Food Security Specialist at Chemonics International, 22nd Jan., 2019

Chemonics International Inc., a leading international consulting firm based in Washington, DC, has been contracted by USAID to manage FEWS NET’s technical and field activities.

Chemonics seeks applications from qualified and experienced Nigerian professionals to fill the position below:

Job Title: Food Security Specialist (FSS)
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Job Type: Initial contract to last up through June 2019, with the possibility of an extension (Full-time)

Background
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is a leading global provider of objective, evidence-based food security information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, the project provides global coverage with a mix of presence and remote monitoring countries. The FEWS NET implementing team includes NASA, NOAA, USGS, USDA, Kimetrica, and Chemonics International, the last of which manages the Washington-based technical office and more than 20 field offices.

Based on an in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, FEWS NET analysts monitor information and data on factors that affect food security, such as weather conditions and climate, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. FEWS NET produces regular reports including Food Security Outlooks (FSOs) and FSO Updates, emergency alerts, market and price updates, and global weather hazards. The project also produces specialized research products on food security drivers and crosscutting issues, such as climate change and resilience. FEWS NET makes reports available at www.fews.net and distributes them globally to governments, relief agencies, and other organizations engaged in humanitarian response and development programs.

The ongoing third phase of FEWS NET (2012-2019) relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security analysis and reinforcement of food security networks. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data exchanges, collaborative analysis and report writing, and training. FEWS NET supports local and regional food security networks to contribute to achieving the global objective of food security for all.

Position Description
FEWS NET maintains offices in a number of countries in Africa, Central America, Central Asia, and the Caribbean. As needed, Food Security Specialists (FSSs) provide technical and administrative leadership in country offices, including supporting the collection of, directly collecting, and analyzing collected food security and nutrition information. Where necessary, FSSs may also support remote monitoring in selected countries. FSSs are a member of the national technical team in FEWS NET field offices. They work under the supervision of the National Technical Manager (NTM) for the country or his/her designate to support tasks in the following areas:

• Efficient, focused food security and nutrition monitoring, data collection, assessment, and early warning analysis
• Effective communication of early warning analysis to partners and decision-makers, when appropriate, participation in formal and informal meetings
• Close collaboration with key network partners, including host-government ministries, food security clusters, United Nations (UN) agencies (e.g., WFP, FAO, and UNICEF), and international, regional, and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), among others

In Nigeria, the FSS will assist the NTM to provide quality control for the deliverables of the project and will help ensure that activities and products are delivered in a timely manner. Based in Maiduguri, the FSS will play an active role in the Food Security Cluster and ensure the consolidation of available information on food security outcomes in the Northeast States.

Activities
The main activities of the FSS include, but are not limited to:

• Providing high quality and effective early warning of threats to food security and supporting efforts to mitigate food insecurity and prevent food crises through the effective communication of actionable food security and nutrition analysis
• Participating in multi-agency humanitarian needs assessments as necessary, and providing verbal and written briefings during the field trip and/or upon returning from the field on the food security and nutrition situation of the area assessed
• Participating in and contributing to FEWS NET’s regular FSO and scenario development processes, contingency planning, and other similar activities
• Contributing to maintenance and updating of the FEWS NET’s knowledge base in Northeast Nigeria. This knowledge base is composed of, at a minimum, livelihood zone profiles, commodity trade flow maps, sub-national seasonal monitoring calendars, a commodity price database, a nutrition database, and other technical databases covering rainfall, agricultural production, population, historical assistance flows, etc.
• Implementing, in collaboration with the FEWS NET NTM, aspects of the country’s network development plan within the context of the project’s network development strategy
• Collaborating with local national, and international partners in food security and nutrition monitoring and analysis through the implementation of the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC)/Cadre Harmonisé (CH) protocols
• Contributing to the animation of the Maiduguri food security cluster and supporting consensus-based analysis and dissemination of joint statements on prevailing food security and nutritional status in the area
• Contributing to efforts to collect, archive, analyze, and share food security and nutrition data and information.
• Organizing the documentation and files of the project and updating all essential data used in early warning and food security and nutrition monitoring and assessment
• Contribute to the fulfillment of monthly reporting requirements, including FSOs, FSO Updates, and Key Messages, and providing up-to-date data and information for regular briefings to the US Government and other partners
• Contributing to other FEWS NET information products as required locally and at all other levels
• Contributing to FEWS NET’s overall methods development and testing
• Other related tasks as assigned by the NTM or his designee
• The FSS will work in collaboration and coordination with other FEWS NET colleagues based in Nigeria and elsewhere in West Africa, as well as with the Washington DC-based Decision Support Group and technical advisors, and any other technical staff, as appropriate, to ensure high technical standards and timeliness of the FEWS NET products and activities to which they contribute. The FSS will be required to travel regularly within Northeast Nigeria, and some other national and international travel may also be required.
• Developing and updating seasonal food security and nutrition monitoring plans for select areas and conducting rapid assessments based on these plans
• Reporting on assessment findings related to the food security, nutrition, and livelihoods situations and preparing associated technical trip reports and written and oral briefing information
• Monitoring changes in market and food access, humanitarian assistance, livelihoods, nutritional status, security, and population displacements in specific areas

Minimum Qualifications
The minimum qualifications for the Nigeria FSS position are as follows:

• At least two years of relevant experience in early warning/food security information systems, food security analysis, or other related field;
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of local languages is an advantage;
• Strong spoken and written communication skills in English;
• Excellent computer skills; GIS applications and mapping skills are an advantage.
• Good leadership, ability to work independently, when necessary, strong organization skills and strong ability to work in a multidisciplinary team from various nationalities
• An advanced university degree in a discipline relevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, or social geography. Significant, directly related professional experience can substitute for education experience.

Selection Criteria
Candidates for the Nigeria FSS position will be evaluated against the following core competencies and technical skills:

Core Competencies:

• Relevancy of education to the work of FEWS NET
• English language ability (spoken and written)
• Presentation skills
• Computer skills

Technical Skills (depth of understanding of and experience with the following topics):

• Food security
• Livelihoods and the Household Economy Approach (HEA)
• Markets and trade
• Agro-climatology (agro-meteorology, remote sensing, GIS, etc.)
• Nutrition
• Agricultural sciences (crops, livestock, pasture, etc.)
• Field assessments (quantitative and/or qualitative)
• IPC /CH
• Analytical and reporting skills.