Chemonics International seeks food security analysts

Chemonics International seeks food security analysts with expertise in agricultural economics, livelihoods, nutrition, pastoralism/livestock, and related areas to support the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) III. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

FEWS NET III is the world's premier provider of high-quality food security analysis and early warning. Created in response to the 1984 famines in East and West Africa, this $200 million, five-year activity (2012-2016) aims to collaborate with international, regional, and national partners to provide timely and rigorous early warning and analysis of potential, emerging, and/or evolving food security issues to inform appropriate humanitarian response. The project covers 31 countries, with plans to expand over the coming five years.

Within the context of local livelihoods, FEWS NET professionals in Africa, Central America, Haiti, Central Asia, and the United States monitor relevant data sources (e.g., remote sensing imagery, price and trade data, nutrition information), which inform a scenario-building process used to project future food security outcomes. FEWS NET then uses decision support products to communicate this analysis to U.S. government, U.N., national government, and NGO decision makers. These products include regular briefings to senior USAID staff, quarterly Food Security Outlooks, and Food Security Alerts. FEWS NET staff also provide advisory support to regional and country-specific contingency and response planning efforts and in-depth studies related to livelihoods, markets and trade, and nutrition.

Position description

The food security analysts are members of the six-person Decision Support Group (DSG) within the Washington-based FEWS NET technical team. The team also includes senior management and livelihoods, markets and trade, nutrition, remote sensing, and communications technical staff.

The DSG has two primary objectives: facilitate development and communication of timely, high-quality, actionable decision support at the country, regional, and global levels and build FEWS NET staff and partners’ food security analysis and strategic communications capacity. The food security analysts will collaborate frequently with other home office and field-based team members on technical guidance and decision support products. While their exact duties will be based on their background and expertise, their primary role is to serve as the technical team's regional focal points for food security analysis, decision support, and information requests for one or two geographic regions. Within these broad objectives, the analysts will perform three primary tasks:

1. Synthesize market and trade, nutrition, livelihoods, and other food security analysis for development of regular, high-quality early warning information products. Illustrative tasks include reviewing field-authored food security reporting, contributing to the monthly Food Assistance Outlook Brief for senior Food for Peace staff, develop and present technical briefings to U.S. government staff and other partners, and make field visits to support assessments and technical analysis

2. Respond to ad hoc requests for food security and response planning analysis and other support for response and contingency planning processes. When potential or ongoing food security crises are identified, the analysts will lead development of analytical and decision support strategies to develop and communicate information on the crises, their causes, and potential response options to decision makers

3. Provide technical assistance to strengthen data collection, analysis, and information dissemination capacity among host-country, NGO, and donor partners and field staff. The analysts will provide relevant technical and geographic guidance in their areas of expertise and contribute to development of guidance materials in early warning, decision support, and reporting. They will also support activities to enhance field representatives' and partners' understanding of food security early warning and decision support processes

Location and reporting

The food security analysts will be based in the FEWS NET home office in Washington, D.C., and will travel as required (up to 25 percent of the time) to provide in-country support to FEWS NET field staff and partners. The analysts will report to the FEWS NET decision support advisor and will work closely with other members of the DSG, technical team, and field staff.

How to apply:

Send electronic submissions to fews3dsg@chemonics.com by January 13, 2012. No telephone inquiries, please.

Applicants should also download and complete our EEO self-identification form (http://bit.ly/t6VWug) and separately submit it to EEOselfidentify@chemonics.com when applying for this position. Please include "name of position, region/country" in the subject line. Applicants can indicate on the form their choice not to disclose. Thank you for completing the form and supporting our EEO reporting requirements.

Finalists will be contacted.

Chemonics is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, equal pay, disability and genetic information.