Job Title: Senior Technical Officer Environment

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. In particular, 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 the most vulnerable to malnutrition.

Overall Purpose

The food system— including consumer behaviors, natural resources and institutions as well as the production, processing, marketing and purchase of food— is struggling to deliver nutritious diets in an environmentally sustainable manner. Food systems and the environment are inextricably linked. For example, the influence of the environment on nutrition due to climate change adversely affecting yields and the nutritional quality of major staple crops. Such staple foods are especially important in the diets of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), increasing the risk of food insecurity, socio-economic instability, and malnutrition among vulnerable populations. And not only does the environment impact nutrition, but food systems adversely impact the environment through various ways, including increasing pressure on land-use for food production for human and animal consumption, and contributing a third of greenhouse gas emissions.

GAIN’s Board approved a new Environment Strategy in November 2020, committing the organization to take action on 3 pillars: (1) create more awareness on the undeniable, intrinsic relationship between food systems and environment, (2) analyze, develop and test integrated program implementation towards sustainable diets and (3) reduce GAIN’s own environmental footprint. Following our involvement in the United Nations Food Systems Summit,

we aspire to be an exemplar on how to be a green nutrition machine. This new role will work across the organization to make that aspiration a reality.

GAIN is looking for an environmental specialist who can: bring new knowledge to the organization and create energy and momentum around the environment agenda via programmatic impact (c70%); create and nurture impactful partnerships and collaborations (c20%) and help address our organizational environmental sustainability (c10%).

Tasks and Responsibilities

Lead the implementation of GAIN’s Environment Strategy

  • Lead the internal Environment Working Group and coordinate the different activities (both programmatic and operational) that are part of GAIN’s Environment Strategy
  • Act as the focal point for GAIN’s Environmental work, both internally and externally
  • Support GAIN staff where needed with environmental technical advice and help build the in-house expertise and capacity

Create and nurture alliances with other leading organizations in the field

  • Build a network of relevant partners and experts in the field and proactively seek their input to help share and grow the environment work
  • Follow up on the outcomes of relevant global summits and reports held/published in 2021 (e.g. UN FSS, IPCC, COP26, N4G, Countdown Report), and represent GAIN at relevant international meetings and fora
  • Commission analytics and foster debate

Help raise more funds for GAIN to work on environmental issues

  • Identify new and existing donors, build and maintain relationships through regular engagement
  • Contribute to the development of proposals and to donor reporting

Help make GAIN’s projects and offices greener

  • Participate in the design of new projects/proposals with technical advice on the potential environmental impact and opportunities
  • Further develop and integrate GAIN’s Environmental Guidelines
  • Actively contribute to sharing knowledge and building evidence on how sustainable diets can be applied in the context of LMICs while achieving nutrition and sustainability objectives

Key Organizational Relationships

  • Reports to Cluster Lead, Drivers of Food System Changes
  • Close collaboration with GAIN’s Program Leads and technical specialists
  • Close collaboration with key external partners
  • Liaises regularly with GAIN Program Services Team, Knowledge Leadership Team and Communications Team
  • Liaises regularly with office leads and professional leads on organizational matters

Job Requirements

Competencies

  • Excellent management, leadership, planning and strategic skills
  • Analytic and technical competence in the areas of environment, climate change, food systems and nutrition, or closely related domains
  • Excellent communication skills, presenting clear and structured arguments with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills
  • Ability to bring different stakeholders from different backgrounds together and broker new partnerships

Experience

  • Leadership and management experience in developing programs, ideally in Africa and/or Asia
  • Technical leadership in mainstreaming environment in the food systems space, demonstrated through publications and/or program development
  • Solid experience in representation with key donors, government, and internal and external stakeholders with a demonstrable track record in fundraising
  • Demonstrated in‐depth understanding of program issues and advocacy work at organizational, national and international levels.
  • Extensive knowledge on environmental challenges and opportunities in LMIC settings

Education               

Qualified at Masters’ degree level in environmental science or a related field

Other requirements

Fluent in written and verbal English

For application: https://jobs.gainhealth.org/vacancies/755/

Closing date: 25 October 2021

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