Terms of Reference

Posted: 2026-06-10 23:52:29  Deadline: June 30, 2026   Contract   Salary: Confidential

The Technical Expert provides technical leadership and country level support for the ALIGN project, strengthening adolescent health and nutrition programming through technical assistance, capacity building, policy engagement, operational research, and support to civil society organisations and youth led organisations across participating countries.

Position Details

Position Title: Technical Expert | ALIGN – Advancing Local Innovations for Adolescent Health and Nutrition
Contract Type: Consultancy
Duration: 14 months
Eligibility and Geographic Scope: Kenya, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Reports To: Project Manager, ALIGN at The Youth Café
Mode of Engagement: Hybrid/online
Project: ALIGN – Advancing Local Innovations for Adolescent Health and Nutrition
Collaborates With: Consortium partners, CSOs, YLOs and national health authorities

Key Responsibilities

Provide technical guidance to CSOs and YLOs on adolescent health and nutrition programme design, adaptation and scale up.
Support baseline capacity assessments and provide technical assistance in programme design, grant management, monitoring and evaluation, and safeguarding.
Facilitate policy dialogue and planning sessions with Ministries of Health, health providers and other stakeholders.
Support the establishment and strengthening of youth councils, scorecards and social listening mechanisms.
Lead implementation of country specific adolescent health and nutrition interventions identified in project workplans.
Support country level outreach and identification of eligible CSOs and YLOs for project sub-grants.
Provide technical input to sub-grantee selection processes and assess the quality and feasibility of proposed projects.
Supervise and support sub-grantees throughout implementation and monitor progress against project objectives.
Conduct periodic sub-project reviews and provide structured feedback to improve programme quality.
Support operational research activities including study design, implementation and analysis.
Strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems and support evidence generation for policy advocacy.
Pilot and support adolescent feedback mechanisms including SMS polling, social listening platforms and community scorecards.
Document successful innovations, co-design models and scaling approaches for knowledge products and policy engagement.
Engage with national technical working groups, decision making forums and health financing platforms.
Participate actively in Community of Practice activities, peer learning events and collaborative workshops.
Share country experiences, lessons learned and innovations to support cross country learning.
Support partnership building and stakeholder engagement through Community of Practice activities.
Prepare technical workplans, quarterly reports, case studies and lessons learned documentation.
Participate in project coordination meetings and submit monitoring and evaluation data, timesheets and activity reports on schedule.

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Nutrition, Social Sciences or a closely related field. A Master's degree is an added advantage.
Minimum 3 years of experience in adolescent health and nutrition programming, preferably within the assigned country or region.
Strong knowledge of national RMNCAH+N strategies, health system integration approaches and government engagement processes.
Proven experience in operational research design and implementation including mixed method studies, process evaluations and costing analyses.
Demonstrated experience providing technical assistance and capacity building to CSOs or YLOs.
Experience facilitating policy dialogue and engaging with national health authorities, technical working groups and health financing platforms.
Must hold a valid work permit or be legally authorised to work in the country of residence.
Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to produce policy briefs, case studies and donor compliant reports.
Fluency in English or French. Proficiency in relevant local languages is an added advantage.

Desirable Qualifications

Experience working on GFF, World Bank, or equivalent multilateral funded health and nutrition programmes.
Familiarity with community of practice facilitation, peer learning methodologies or knowledge management platforms.
Experience with adolescent feedback mechanisms such as SMS polling, social listening tools or community scorecards.
Established networks with national health authorities, CSO coalitions or youth organisations.
Experience with safeguarding protocols and ESCP compliance in fragile or conflict affected settings.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit:

A cover letter of not more than one page outlining suitability for the role, the country being applied for, and confirming availability from 1 July 2026.
An updated CV of not more than four pages.
A brief note of not more than half a page describing one adolescent health or nutrition programme directly contributed to and the outcome achieved.
Contact details for two professional referees.

Email applications to: human.resource@theyouthcafe.com
Cc: admin.compliance@theyouthcafe.com
Subject Line: Technical Expert – ALIGN Project

Deadline for submission: 30th June 2026

Official Job Description: https://www.theyouthcafe.com/open-opportunities/a-call-for-application-technical-expert-align-advancing-local-innovations-for-adolescent-health-amp-nutrition

The Youth Café Open Opportunities: https://www.theyouthcafe.com/open-opportunities/