Senior Nutrition Policy Advisor

Job Summary

The Senior Nutrition Policy Advisor shall contribute to efforts to prevent cardiovascular disease in Nigeria by supporting the government to develop and implement policies aimed at reducing sodium consumption and eliminating trans-fat in the diet. This is a full-time position based in Abuja and requires frequent travel to the field. The Senior Nutrition Policy Advisor will report to the Resolve to Save Lives CVH manager in Nigeria. They will receive technical support from the Resolve to Save Lives Director of Nutrition Policy and Surveillance, who is based in New York. They will also work closely with global office program staff who lead on sodium reduction and trans-fat elimination.

• Minimum Qualification : MBA / MSc
• Experience Level : Senior level
• Experience Length : 8 years

Job Description / Requirements

Responsibilities :

Requirements :

Remuneration :  Competitive salary, excellent benefits including health, vision, and dentalinsurance, life insurance, pension contributions, paid annual andpersonal health leave, parental leave, professional learning anddevelopment opportunities, and more.

Background :

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been increasing globally, including in Nigeria. This increase has been attributed to a concomitant rise in risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, tobacco, and alcohol intake as well as unhealthy diet. Unhealthy diet is among the top 10 risk factors responsible for the greatest morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. The prevalence of unhealthy diets amongst the populace is high at 74.8% while the mean daily salt consumption is 9.6g / day which is above the WHO recommended daily limit of 5g / day.

The Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) Cardiovascular Health Initiative focuses on large-scale hypertension management, global elimination of trans fat, and effective interventions to reduce sodium consumption. RTSL and partners have been supporting the passage of a TFA elimination policy in Nigeria and will support the implementation of the policy once it goes into effect. Furthermore, RTSL has been collaborating with the Government to develop and implement a public food procurement policy and guidelines and to strengthen the capacity for implementation of nutritional standards to further safeguard the health of the population. A healthy public food procurement policy establishes nutrition standards that encourage food that promotes healthy diets and / or limit or prohibit food that contributes to unhealthy diets. Finally, RTSL and partners will be partnering with the government to support salt reduction policies.