Description

The global programme Knowledge and Policy Coherence for Nutrition (KPCN) supports the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Commission (EC) in developing coherent nutrition policies that are climate-sensitive, gender-transformative, and anchored in global strategies. KPCN further assists the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement member countries in designing and implementing evidence-based nutrition policies and supports civil society, academia and think tanks to actively participate in political processes at all levels, positioning themselves regarding integrated, gender- and climate-sensitive nutrition strategies. The aim is to ensure that nutrition remains a political priority at the national, regional, and global levels.

KPCN operates at the global and regional levels and has an indirect impact on the national level. The primary target group are SUN member countries, which is why close collaboration with the SUN Secretariat and the SUN Regional Hubs in Kenya, Senegal, and Thailand is pursued. SUN countries covered by the Anglophone Africa Hub are Botswana, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The central implementation instruments are technical assistance and capacity development. Depending on the topic, technical assistance and capacity development assignments in these countries will be led by a specialist advisor or an external consultant, who may be based in another programme office. Key entry points for implementation are existing national, regional, and global structures and initiatives. In Africa these include, among others, the National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN) the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

Responsibilities

Oversee, coordinate and provide technical assistance and capacity development support to SUN countries covered by the Anglophone Africa Hub, including countries with an existing NIPN, with a focus on the climate-nutrition nexus, nutrition data, or nutrition financing.

Tasks

Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager, you will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Facilitate cooperation with the SUN Movement, including continuous engagement with the SUN Anglophone Africa Hub in Nairobi: maintain regular dialogue on the situation in SUN countries, systematically identify and structure partner requests, conduct preliminary needs assessments, and coordinate technical support and capacity development measures in close consultation with the Hub. Conduct joint feedback sessions with partners and the Anglophone Africa Hub on the sustainability of interventions, evaluate lessons learned, and identify further support needs.
• Ensure effective management of the programme’s technical assistance and capacity development activities in the region, in coordination with colleagues in Bonn and Brussels.
• Assist SUN countries covered by the Anglophone Africa Hub in translating global and regional policy outcomes into practical guidance for national implementation and reforms and transmitting national experiences back into global learning and policy processes, producing briefing notes, presentations, speaking points, position papers and orientation guidelines.
• Support civil society networks in SUN member countries to engage in policy processes, advocate for integrated nutrition strategies and build national capacity to participate in global/regional level dialogues.
• Organise and facilitate regional peer-to-peer events and learning formats, promoting the transfer of good practices and lessons learned.
• Ensure close coordination with other SUN technical assistance providers in full coherence with the BMZ and EU policy frameworks.
• Strengthen the exchange of information and coherence between all KPCN programme structures and ensure complementarity and synergies with other GIZ programmes in the region.
• Contribute to reporting and knowledge management, including documentation of good practices, lessons learned and support for the monitoring and evaluation of programme activities.

Required qualifications, competences, and experience

Qualifications

• University degree in nutrition, food and nutrition security, public health, or equivalent is essential.

Professional experience

• Several years of relevant professional experience in development cooperation programmes, preferably GIZ project experience, with focus on nutrition, food and nutrition security, agriculture or public health as well as experience in multi-country/regional contexts are essential.
• Several years of experience of working in complex cooperation systems, especially with the SUN Movement, advising political and strategic decision-makers and institutions at relevant levels is desirable.
• Proven experience in advising on nutrition, with demonstrated expertise in at least one of the following areas: nutrition-climate nexus, nutrition data, or nutrition public/innovative financing.
• Proven ability to work across global-regional-national levels in Africa, translate policy into practice and navigate different institutional contexts (donors, governments, academia, private sector).
• Experience in planning, coordinating, and facilitating peer-to-peer and learning initiatives.
• Regional experience in Africa, with familiarity with SUN countries and Regional Hubs, civil society initiatives, private sector engagement, and comfortable with travels.

Other knowledge, additional competence

• Strong interpersonal and networking skills and a willingness to cooperate effectively with colleagues and partners.
• Strong analytical, research, and report-writing skills, including synthesizing evidence for policy advice.
• Team orientation, flexibility within a rapidly changing environment, with a high degree of intrinsic motivation to achieve results and to deliver goal-oriented results on time is desirable.
• Regional experience in Anglophone Africa, especially with countries covered by SUN Regional Hub.
• Excellent language skills in English (C2) are essential and working knowledge of German is an advantage.
• Profound Office 365 skills, especially Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

Duty Station: Nairobi

Duration of Assignment: 2 years. The contract will run from 01/04/2026 until 31/03/2028 (with possibility for extension)

• Facilitate cooperation with the SUN Movement, including continuous engagement with the SUN Anglophone Africa Hub in Nairobi: maintain regular dialogue on the situation in SUN countries, systematically identify and structure partner requests, conduct preliminary needs assessments, and coordinate technical support and capacity development measures in close consultation with the Hub. Conduct joint feedback sessions with partners and the Anglophone Africa Hub on the sustainability of interventions, evaluate lessons learned, and identify further support needs.
• Ensure effective management of the programme’s technical assistance and capacity development activities in the region, in coordination with colleagues in Bonn and Brussels.
• Assist SUN countries covered by the Anglophone Africa Hub in translating global and regional policy outcomes into practical guidance for national implementation and reforms and transmitting national experiences back into global learning and policy processes, producing briefing notes, presentations, speaking points, position papers and orientation guidelines.
• Support civil society networks in SUN member countries to engage in policy processes, advocate for integrated nutrition strategies and build national capacity to participate in global/regional level dialogues.
• Organise and facilitate regional peer-to-peer events and learning formats, promoting the transfer of good practices and lessons learned.
• Ensure close coordination with other SUN technical assistance providers in full coherence with the BMZ and EU policy frameworks.
• Strengthen the exchange of information and coherence between all KPCN programme structures and ensure complementarity and synergies with other GIZ programmes in the region.
• Contribute to reporting and knowledge management, including documentation of good practices, lessons learned and support for the monitoring and evaluation of programme activities.

• Strong interpersonal and networking skills and a willingness to cooperate effectively with colleagues and partners.
• Strong analytical, research, and report-writing skills, including synthesizing evidence for policy advice.
• Team orientation, flexibility within a rapidly changing environment, with a high degree of intrinsic motivation to achieve results and to deliver goal-oriented results on time is desirable.
• Profound Office 365 skills, especially Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

• University degree in nutrition, food and nutrition security, public health, or equivalent is essential.
• Several years of relevant professional experience in development cooperation programmes, preferably GIZ project experience, with focus on nutrition, food and nutrition security, agriculture or public health as well as experience in multi-country/regional contexts are essential.
• Several years of experience of working in complex cooperation systems, especially with the SUN Movement, advising political and strategic decision-makers and institutions at relevant levels is desirable.
• Proven experience in advising on nutrition, with demonstrated expertise in at least one of the following areas: nutrition-climate nexus, nutrition data, or nutrition public/innovative financing.
• Proven ability to work across global-regional-national levels in Africa, translate policy into practice and navigate different institutional contexts (donors, governments, academia, private sector).
• Experience in planning, coordinating, and facilitating peer-to-peer and learning initiatives.
• Regional experience in Africa, with familiarity with SUN countries and Regional Hubs, civil society initiatives, private sector engagement, and comfortable with travels.
• Regional experience in Anglophone Africa, especially with countries covered by SUN Regional Hub.
• Excellent language skills in English (C2) are essential and working knowledge of German is an advantage.