Senior Advisor, Nutrition Policy and Systems Strengthening

Job Description

Title: Senior Advisor, Nutrition Policy and Systems Strengthening

Company Name: Helen Keller Intl

Vacancy: --

Age: Na

Job Location: Dhaka

Salary: --

Experience:

• At least 10 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Advanced degree in Public Health, Nutrition, Public Policy, International Development, or a related discipline.

• At least 10 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

Experience & Knowledge

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in nutrition policy, public health, or development sectors, including at least 3 years in policy advocacy or government engagement roles.
• Strong understanding of Bangladesh’s nutrition governance structure, multisectoral coordination mechanisms, and national development frameworks.
• Proven experience in building partnerships and influencing policy processes at senior levels.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex policy issues, synthesize evidence, and communicate recommendations clearly.
• Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, and negotiation skills.
• Strong written and spoken proficiency in English and Bangla.

COMPETENCIES:

Essential Character

• Pro-active
• Analytical thinking
• Result-oriented

Forward thinking

• Strategic Networking
• Negotiation and Influencing Skills
• Writing
• Flexibility
• Development-oriented

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in more than 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

In Bangladesh, Helen Keller Intl has a strong history of partnership with the Government of Bangladesh and development partners to strengthen systems and improve outcomes in nutrition, eye health, WASH, and livelihoods. Helen Keller’s programs prioritize remote, hard-to-reach, and marginalized communities, including those in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Transforming Lives Through Nutrition (Transforming Lives) is a grant-funded consortium uniting three nonprofits, including Helen Keller Intl, Vitamin Angels and iDE, and has been established to offer an impactful way to improve the nutrition of underserved pregnant women, infants and young children globally. This work is funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as part of its humanitarian efforts implementing in 12 countries including Bangladesh. The goal of the Transforming Lives Through Nutrition initiative is to improve maternal and child health, through the delivery of proven nutrition interventions and to strengthen health and food systems at scale by putting women and children at the center. The Project participants include women and children under 5 years of age from hard to reach areas where there is limited maternal and child health services for extreme poor & disadvantaged people.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Advisor for Nutrition Policy and Systems Strengthening provides high-level strategic and technical leadership for Helen Keller Intl Bangladesh’s nutrition portfolio. This position leads the organization’s engagement in national nutrition and food system policies, advocacy platforms, and donor dialogues, ensuring that evidence and program learning inform national priorities. The Advisor plays a key role in expanding and positioning Helen Keller’s nutrition portfolio by supporting business development, including concept note and proposal design, donor and government engagement, and strategic partnerships. The incumbent works closely with the Country Director, Deputy Country Director, and technical teams to ensure coherence between program implementation, policy influence, and resource mobilization efforts that promote sustainable nutrition outcomes in Bangladesh.

PROJECT NAME: Transforming Lives Through Nutrition

REPORTING TO: Deputy Country Director, Helen Keller Intl Bangladesh

SUPERVISES: None

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1.Thought Leadership in Nutrition

• Work with the Government of Bangladesh to scale up evidence-based and integrated nutrition interventions that prevent and treat malnutrition through strengthened systems for service delivery, governance, and accountability.
• Provide policy and technical guidance with national stakeholders to identify policy and programmatic gaps, and support the development, updating, and implementation of nutrition-related policies and strategies that align with national priorities and global best practices.

2.Advocacy and Stakeholder Engagement

• Design and implement advocacy strategies to elevate nutrition as a national development and investment priority.
• Promote the use of dashboards and nutrition expenditure tracking to enhance resource allocation and transparency at both national and subnational levels.
• Collaborate with national nutrition stakeholders in innovative nutrition financing and governance.
• Support evidence-based advocacy for fortification standards and quality assurance systems under the national food safety and nutrition frameworks
• Enhance partnerships with key ministries (e.g., MoHFW, MoA, MoF, MoWCA), UN agencies, development partners, and civil society platforms.
• Represent Helen Keller Intl in national-level technical working groups, coordination mechanisms, and global/regional policy dialogues.
• Lead the development of policy briefs, position papers, and advocacy materials tailored to decision-makers and donors.

3.Business Development and Resource Mobilization

• Contribute to organizational strategic planning and positioning in the national nutrition and food systems landscape.
• Identify new funding opportunities aligned with organizational strategy and national nutrition priorities.
• Provide technical leadership in proposal development, ensuring integration of nutrition policy, systems strengthening, and advocacy components.

4.Capacity Strengthening and Internal Coordination

• Build the capacity of Helen Keller staff and partners on nutrition policy, advocacy, and donor engagement.
• Provide mentoring and technical backstopping to program teams to ensure policy alignment and coherence.
• Facilitate coordination across teams to align project delivery, policy influence, and resource mobilization efforts.
• Work closely with global and regional advisors to harmonize local strategies with Helen Keller’s global frameworks.

TIME REQUIRED IN THE JOB TO REACH EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE:

Probation period – 3 months