Nutritionist at The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) 2017
Position announcement: Nutritionist
Location: Arusha, Tanzania
The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) is a non-profit, autonomous international agricultural research
center with headquarters in Taiwan and regional offices in Africa and Asia. WorldVeg conducts research
and development programs that contribute to improved nutrition and incomes in the developing world
through increased production and consumption of safe and nutritious vegetables. The Center implements
its science for development agenda through three outcome-oriented ‘flagship programs’: Safe and
Sustainable Value Chains, Healthy Diets, Vegetable Diversity and Improvement, and one cross-cutting
flagship program: Enabling Impact.
The objectives of the Flagship Program – Healthy Diets are to alleviate malnutrition by improving dietary
quality from greater consumption of diverse and nutritious vegetables and enhancing healthy eating
behaviors using nutrition-sensitive interventions from seed to table and multi-sectoral collaborations
among agriculture, nutrition, health and education. For more information, please visit our website:
https://avrdc.org/
WorldVeg is seeking a Nutritionist to join the ‘Healthy Diets’ flagship team. The ideal candidate should
be an experienced scientist and change-agent in the area of public health nutrition and community
nutrition, with a passion to work with rural and urban communities and bring in behavioral change in food
habits, diets, health, sanitation, etc. The position will be based at WorldVeg’s regional office for Eastern
and Southern Africa in Arusha, Tanzania.
Key Job Responsibilities:
Design and implement nutrition activities in ongoing and new projects globally by leading the
following:
o assess diet and nutrition status of populations, design and validate effective gender-sensitive
interventions with a focus on improving maternal and child nutrition in rural as well as urban
communities;
o develop nutrition/health behavior change communication strategies, design and validate effective
interventions to enhance dietary behavior and quality.
Pro-actively mobilize resources in support of new research activities involving nutrition specific- and
nutrition-sensitive interventions for improved diets and nutrition. Key opportunities for growth are
WorldVeg’s comprehensive home-, school-, urban- and emergency garden programs.
Contribute to research and develop principles and guidelines for food safety, and safe vegetable
supplies from the human health aspect.
Build productive relations with investors and development partners from public and private sectors
for scaling out of WorldVeg’s nutrition research results.
Mentor researchers and students in the relevant areas of research.
Write high-quality peer reviewed articles and publish in high impact factor publications.
Closely collaborate with Flagship Program Leader – ‘Healthy Diets’ to enhance WorldVeg’s Nutrition
research and development work.
Develop productive partnerships to further WorldVeg’s nutrition research and actively participate in
regional and international nutrition and health research communities and networks.
Provide inputs to other Flagship Programs and activities (plant science, communication, marketing,
and impact assessment).
The Person:
A PhD in public health nutrition, nutritional epidemiology, community nutrition, health behavior/social
change communication or related discipline.
Proven ability in using nutrition research tools and study designs (such as randomized controlled
trials for intervention study, cohort study, cross-sectional study and case-control study to generate
evidence for public health nutrition research and apply evidence-based nutrition interventions).
Considerable skill in data-mining and -statistical analysis.
A minimum of three years of postdoctoral experience.
A good track record in high-quality publications and fundraising.
Experience in an international and multi-disciplinary/cultural environment is an asset.
Experience in ‘linking agriculture to nutrition and health’ is a distinct advantage.
Experience in networking with donors and partners in the field of nutrition and health.
Able and willing to travel regularly in the region and sometimes globally.
Proficiency in written and verbal English.
The Reward:
This is an Internationally Recruited Staff (IRS) position with competitive pay and benefits. The initial
appointment is for three years and may be extended depending on performance of the incumbent and
availability of resources.
How to Apply:
Submit a letter of application with curriculum vitae, names and addresses (including telephone/fax/e-mail)
of three referees, and date of availability. Please send the application by email, stating the job title in the
subject line, to human.resources@worldveg.org before 20 November 2017.