The USAID Nawiri project aims to sustainably reduce persistent acute malnutrition in Turkana and Samburu counties. The project is led by the Mercy Corps with other consortium partners including Save the Children. Nawiri will generate evidence on feasible and scalable approaches (what works) in Turkana and Samburu to reduce malnutrition both in the short and long-term. The specific focus of Nawiri is to understand the complex causality of malnutrition, develop home-grown solutions and align the evidence thereof generated to the counties plans through a multi-sectoral approach.
Nawiri’s support for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) will seek to investigate how differentiated risks, vulnerabilities, and capacities at individual, interpersonal, community and policy levels influence early, unintended pregnancy among adolescents. The outcome of such investigation will help in designing responsive interventions with the ultimate goal of sustainably reducing persistent acute malnutrition in Turkana and Samburu counties in Kenya.
The ASRH Advisor, in collaboration with the Gender, youth and social dynamic lead and Social and Behaviour change advisor and in close collaboration with Nawiri team in Turkana and Samburu will give technical support to the county counterpart and Nawiri field teams in designing ASRH interventions. The ASRH Advisor will initially be engaged in technically supporting formative assessment and help a Human Centered Design (HCD) firm in developing/designing prototypes as part of generating evidence on what works in the context of Turkana and Samburu with the aim of improving reproductive health behaviours. He/she will also be the country office ASRH focal point representing SC at national technical working group. He/she will represent Nawiri at county technical working groups and committees.
The ASRH Advisor will work with the county learning coordinators and the strategic learning lead to document learning and adaptation processes and ensure ASRH is well layered and integrated with other adolescent outcomes of financial and social assets building.
The ASRH Advisor will be based in Nairobi with frequent travel to Turkana and Samburu counties. On a day-to-day basis, he/she will work under the direction of the Health and Nutrition Lead with a dotted line to the country Head of health and Nutrition. The ASRH Advisor will be supported by the Save the Children US ASRH technical Advisor based in the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional office (ESARO).
Key Areas of Accountability
Technical assistance and capacity building
Lead and facilitate the technical design of the ASRH activities based on the HCD approach.
Work with the HCD firm in the documentation of the different phases and steps of the approach.
Coordinate with GYSD lead and SBC lead during the sense making and iteration in the design of the prototype/s.
Lead and monitor implementation of the high fidelity prototype/s.
Contribute to the planning and roll-out of interventions during scale up.
Support in the development of reports, learning briefs and dissemination of the same.
Develop a county engagement plan and strategy that includes skill transfer and capacity improvement of government counterparts.
Work with Institution and System Strengthening Lead to ensure uptake of evidence generated from the project implementation at policy and practice level.
Contribute to the development of donor reports
Ensure collaborative working relationship within Save the Children team and with Nawiri consortium partners.
Support the development of ASRH concept notes and proposals
Representation and advocacy
Represent Save the Children in relevant internal and external fora including donor meetings (as appropriate)
Represent Save the Children at national and county technical working groups and committees.
Work closely with the Head of Health and Nutrition, Head of Advocacy and Campaigns, PDQ and operations teams to develop policy research and advocacy strategy in child survival and nutrition in line with the Country Strategic Plan and global strategy of Save the Children
Work with consortium members to further Save the Children’s mission for children
Partner Management
Work closely with other consortium partners to ensure all advocacy and policy work is coherent and complementary.
Strategically engage with the government and other key stakeholders to ensure the project is meaningfully influencing government priorities in ending malnutrition.
Actively identify and follow up on opportunities to leverage support and resources for the project that will contribute to, or further the objectives of the project.
Assessment, monitoring, evaluation and documentation
Participate in the annual work planning process in close collaboration with USAID & BHA, MOH and County health teams and the project staff.
Prepare narrative reports for the donor(s) and Save the Children as required, ensuring these are of a high quality and submitted for review in a timely manner. This will involve compilation of information from a range of project staff and MoH partners.
Monitor program outputs and results and work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Research team to ensure that results are documented and reported accurately and in a timely manner.
Facilitate appropriate dissemination of research findings and good practices documentations in the project internally and externally to donors, governments, consortium partners and other key actors strategic for immediate and sustainable development of children in Kenya
Knowledge management
Serve as a technical knowledge, skills and experience hub for the ASRH component in Nawiri in documenting and sharing best practices and innovations for replication.
Work with technical resources among Save the Children members to facilitate sharing and learning in child survival and nutrition good practices and leverage their support for strengthening ASRH and HSS related studies, assessments, innovations, advocacy and capacity building in favour of children in Kenya
Qualifications and Experience
Masters-level degree in Public Health, Development, Social Science, or other relevant field;
5-10 years of demonstrated technical experience and expertise in evidence-based RMNCAH&N interventions and best practices, specifically for youth
Demonstrated experience working with communities and county health management teams to improve quality and responsiveness of ASRH services and , demand for and use of services by adolescents young people;
Must have experience leading a large ASRH learning project.
Basic understanding of Human centred Design as an participatory approach to co-creating solutions with end-users is desired.
Demonstrated ability to link ASRH outcomes with nutrition and system thinking approach to nutrition.
Familiarity working on USAID programs and with multilateral agencies, academic institutions, and Kenya’s health and nutrition CSOs;
Familiarity and understanding of USAID & BHA policies and procedures, or those of other donors, or those of donor-funded projects or community-based projects.
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English required;
Highly organized and able to work successfully in a team that is geographically dispersed;
Demonstrated problem solving skills, collaboration experience, creativity and willingness to innovate;
Willingness to be based in the Samburu and Turkana for months at a time, with frequent travel to project offices and field sites within the county.
Highly developed organizational, interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching with demonstrated ability to challenge existing mind-sets
Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international and matrix management environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in and presenting complex information in a succinct, compelling manner
Demonstrates Save the Children’s core values of accountability, collaboration, integrity, ambition, and creativity.
