Consultant

Nairobi
Permanent
Full-time

19 days ago
Apply easily

Nutrition International is recruiting an individual Consultant to perform the duties specified in this ToR. Nutrition International is committed to the fundamental principles of equal employment opportunity. Women are encouraged to apply.BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE Nutrition International (NI) is a global leader in delivering evidence-based, cost-effective nutrition interventions to improve health outcomes and reduce malnutrition among vulnerable populations. Operating in over 60 countries-primarily across Asia and Africa-NI partners with governments, donors, and implementers to integrate nutrition into broader development agendas and to support policy development, systems strengthening, and the generation of robust evidence for decision-making. In Kenya, NI has been working closely with national and county governments to support the development and implementation of policies and systems that ensure the effective delivery of nutrition services. Central to this work is nutrition governance, which NI defines as the system of people, processes, policies, structures, tools, laws, and resources that must function together to plan, implement, and monitor large-scale, high-impact nutrition programs. Despite notable progress in nutrition outcomes, Kenya continues to face governancerelated challenges, including coordination gaps, capacity limitations, and the need for more coherent policy frameworks across sectors. Strengthening governance is therefore critical to ensuring that nutrition is adequately prioritized, resourced, and integrated into national and county development plans. To respond to these needs, NI is seeking a technically strong and dynamic Nutrition Governance Consultant to coordinate and support its governance initiatives in Kenya. This role is instrumental in advancing NI's strategic priorities by enhancing policy formulation, fostering multi-sectoral collaboration, and providing technical assistance for the design and implementation of nutrition governance frameworks. The consultant will work closely with the Kenya Country Office, the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics (DND), and other key stakeholders to ensure NI's contributions are contextually relevant, technically sound, and aligned with national goals. This consultancy comes at a pivotal moment as Kenya undertakes major policy development efforts, including the review of the National Nutrition Policy, development of County Nutrition Action Plans, and formulation of a Food Fiscal Policy. Strengthening the enabling environment for nutrition through improved governance will play a vital role in achieving sustained improvements in nutrition outcomes across the country. www.NutritionIntl.orgOBJECTIVES OverallTo coordinate and implement NI-supported nutrition governance initiatives while providing strategic and technical input, fostering multi-sectoral partnerships, and supporting knowledge generation to strengthen nutrition policy and governance at national and county levels in Kenya. Scope of work The Nutrition Governance Consultant will support the implementation of Nutrition International's (NI) nutrition governance portfolio in Kenya, focusing on three strategic areas: 1. Project Implementation and Management (40%) • Coordinate and monitor NI's nutrition governance initiatives, particularly Nutrition Sensitive Social Protection approaches, to ensure timely and highquality delivery of project activities. • Support the development and review of national and county-level nutrition policy documents, including the National Nutrition Policy, County Nutrition Action Plans, County Nutrition Bills, and the Food Fiscal Policy. • Ensure activities are implemented as per approved work plans and budgets; proactively identify and manage risks and challenges, proposing corrective actions as necessary. • Coordinate with external consultants and ensure alignment with NI's technical standards and objectives. 2. Strategic Engagement, Partnerships and Representation (40%) • Represent NI in relevant government-led coordination platforms and technical working groups at national and county levels. • Collaborate with the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics (DND), the NICHE Secretariat, and other partners to co-develop roadmaps and support implementation of key policy initiatives (e.g., National Nutrition Policy and Food Fiscal Policy). • Maintain strong relationships with stakeholders including government agencies, development partners, CSOs, and technical experts to promote coordinated implementation and advocacy for nutrition governance. • Facilitate opportunities for NI to provide technical assistance in national and county processes, ensuring alignment with Kenya's nutrition priorities and policies. 3. Knowledge Generation, Reporting, and Learning (20%) • Contribute to the development of policy briefs, background papers, technical reports, and other knowledge products related to nutrition governance. • Document lessons learned, best practices, and success stories from project implementation to inform future programming and support knowledge exchange. • Support timely and accurate internal and donor reporting in line with NI's requirements.DELIVERABLES

Monthly activity work plan submitted to supervisor by 1st of every month

Monthly Activity report submitted to the supervisor by 30th of every month

GENDER Nutrition International is committed to gender equality. Consultants are required to indicate how they will ensure that gender equality considerations are included in the provision of TA, including how they are incorporated into deliverables. Examples of gender equality integration could include but are not limited to; ensuring government departments responsible for women are included wherever possible, gender sensitive indicators are included, emerging data is sex disaggregated, and relevant documentation related to gender is reviewed. Nutrition International's gender equality strategy as well as tools to support gender mainstreaming can be accessed here: Program Gender Equality Strategy.TIMELINE The start and end dates of the technical assistance are expected to be between September 2025 - March 2026, with possibility of extension based on availability of resources.STATION / LOCATION The Consultant will be working from NI Nairobi Office. There may be some travel to counties within Kenya as and when required. Local travel under this consultancy will be supported by Nutrition International based on prior approval by NI team. Travel allowance will be provided based on the standard rates of the organization. The travel allowances must be utilized and accounted for according to NI standard procedures.MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING/COORDINATION MECHANISM

The Consultant will report to the Manager, Nutrition Governance, Africa.

S/He will work in close collaboration with the Nutrition International Kenya Country Director, the Deputy Country Director, the Senior Program Officer, Monitoring & Reporting, Kenya, the Sr Technical Advisor, Nutrition Governance & Social Protection, the Director, Social Safety Nets and the NI global Nutrition Governance unit.

The Consultant will work closely with the Ministry of Health, Division of Nutrition and Dietetics (MOH DND) and other relevant stakeholders. PROFILE/ QUALIFICATIONS OF CONSULTANT The Consultant should have the following profile: Education: • Master's degree in public policy, Nutrition, Public Health, International Development, Development Economics, or a related field. Experience:

Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in policy development, governance, or systems strengthening, in the health or nutrition sector- preferably in Kenya or a similar context.

Minimum 7 years of experience in the health and or nutrition sector in country.

Strong experience working with or within government systems at national and/or local levels. • Demonstrated experience facilitating multisectoral policy initiatives like development of nutrition policies and plans and stakeholder coordination mechanisms such as national or subnational nutrition coordination committees or working groups, Experience working in a non-profit or development organization context.

Proven ability to manage relationships with government, donors, and civil society stakeholders.

Experience incorporating gender within nutrition programs, policies and/or plans.

Proven experience managing technical assistance projects and coordinating consultants Skills and Competencies:

Deep understanding of Kenya's policy environment, including key national and county level nutrition policies, strategies, institutional structures, and coordination mechanisms.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience drafting technical documents and engaging in high-level policy discussions.

Proven ability to navigate complex political and institutional contexts with diplomacy and tact.

Strong project management and organizational skills.

Ability to work independently while maintaining strong collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

Experience supervising consultants or managing technical partnerships is an asset. Language skills:

Fluency in English and Swahili is required.

APPLICATION PROCESSInterested Consultants are invited to submit the following by email to TechnicalAssistance@NutritionIntl.org , copying ematiri@nutritionintl.org by 22nd August 2025, 23:59pm in Ottawa. 1. Include in your email subject the title of this consultancy. 2. Up-to-date curriculum vitae or resume. 3. Cover Letter/ Suitability statement for the consultancy. 4. Additionally, applicants are expected to complete the Technical Assistance Provider Recruitment Form – Nutrition International (nutritionintl.org). * The award of this Consultancy contract will be contingent on project funding availability.

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