• The Senior Advisor reports to the Global Food Systems Adviser and collaborates closely with the VP for Nutrition, Center of Program Impact and the Center for Strategic Partnerships, Managing Director and country teams, small- and medium enterprises, large food producers, and national/regional regulatory and standard-setting bodies.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Strategy and Oversight

• Provide strategic and technical leadership to strengthen large-scale food fortification and fortified complementary food initiatives across multiple geographies.
• Support country teams and private-sector partners in designing and implementing high-impact, evidence-based fortification programs aligned with global best practices and national priorities.
• Assist small- and medium-sized enterprises in overcoming challenges related to technology, finance, quality assurance, consumer demand, and supply chains to scale production of fortified complementary foods.
• Oversee fortification-related projects to ensure timely execution, measurable results, and alignment with broader organizational goals, including integration into flagship initiatives like
• Transforming Lives Through Nutrition.
• Lead the development and dissemination of tools, standards, and benchmarks to ensure program quality, consistency, and scalability across countries.
• Contribute to strategic positioning, proposal development, and cross-country learning to amplify Helen Keller Intl’s global influence in food fortification.
• Policy and Advocacy Leadership
• In partnership with the VP for Nutrition and Advocacy teams, set and drive a robust policy agenda for food fortification, advancing reforms at national and regional levels.
• Conduct or support policy analysis and stakeholder mapping to engage regulatory bodies, economic communities, and advocacy networks.
• Guide countries in aligning large-scale food fortification with national nutrition strategies and investment frameworks.
• Learning and Evidence Agenda
• Lead Helen Keller’s learning and evidence agenda for food fortification by identifying knowledge gaps, driving relevant research, and synthesizing learnings.
• Promote strategic use of data and evidence to improve program quality and influence global discourse.
• Engage in communities of practice, technical working groups, and donor convenings t disseminate insights.
• Monitoring, Data, and Continuous Improvement
• Design and oversee systems for external monitoring of fortification quality, including market surveillance, testing protocols, and regulatory enforcement partnerships.
• Strengthen national data systems for large-scale food fortification and fortified complementary food tracking.
• Use data insights for program improvement and strategic reporting.
• Private Sector Engagement and Capacity Building
• Cultivate and manage partnerships with food manufacturers and small- and medium-sized enterprises to enhance compliance and innovation in fortified food production.
• Facilitate access to training, financing options, cost modelling, and market intelligence.
• Promote sustainable business models and blended finance approaches to improve scalability and resilience.
• Regional and Global Positioning
• Represent Helen Keller Intl at regional and global forums such as the Africa Food Systems
• Forum and Codex Alimentarius.
• Contribute to proposal development and strategic positioning documents.

Required Qualifications and Competencies

• Master’s degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Public Health, Food Technology, or related field, plus a minimum of 8-10 years of progressive experience in large-scale food fortification and/or fortified food production in low- and middle-income countries or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proven experience working with small- and medium-sized enterprises, food industry partners, and policy stakeholders
• Supporting mall and medium enterprises in food production in low- and middle-income countries, especially complementary food fortification.
• Working in or with low- and middle-income countries.
• Proven leadership in managing multi-country programs and providing technical assistance to governments and private sector partners.
• Track record in policy and advocacy, particularly in engaging with regulatory and Standards setting bodies and influencing national/regional policy on food systems or nutrition.