team. As lead for nutrition in a country
office, you will have collaborative links to Seattle program strategy teams
(PST) counterparts in Nutrition PST for LSFF and MNCH PST for MIYCN.
Leadership & Culture
Our culture shapes our choices about what we do and how we do it. We
believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great
leadership in an inclusive environment can do extraordinary things.
Core Responsibilities
The selected candidate will be responsible for the following tasks:
Strategy development and reporting
·
Lead nutrition strategy development and
implementation for the ICO, framed within the broader ICO Integrated Health
Strategy, coving LSFF and MIYCN, as well as supporting technically ICO’s food
system’s work.
·
Lead discussion on ICO nutrition strategic
priorities (convene meetings on technical issues; present to