Programme Policy Officer (nutrition and Fortification)

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives in emergencies and building pathways to peace and prosperity. WFP operates in India, focusing on strengthening national capacity for food and nutrition security, particularly for vulnerable populations, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17.

Job Purpose

The Programme Policy Officer (Nutrition & Fortification) will provide crucial technical support to enhance the nutritional effectiveness of India's Public Distribution System (PDS). This role involves reviewing and recommending evidence-based nutrition interventions, including fortification, and supporting their operationalization in collaboration with the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD). The incumbent will analyze national datasets to monitor nutritional needs and PDS impact, generate evidence-based reports for policy guidance, and facilitate cross-ministerial coordination. Key responsibilities include serving as a technical liaison between relevant ministries, assessing and documenting learnings from nutrition interventions like fortified rice schemes, and developing capacity-building programs for government counterparts and partners.

Responsibilities

The role involves providing technical and policy support to enhance the nutritional effectiveness of the Public Distribution System (PDS). Key responsibilities include researching and recommending evidence-based nutrition-sensitive interventions and best practices from other countries for potential integration into the PDS. This includes operationalizing feasible nutrition-based solutions, such as fortification, in agreement with the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD). The position requires analyzing national datasets (NFHS, CNNS, HCES) to monitor the PDS's nutritional alignment and its impact on demographic health trends, producing reports to guide policy decisions. Facilitating cross-ministerial coordination among relevant ministries (Food Processing, Women and Child Development, Education, Health and Family Welfare) is crucial for improving national nutritional indicators. The role also entails assessing and documenting lessons learned from the implementation of schemes like fortified rice, developing training modules, and building capacity for government counterparts and partner agencies. Furthermore, it involves creating information, education, and communication (IEC) strategies and materials, and supporting the development and implementation of quality control protocols for nutrition interventions. The incumbent will also address technical queries related to nutrition interventions during parliamentary sessions and review meetings, and provide other support as needed by DFPD or the World Food Programme (WFP).

Work Experience

Requires at least one year of professional nutrition experience. Experience working with government, UN agencies, or INGOs on nutrition-related issues for 10-12 years is desirable. Extensive experience collaborating with government ministries and departments, and supporting large-scale national or state-level nutrition projects is also desirable.

Skills

Public Health Nutrition, Nutrition, Food Technology, Medicine, Data Analysis, Policy Development, Project Implementation, Capacity Building, Communication Strategies, Quality Assurance, MS Office Proficiency, GIS Tools (QGIS, ArcGIS), Data Visualization (Tableau), AI/ML Solutions, English, Hindi

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