A CALL FOR APPLICATION: Technical Expert | ALIGN – Advancing Local Innovations For Adolescent Health & Nutrition

Position Title: Technical Expert | ALIGN – Advancing Local Innovations for Adolescent Health & Nutrition

Contract Type:Consultancy

Duration: 14 months

Eligibility and Geographic Scope : Kenya, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe (with occasional travel to target countries)

Reports To: Project Manager – ALIGN at The Youth Café

Mode of Engagement: Hybrid/online

Project: ALIGN – Advancing Local Innovations for Adolescent Health & Nutrition

Collaborates With: Consortium partners (Action Against Hunger, ENN, The Youth Café), CSOs, YLOs, and national health authorities

ABOUT THE PROJECT

ALIGN is an initiative funded by the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF) and administered by the World Bank. The project aims to improve adolescent health and nutrition outcomes by empowering local civil society organisations (CSOs) and youth-led organisations (YLOs) to adapt, scale, and integrate proven, community-driven innovations into national health systems across up to 12 African countries.

The project is implemented by a two-member consortium. Action Against Hunger USA (ACF USA) serves as the prime recipient and leads overall programme management and fiduciary responsibility. The Youth Café (TYC) is the youth-focused implementing partner responsible for youth engagement, sub-grant portfolio management, community of practice facilitation, and evidence-based advocacy. The Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) serves as the technical knowledge and research partner. Together, the consortium bridges the gap between local civil society innovation and national-level systems change in adolescent health and nutrition

Project Components

Component 1: Strengthening CSO and YLO Capacities for Networking and Enabling Pathways to Scale

This component strengthens the organisational and technical capacity of CSOs and YLOs to co-design, expand, and integrate high-quality adolescent health and nutrition innovations into public systems by delivering Technical Support Packages covering baseline capacity assessments, tailored technical assistance and mentorship in programme design and grant management, policy dialogue facilitation, and the establishment of youth engagement mechanisms such as youth councils and social listening channels. Establish and manage a Cross-Country Community of Practice (CoP) that connects local innovators with technical experts, policymakers, and partners through peer learning platforms, stakeholder convenings, structured knowledge exchange, and the documentation and dissemination of lessons on scaling and health system integration.

Component 2: Supporting CSOs and YLOs to Effectively Engage Government Entities in Adolescent Health and Nutrition

This component provides sub-grants to eligible CSOs and YLOs across up to 12 countries to scale proven adolescent health and nutrition innovations. It covers all grant management and administration activities, including the development of an Operational Manual, formation of a technical selection committee, targeted country-level outreach to attract strong applicants, sub-grantee selection, and compliance and fiduciary management. It focuses on sub-project implementation by supporting CSOs to identify and scale promising interventions, conduct sensitisation workshops, execute awareness and communications campaigns, and carry out periodic adaptive sub-project reviews.

Component 3: Generating Evidence and Influencing Policy

This component builds a robust evidence base and uses it to drive policy change and sustainable scale. It covers operational research and M&E: conducting mixed-method studies on performance and cost-effectiveness, strengthening CSO and YLO monitoring systems, and piloting adolescent feedback mechanisms such as SMS polling and social listening. It covers knowledge management and advocacy: documenting successful co-design models, producing policy briefs and academic papers, and engaging with national and global decision-making forums to advocate for policy integration and financing.

The Youth Café's Role in ALIGN

As a consortium partner, The Youth Café leads youth engagement, sub-grant portfolio management, Community of Practice facilitation, and evidence-based advocacy across the project. TYC is specifically responsible for ensuring that adolescent voices and youth-led innovations are at the centre of the project's policy influence and systems integration work. TYC's ALIGN team is based in Nairobi with responsibility for country-level coordination across all target countries.

Staff recruited under ALIGN will operate within TYC's administrative and programmatic structure, in close coordination with ACF USA and ENN. All positions are governed by TYC's human resources policies, the World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework requirements, and the safeguarding and labour standards set out in the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP). Each staff member assigned to ALIGN is expected to support TYC's designated Environmental and Social Focal Point and to uphold TYC's and ACF USA's safeguarding, anti-discrimination, and gender equality policies throughout implementation.

Note to Applicants

The position for which you are applying is part of The Youth Café's ALIGN project team. This background document is a standard introduction provided with all ALIGN Terms of Reference and should be read together with the specific position description that follows. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate in their application how their experience relates to the project's three-component structure and to TYC's specific implementation responsibilities as described above.

 Key Responsibilities

  1. Component 1: Technical Support and Capacity Strengthening

  • Provide hands-on technical guidance to in-country CSOs and YLOs on adolescent health and nutrition programme design, adaptation, and scale-up, consistent with the national RMNCAH+N strategy and health system priorities.

  • Support the in-country delivery of Component 1 Technical Support Packages: contribute to the baseline capacity assessment of sub-grantees in the assigned country; provide or facilitate tailored technical assistance and mentorship in programme design, grant management, M&E, and safeguarding; and support the integration of sub-grantee activities with government and health provider delivery platforms.

  • Facilitate in-country policy dialogue and co-delivery planning sessions with national health providers, Ministry of Health counterparts, and relevant service delivery platforms, ensuring ALIGN activities are visible and aligned with government priorities.

  • Support the establishment or strengthening of in-country youth councils, scorecards, and social listening channels, ensuring youth engagement mechanisms are embedded in local health system structures and feeding into national decision-making processes.

  • Lead implementation of country-specific priority interventions identified through the Operational Manual and workplan, which may include digital campaigns to counter health misinformation, school-based health and nutrition curricula and delivery models, and community peer-support groups for iron and folic acid supplement uptake.

2. Component 2: Sub-Grant Support and Sub-Project Implementation

  • Support the Project Manager's country-level outreach and sub-grantee identification efforts: engage local CSO and YLO networks to attract strong and diverse applicants for ALIGN sub-grants in the assigned country, with a focus on underserved geographies and marginalised adolescent groups.

  • Provide technical input to the sub-grantee selection process for the assigned country, advising on the feasibility, quality, and strategic fit of proposed sub-projects against ALIGN's criteria and country-level health priorities.

  • Provide ongoing technical supervision and adaptive support to sub-grantees in the assigned country across activities: monitor sub-project progress and quality; support sensitisation workshop delivery; guide awareness and communications campaign design; and flag risks or performance issues to the Project Manager promptly.

  • Conduct periodic in-country sub-project progress reviews, documenting findings and providing structured feedback to sub-grantees to improve programme quality and ensure activities remain responsive to community and adolescent needs.

3. Component 3: Evidence Generation and Policy Influence

  • Support in-country implementation of operational research activities: contribute to the design and implementation of mixed-method operational research studies assessing the performance and cost-effectiveness of community-led adolescent health and nutrition innovations in the assigned country.

  • Strengthen in-country CSO and YLO M&E capacity by providing direct support in establishing robust monitoring systems, data quality assurance processes, and data use practices, enabling sub-grantees to generate credible evidence for policy advocacy.

  • Pilot and support the scaling of adolescent feedback mechanisms in the assigned country, including SMS polling, social listening platforms, and community scorecards, and integrate findings into quality-of-care reviews and programme improvement processes.

  • Systematically document successful in-country co-design models, scaling pathways, and community-led innovations for use in ALIGN knowledge products, including policy briefs, practice notes, case studies, and Field Exchange publications.

  • Engage with in-country decision-making forums, national technical working groups, and health financing platforms to advocate for the integration and financing of proven adolescent health and nutrition innovations, representing ALIGN at the country level.

 4. Community of Practice Contribution

  • Actively participate in all CoP convenings relevant to the assigned country: webinars, thematic sprints, lab-storms, collaborative workshops, peer assist sessions, and bilateral clinics hosted through the ALIGN CoP platform.

  • Share in-country experiences, innovations, challenges, and lessons learned with peers across the 12 GFF partner countries, contributing to the cross-country learning agenda curated by the Project Manager and CoP facilitation team.

  • Contribute to structured matchmaking and partnership brokerage activities by identifying in-country stakeholders, government counterparts, and CSO/YLO innovators who could benefit from or contribute to peer exchange through the CoP.

  • Identify promising in-country models and innovations for wider dissemination through the CoP platform, ALIGN knowledge products, and the GFF x CIVIC Platform communications channels.

5. Reporting, Coordination and Financial Accountability

  • Prepare and submit a country-specific technical work plan at project inception and update it annually, aligned with the overall ALIGN workplan and the country's approved activity budget.

  • Submit quarterly technical reports to the Project Manager in the required donor-compliant format, covering activity progress, adolescent health and nutrition innovations, policy engagement outcomes, risks, and lessons learned.

  • Contribute case studies, success stories, and lessons-learned documentation to the Outreach and Communications Officer for use in ALIGN knowledge products and platform communications.

  • Participate in regular coordination calls with the Project Manager, Project Officer, and relevant team members to report on progress, flag operational risks, and align on upcoming activities.

  • Submit monthly M&E data, timesheets, and activity expense reports to the Project Manager and Finance and Admin Officer on time, maintaining full financial accountability for all in-country activities.

Deliverables

  • Country-specific technical work plans by July 2026

  • Quarterly technical reports on adolescent health and nutrition innovations

  • Policy briefs and case studies developed and disseminated

  • Documentation of training and mentorship sessions with CSOs/YLOs

  • CoP participation records: attendance, contributions, and follow-up actions 

  • Monthly timesheets and activity expense reports 

  • Operational research contributions: study design, data collection, and reporting 

  • End-of-project technical report summarizing contributions and lessons learned by May 2028

Qualifications and Experience

ESSENTIAL

  • Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Nutrition, Social Sciences, or a closely related field, ( Masters is an added advantage).

  • Minimum 3 years of experience in adolescent health and nutrition programming, preferably in the assigned GFF partner country or region.

  • Strong knowledge of national RMNCAH+N strategies, health system integration approaches, and government engagement processes in the assigned country.

  • 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, including in programme design, M&E, and policy advocacy.

  • Experience facilitating policy dialogue and engaging with national health authorities, technical working groups, and health financing platforms.

  • Applicants must hold a valid work permit or be legally authorised to work in their country of residence at the time of application. The Youth Café will not sponsor or facilitate work permits for this assignment.

  • Strong written and oral communication skills including the ability to produce policy briefs, case studies, and donor-compliant reports.

  • Fluency in English or French, with proficiency in relevant local languages an added advantage.

Desirable

  • Direct 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.

  • Networks with national health authorities, CSO coalitions, or youth organisations in the assigned country.

  • Experience with safeguarding protocols and ESCP compliance in fragile or conflict-affected settings.

Duration and Compensation

Duration: 14 months

Compensation: Competitive consultancy fee aligned with donor budget provisions

Location: Based in one of the 12 GFF partner countries, with national-level engagement

Payment Schedule: Monthly, upon submission of deliverables and timesheets

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit:

  • A cover letter of not more than one page setting out your suitability, the country for which you are applying, 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 you have directly contributed to in your country and the specific outcome it achieved.

  • Contact details for two professional referees (referees will not be contacted without prior notification to the candidate).

Email applications to: human.resource@theyouthcafe.com  

cc:admin.compliance@theyouthcafe.com 

Subject Line: Technical Expert – ALIGN Project

Deadline for submission: 30th June 2026

Equal Opportunity

The Youth Café is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion and strongly encourages applications from women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.