The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
This is a remote position open to candidates based in countries where IRC operates and who have the right to work in their location, preferably in time zones reasonably aligned with West and Central Africa.’ An international assignment contract may be considered in unique circumstances.
In nutrition, the IRC aims to strengthen health services and food systems so that women and children are well nourished and protected from all forms of undernutrition. This includes scaling up community‑based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) and advancing simplified, innovative approaches that improve access, coverage, quality, and cost‑effectiveness of services.
The CMAM Avance’ Project
CMAM Avance’ is a multi‑country initiative focused on testing, implementing, and learning from simplified and coverage‑enhancing approaches to CMAM delivery. The project currently operates in Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Niger, with the potential to expand to additional contexts. A strong emphasis is placed on technical quality, learning, and cost‑effectiveness to inform scale‑up and broader IRC strategy.
Position Summary
The CMAM Avance’ Technical Lead provides senior technical leadership and oversight across all project countries to ensure high‑quality, evidence‑based implementation and learning. The role combines country‑level technical partnership, capacity strengthening, quality assurance, and global‑level technical leadership, with a strong focus on cost‑effectiveness and learning.
Working closely with country teams, Ministries of Health, MEAL and coverage specialists, the Best Use of Resources (BUR) team, finance, research, and HQ nutrition colleagues, the Technical Lead ensures that project implementation, data use, and learning remain rigorous, coherent, and strategically relevant.
As part of the West and Central Africa regional team, this position—working specifically on the CMAM Avancé project—will contribute beyond country-level implementation by supporting regional learning and cross-country reflection. The role will help inform and accelerate the advancement of similar approaches in other countries across the region, particularly by strengthening cross-functional ways of working and helping to prioritize efforts where there is the greatest potential for scale. In this way, the position directly contributes to the ongoing Phase 2 of IRC’s Nutrition Impact at Scale (I@S) strategy, translating programmatic learning into scalable, region-wide nutrition impact.
Specific Responsibilities:
Country-Level Technical Support & Capacity Strengthening
1. Technical Advisory & Program Performance Improvement
• Serve as the primary technical advisor to CMAM Avance’ country teams in Chad, DRC, and Niger, providing continuous remote and in‑country support on program design, adaptation, and implementation.
• Provide expert technical guidance on complex operational and programmatic challenges, including protocol adaptations, implementation trade‑offs, and risk mitigation.
• Partner with national technical teams to analyze program performance data (coverage, admissions, treatment outcomes, supply gaps, and quality indicators) and deliver evidence‑based recommendations to improve program quality, access, coverage, and effectiveness.
• Support country teams to strengthen the quality and clarity of technical reporting, ensuring robust articulation of evidence‑based results and learning.
2. Capacity Strengthening & Technical Workforce Development
• Design and deliver advanced technical training, mentoring, and coaching to country nutrition teams to build sustained capacity in evidence‑based CMAM protocols and quality standards.
• Develop, adapt, and deploy practical technical tools, job aids, guidance documents, training packages, and curricula tailored to country contexts, ensuring alignment with international and national standards.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, accountability, and technical excellence through hands‑on support and structured follow‑up.
3. Quality Assurance, Supervision & Government Engagement
• Conduct regular technical support visits, including supportive supervision, quality assessments, coaching sessions, and joint program reviews.
• Work closely with Ministries of Health and key government counterparts to ensure adherence to CMAM protocols, alignment with national strategies, and identification of opportunities for corrective action and system strengthening.
4. Coordination & Cross‑Country Learning
• Establish and maintain structured coordination mechanisms with country teams, including regular technical meetings, joint work planning, and follow‑up actions.
• Facilitate cross‑country learning by documenting and sharing best practices, lessons learned, and innovations, and supporting their adaptation across project countries.
Technical Strategy, Evidence, and Learning
1.Cost‑Effectiveness & Best Use of Resources
• Collaborate with the Best Use of Resources (BUR) team to (1) strengthen monitoring and evaluation of cost‑effectiveness across project components, as well as (2) assess the feasibility, cost, and impact implications of program adjustments and expansions to increase cost-effectiveness
• Work with the finance analyst to monitor and correct expenses and encourage country teams to optimize costs; as well as build annual budgets;
2.MEAL Systems, Data Use & Analytical Oversight
• Collaborate with the MEAL Specialist and country M&E leads to ensure effective use of CommCare and PowerBI nutrition data platforms.
• Provide technical oversight and review of project‑level reporting against the learning agenda, including key performance indicators such as coverage, admissions, recovery rates, and relapse.
• Advise on data‑driven course correction to strengthen implementation quality and outcomes.
3.Coverage Measurement & Technical Methodologies
• Provide technical leadership and oversight for nutrition coverage surveys, including methodological guidance, quality assurance, data analysis, and reporting.
• Support country teams to translate coverage findings into practical improvements in service delivery and program strategy.
4. Technical Innovation, Tools & Coverage Expansion
• Provide technical leadership and capacity building to support adoption of context‑appropriate, coverage‑increasing activities.
• Develop, test, and roll out practical tools, resources, training materials, and curricula that respond to country needs and end‑user realities.
5.Knowledge Management, Learning & Strategic Influence
• Systematically document, analyze, and synthesize lessons learned from the CMAM Avancé project to generate actionable evidence that informs IRC Strategy 100 Phase 2 and the Nutrition Innovation @ Scale (I@S) initiative.
• Translate country-level implementation learning into regional insights, supporting cross-country reflection and adaptation of CMAM and nutrition system-strengthening approaches across West and Central Africa.
• Contribute to regional learning agendas by identifying emerging best practices, implementation bottlenecks, and enabling factors for scale, and by distilling these into clear recommendations for programmatic and strategic decision-making.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration (across nutrition, health systems, MEAL, advocacy, and partnerships teams) to strengthen integrated ways of working and ensure that learning from CMAM Avancé informs broader IRC nutrition programming.
• Support prioritization for scale, by helping assess which programmatic innovations and operational models show the greatest potential for sustainable expansion within government systems.
• Contribute to knowledge products (e.g. learning briefs, case studies, internal strategy notes, presentations) that support internal alignment, donor engagement, and external influence related to nutrition at scale.
• Engage with regional and global IRC teams to ensure that evidence and learning from West and Central Africa meaningfully shape the evolution and operationalization of the Nutrition Impact at Scale (I@S) Phase 2 strategy.
• Support adaptive management processes, using real-time learning and data to inform course correction and enhance effectiveness of ongoing and future nutrition interventions.
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: the Project Director CMAM avance’
Position directly supervises: Supervises the coverage survey specialist/ statistician. Establishes management in partnership with country specific technical positions under the project
Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Internal: Regular relationships with the Nutrition team in the newly established region West and central Africa (WACAR) region and HQ, the BUR team and the health unit and country technical counterparts. Interacts with IRC internal departments as relevant including IPP and finance.
External: May participate in outside meetings and academic forums with donors, other non-governmental organizations and inter-agency groups as needed.
Job Qualifications:
Education: University degree in related field plus Master’s degree in Public Health, Public Health Nutrition or Global Nutrition is required.
Skills: Ability to work effectively and respectfully on diverse teams and across diverse contexts. Good technical acumen, takes initiative, works productively while working remotely and produces results, ability to accept feedback and integrate it, strong communication skills and ability to uphold a positive work environment. Good level interpersonal skills with a high level of English and French oral and written skills. Committed to upholding diversity, equality and inclusion principles both professionally and personally.
Essential Work Experience: A minimum of 5 years of international experience managing CMAM programs in humanitarian settings and a minimum of 3 years working at the global level advising on CMAM implementation and strategy as well as experience engaging with donors. Expertise in the community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM is required and essential to the role). Proven knowledge and experience in designing M&E systems for CMAM programs using CommCare and on the design, implementation and analysis of nutrition coverage surveys (e.g. SQUEAC) and experience running cost-effectiveness analyses for CMAM. Experience in using IT software (e.g. CommCare) is an advantage.
Only candidates who meet the required work experience and who fluently speak both English and French will be considered.
Working Environment: Up to 40% travel will be required, traveling to each of the five countries at least twice per year.
Language Skills: Fluency in English and French is required
Compensation:Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.
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