Senior Advisor, Food Fortification

HKI - Helen Keller International

Multiple Locations

Summary of the Position

Helen Keller Intl seeks a Senior Advisor, Food Fortification to lead and expand its large-scale food fortification efforts and support small and medium enterprises in producing affordable, nutritious foods—especially fortified complementary foods—in low- and middle-income countries. This position is central to implementing the 2025–2028 Food Fortification Strategic Initiative.

The Senior Advisor will provide strategic and technical leadership, forge public-private partnerships, advance policy change and advocacy, and shape evidence-based programming.

Functional Relationships

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 to 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 modeling, 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 standardssetting bodies and influencing national/regional policy on food systems or nutrition;
Demonstrated ability to forge public-private partnerships, work with national and regional regulatory bodies and engage donor agencies and global platforms;
Experience with strategic planning and implementation across multi-country initiatives, leading learning agendas and evidence-driven decision-making, and managing cross-functional teams and collaborating with subject matter experts;
Strong knowledge of fortification standards, regulatory compliance, and supply chain management;
Demonstrated success in evidence generation, monitoring, and policy advocacy;
Financial acumen, including experience with blended finance and social enterprise models;
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a collaborative, adaptive leadership style;
Fluency in English required; French proficiency strongly preferred;
Lived experience working and living in the contexts where Helen Keller works strongly preferred;
An ability to work in challenging and changing environments, to find solutions to emerging challenges, and maintain balance when under stress;
Collaborative, flexible and solution-oriented;
Ability and willingness to:
- flex work hours to accommodate multiple time zones, as needed;
- travel at least 30% of time.