Regional Technical Sr. Specialist-Livelihoods - FEWS NET

Job Description

Introduction

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Government (USG) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage of acute food insecurity. FEWS NET’s work is implemented across several mechanisms through close collaboration among a team of government and university partners Chemonics International (Chemonics) and other contractors. Chemonics implements FEWS NET’s Decision Support Team (DST), which is charged with providing integrated monitoring and analyses of current and forecast acute food insecurity in countries worldwide to support the USG’s policy and programmatic decisions. The DST operates through a Washington-based technical office and regional and select local FEWS NET offices established in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and eastern Europe.

Based on an in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, DST members monitor information and data on factors that affect food security, such as conflict, weather conditions, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. The FEWS NET DST produces regular reports, including Food Security Outlooks and Outlook Updates, emergency alerts, market and price updates, and targeted analyses. FEWS NET makes reports and data available globally to governments, relief agencies, and other organizations engaged in humanitarian response and development programs.

The eighth phase of FEWS NET began in 2024. The work of the FEWS NET DST relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security data, information gathering, and analysis. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data sharing and exchanges, and collaborative analysis and reporting. FEWS NET supports local and regional food security networks with the global objective of achieving food security for all.

Position Description

The FEWS NET DST is responsible for providing decision support to the USG in over 40 countries located in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The project operates out of a home office, based in Washington, D.C. and five regional offices located in LAC (Guatemala), West Africa (Niger), East Africa (Kenya), Southern Africa (Zimbabwe), and Asia, the Middle East, and Europe (Jordan). Regional technical senior specialist (RTSS) for livelihoods (LH) will be based in each regional office.

The FEWS NET DST uses a livelihoods-based food security analytical framework grounded in Household Economy Analysis (HEA) principles. In line with the requirements of this framework, the project maintains a livelihoods knowledge base that includes livelihood zones and descriptions, profiles, and/or livelihood baselines for all FEWS NET presence countries, and the DST aims to develop a functional evidence base for many non-reporting countries to allow for broader global coverage. These knowledge products are essential for the FEWS NET DST’s capacity to conduct acute food insecurity analysis and projections. Understanding livelihood systems - that is, the ways in which people gain access to the food and cash income they need to meet their essential needs - is at the root of understanding which hazards will undermine this access. This analysis allows for an integrated and sophisticated predictive system – one in which multiple hazards can be projected for various wealth groups across myriad geographies.

The FEWS NET DST uses this livelihoods approach in looking particularly at how different wealth groups cope with a shock or hazard (or combination of shocks/hazards), such as a drought, flood, market disruption, or conflict. For the early warning of food insecurity, livelihoods analysis provides insights into the ability of households to cope with and respond to shocks. The analysis also provides detailed information for humanitarian assistance planning and ongoing monitoring.

The RTSS-LH will liaise extensively with Household Economy Analysis (HEA) working groups throughout the region and must be able to articulate FEWS NET’s livelihoods approach, and its relevance for acute food insecurity analysis, to partners. The RTSS-LH will be expected to provide critical inputs to regional decision-support products, technical assistance and guidance to country teams, and training on relevant HEA food security analyses and tools, for FEWS NET and partner staff. The RTSS-LH will contribute to high-quality and effective early warning of threats to food security by supporting efforts to mitigate food insecurity and prevent food crises through the provision of actionable, evidence-based food security analysis.

To support this effort, the RTSS–LH serves as the regional decision support specialist for the livelihoods’ sector and primarily supports livelihood activities within the region. The RTSS–LH will work under the guidance of the Washington D.C. home office Livelihoods Advisor in close collaboration with the Regional Technical Lead (RTL) and the other technical specialists in the regional team, the country teams in the region, other mechanisms across the FEWS NET 8 project, and network partners to design, execute, and coordinate regional livelihoods activities. The RTSS-LH works under the technical supervision of the Livelihoods Advisor, with administrative management provided by the RTL.

Responsibilities

The main responsibilities of the RTSS-LH include, but are not limited to:

• Providing regional leadership for the identification, review, and compilation of appropriate livelihoods data, by supporting national offices in maintaining a livelihoods knowledge base composed of, at a minimum, livelihood zone profiles and maps, sub-national seasonal monitoring calendars, and technical databases relevant to maintain livelihoods profiles and/or baselines in presence countries within the region.
• Contributing to the identification of priority HEA livelihood activities in line with the strategic orientation of the DST’s work, including directly carrying out monitoring activities through field assessments in presence countries monitored by FEWS NET within the region.
• Providing high quality and effective early warning of threats to food security and supporting efforts to mitigate acute food insecurity and prevent food crises through the effective communication of actionable, evidence-based HEA food security analysis.
• Providing HEA livelihoods-related inputs into monthly reporting requirements in a timely and high quality manner, including conducting, interpreting and sharing outputs from Outcome Analyses and other livelihoods analyses to contribute to Food Security Outlooks (FSOs) and FSO Updates
• Collaborating with regional and international partners in food security monitoring and analysis through the implementation of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) or Cadre Harmonisé (CH) protocols, including providing technical support in the use of HEA within those protocols.
• Under the direction of the Livelihoods Advisor, helping establish and/or maintain systematic, timely, high-quality, and efficient HEA livelihoods data compilation and management processes among country, regional, and home office staff. Supporting the collection, organization, and storage of primary and secondary livelihoods data and information for submission to the FEWS NET Hub and USG. Liaising with FEWS NET DST project staff and partners to facilitate timely data flows.
• Contributing to the regular collection, organization, and storage of data as set out by the FEWS NET Senior Management Team in collaboration with the FEWS NET Data, Knowledge, and Learning Hub (Hub).
• Collaborating closely with the FEWS NET Knowledge Base (KB) mechanisms to support their work especially in the following areas: contributing to country prioritization and HEA baselines implementation strategy in collaboration with the LH Advisor; linking the KB mechanism to key HEA partners and working groups within the region; supporting initial baseline activities and validation workshops; supporting closeout and transition plans after the conclusion of KB baseline activities; developing a plan to facilitate the DST’s and partners’ use of completed baselines in subsequent years after conclusion of KB activities – as directed by the DST LH team. .
• Liaising with other technical sectors of FEWS NET, including the Quality Assurance and Methods sector and Data sector, as well as other FEWS NET mechanisms (namely the Hub), to enhance the functionality of various livelihoods data domains in the central storage for HEA livelihood products.
• Collaborating with other regional technical specialists to ensure alignment between conflict, M&T, agroclimatology and livelihoods assumptions.
• Supporting the Livelihoods Advisor in meeting the USG’s expectations on timely delivery of decision support products, which include, but are not limited to: responding to urgent questions within one day; providing briefings within one week of request; and contributing livelihoods analyses to requests for acute food insecurity analysis in ad hoc countries that fall within region of coverage that will be delivered within one week of USG’s request.
• Providing consistent technical assistance and guidance to FEWS NET country offices within the region on how to gather and analyze livelihoods-related information as it pertains to food security analysis, early warning, and food assistance decision support. This may include assistance with the design and implementation of food security assessments, livelihoods studies, and with the improvement of monitoring methods. The RTSS-LH may also be asked to lead or engage in food security assessments in the region, including partner assessments.
• At the direction of the Livelihoods Advisor and in collaboration with the Knowledge Management, Communications, and Capacity Development Senior Specialist and Network Development Advisor, supporting building the skills of colleagues at the home, regional, and country offices, on livelihoods analysis, including processes for the review and use of HEA livelihoods’ data. Capacity development initiatives include conducting training, developing guidance, and supporting the development of e-learning modules.
• Closely collaborating with HEA partners within the region, as well as other mechanisms of the FEWS NET 8 project (e.g. Save the Children International and the KB project) to enhance the capabilities of partners and regional network members in HEA food security monitoring and early warning. Seeking collaboration with regional partners that enhances the quality of the DST’s food security monitoring; collaborating with partners to improve the quality of livelihoods’ information.
• Under the supervision of the Livelihoods Advisor, and in collaboration with the RTL, support the design, execution, and monitoring of annual work plan activities that relate to the livelihoods sector.
• As needed, the RTSS-LH will be expected to contribute to the FEWS NET DST’s decision support efforts to identify as early as possible potential or emerging food security crises. The RTSS-LH will be expected to demonstrate the ability to respond quickly to sudden increases and decreases in analysis needs globally by, under the direction of the Livelihoods Advisor, re-orienting work plans and initiating new lines of monitoring and reporting outside of traditional areas of coverage.
• Assisting the RTL in carrying out a predetermined set of technical, management, and representational functions of the regional office, upon request and in coordination with the Livelihoods Advisor.
• As needed, for limited periods of time, and with the agreement of the RTL, the Livelihoods Advisor and the senior management team (SMT), the RTSS-LH may be expected to serve as acting-RTL.
• Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of experience relevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as economics, agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, or social geography is required.
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience) in a discipline relevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as economics, agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, or social geography is required. An advanced university degree (Master's degree or higher) in a discipline relevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as economics, agricultural economics, statistics, or social geography is preferred.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English and a secondary language is required. The required second language is French for West Africa; Arabic for Middle East and Europe; and Spanish for Latin America and the Caribbean. Other local language skills relevant to the region are desirable.
• Proficiency and extensive experience in Household Economy Analysis (HEA) is required.
• Previous experience with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) or Cadre Harmonisé (CH) is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively conduct assessments, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and analyze information from relevant sectors using both qualitative and quantitative methods is required.
• Demonstrated leadership capacities and an ability to work independently, when necessary is required, as are strong organizational skills.
• Demonstrated analytical and report-writing skills are required.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required, including demonstrated ability to coordinate productively with diverse partner stakeholders (e.g., UN, non-governmental organizations, host government entities) and multidisciplinary, multicultural teams, and to work effectively with remote-based colleagues.
• Excellent computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are required; the ability to effectively use statistical software packages and/or GIS applications is desirable.

Location and Reporting

The strong preference is for the RTSS-LH to be based in one of the regional offices, located in Guatemala City (Guatemala) and Niamey (Niger). Highly qualified candidates who have legal work authorization and are based in other select countries in which FEWS NET 8 operates (limited to the list below) may be considered.

• West Africa: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, and Nigeria
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Guatemala

The RTSS-LH will work under the technical direction and supervision of the Livelihoods Advisor, while administrative supervision will be provided by the Regional Technical Lead (RTL), in coordination with the Livelihoods Advisor. The RTSS-LH will be required to travel domestically and internationally, personal considerations permitting.