Assistant National Technical Manager at FEWS NET - Chemonics International

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: Assistant National Technical Manager (ANTM)

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Type: Full-time

Job Summary

• Chemonics seeks applications from qualified and experienced Nigerian professionals for a full-time Assistant National Technical Manager (ANTM) position in Abuja, Nigeria.
• Chemonics seeks to engage the ANTM for an initial contract to last up to 4 June 2018, with the possibility of an extension. 

Background

• The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is a leading global provider of objective, evidence-based food security information and analysis to inform decisions on humanitarian response and other assistance programs.
• FEWS NET collaborates with international, regional and national partners to provide timely and rigorous early warning and analysis of potential, emerging, and/or evolving food security issues in order to inform decisions and guide response. 

Position Description

• FEWS NET maintains offices in a number of countries in Africa, Central America, Central Asia, and the Caribbean.
• The ANTM will work closely with FEWS NET country, regional, and U.S. teams to support activities in Nigeria.
• The successful candidate will report to the National Technical Manager (NTM) for Nigeria and will collaboratively support the NTM to undertake the following activities:
  • Efficient, focused food security monitoring, data collection, assessment, and early warning analysis;  
  • Effective communication of early warning analysis to partners and decision-makers through contributions to high quality reports and participation in briefings and formal and informal meetings;
  • Close collaboration with key network partners, including those with a more diffuse field presence, such as host-government counterparts, United Nations (UN) agencies (e.g., WFP, FAO, and UNICEF), and regional and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), among others;
  • Network development through capacity strengthening with respect to FEWS NET’s tools and analysis.

Activities

• The primary objective of the ANTM in Nigeria is to assist the NTM to collect information on food security drivers and outcomes through: field visits in the country, collaboration with local partners, and desk reviews and additional analysis of available secondary data.
• Information should be collected, compiled, and analyzed at least monthly, or as requested, and shared with the NTM to inform regular food security reporting and any additional FEWS NET activities.
• To achieve this objective, the main activities of the ANTM in Nigeria include, but are not limited to, assisting the NTM in:
  • Maintaining and updating a knowledge base composed of, at a minimum: livelihood zone profiles, commodity trade flow maps, sub-national seasonal monitoring calendars, commodity price data, nutrition data, and other technical data covering levels of rainfall, agricultural production, population, historical assistance flows, etc.;
  • Developing and updating seasonal monitoring plans and undertaking food security monitoring; 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 analysis; 
  • Conducting strategic planning in concert with other FEWS NET staff and executing technical activities including: early warning, livelihoods and vulnerability assessments, monitoring tools and methods development, capacity development, markets and trade analysis, and network developing/strengthening;
  • Collaborating with national, regional, and international partners, including CILSS and ECOWAS, in food security monitoring and analysis through the implementation of the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) and the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) protocols;
  • Developing and maintaining strong collaborative relations, both formal and informal, with USAID Mission representatives, US Embassy technical contacts, UN agency representatives, government ministry staff, and key international and local NGOs to facilitate technical exchanges, promote consensus-building, work to resolve disagreements, and facilitate joint coordinated actions to mitigate food insecurity;
  • Working with USAID mission to support broad food security efforts in the country, including Feed the Future programs, through the provision of timely and appropriate food security assessments, information, and analysis;
  • Organizing project documentation and files and updating all essential data used in early warning and food security monitoring and assessment, including through inputs into the FEWS NET Data Warehouse, in line with guidance provided by the Washington-based technical team;
  • Conducting regular field assessments of food security conditions, security permitting, both independently and with partners, in areas of concern to FEWS NET;
  • Providing information to the NTM toward fulfillment of monthly reporting requirements, including writing FSOs, FSO Updates, and key messages, contributing to Food Assistance Outlook Brief reports, and providing regular briefings to the US Government and other partners;
  • Contributing to other FEWS NET information products required locally and by the Washington-based technical team;
  • Ensuring information on the country page of the FEWS NET website is current and accurate;
  • Reinforcing network development, capacity, and management at the national and sub-national levels through focused support to address identified network gaps, including providing training and skills transfers for effective early warning in the country;
  • Participating in cluster meetings, including the food security and livelihood cluster and nutrition information working group, using them as an opportunity to also advance FEWS NET’s network development strategy for the country; 
  • Other related tasks that may be assigned from time to time.
• The ANTM in Nigeria will work in collaboration and coordination with FEWS NET colleagues based in Abuja and elsewhere in West Africa, as well as 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 ANTM will be required to travel regularly within Nigeria, and some international may also be required.

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

• 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. A Bachelor's Degree may be accepted for candidates with more than five years of relevant experience.
• 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.

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