Director, Health Systems Strengthening – Child Survival

Director, Health Systems Strengthening – Child Survival

About us

At Nutrition International, we make a difference, because nutrition is the difference.

Woven into the very fabric of our approach is the passion and drive of our global team of over 600 people, working in 13 offices across 11 countries with one common goal: transforming the lives of people who need it most through improved nutrition.

If you are a motivated and passionate individual who shares our conviction that a better world is possible through improved nutrition, wants to leave the world a little better than they found it, and is looking to be part of a global team with a clear vision, we want to hear from you. Please consider applying for the position below.

Know our team

Nutrition International’s Programs Unit is responsible for ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of Nutrition International’s core program interventions, including program development, design, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting, and grant management, including setting annual operational planning, budgeting, and review processes. The unit comprises a global team of professionals located in our 10 core countries across Asia, Africa and our headquarters in Ottawa, Canada. Currently, Nutrition International is seeking applications for a Director, Health Systems Strengthening – Child Survival, to be based in Canada or one of our Regional or Country Offices. This is a remote position. Candidates in other locations may be considered.

About you

You are someone with a Master’s degree or equivalent experience in nutrition, public health, international development and/or a related field. You have at least 10 years of experience in health systems strengthening in Africa and/or Asia, including the design, implementation and monitoring of maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition programs. You have a proven track record of managing large‑scale, multi‑country health and nutrition programs in Africa and/or Asia and solid experience in managing complex grants from institutional and private donors.

You have demonstrated experience in partnership brokering and expertise in business development, including successful fundraising and resource mobilization. You have extensive experience in managing teams in a cross‑cultural, multi‑regional environment and can successfully present and engage at high‑level meetings, conferences, and advisory groups on behalf of the organization.

Fluency in English and French is required. Only those with advanced‑level French (spoken and written) or higher will be considered.

About the role

Strategy and Planning

• Serve as a thought partner to the Sr. GPD, supporting technical and strategic decision‑making across existing and new project areas.
• Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of portfolio‑level strategy in line with Nutrition International’s investment case, including scale, transformation, and evidence generation.
• Support portfolio engagement in organization‑wide, unit and cross‑unit level strategy and planning processes and/or specific initiatives.
• Ensure both the strategic positioning of the portfolio and the execution of the strategy to drive organizational results.
• Support portfolio strategic planning and complex decision‑making on the allocation of financial resources and results planning.
• Support portfolio decisions and allocations of resources for institutional support grants and/or large‑scale investments as they come into the organization, the portfolio or individual programs/projects.

Quality Assurance: Program Planning and Results Delivery

• Provide overall technical direction and oversight for all projects and programs within the portfolio and ensure an overall quality implementation and results.
• Lead technical inputs to project design, course correction, and redesign, ensuring projects are evidence‑informed, optimized for scale, and adapted to evolving needs.
• Ensure projects are implemented to high‑quality standards, delivered on time, and—working closely with the Global Portfolio Director—within budget.
• Ensure monitoring and learning strategies are applied across the portfolio in collaboration with the Monitoring, Data and Learning team.
• Analyze and interpret internal data, global landscape information and wider data and evidence for quality programmatic decision‑making.
• Identify and build strong relationships with partners for program implementation, advocacy and/or coordination purposes.
• Provide technical leadership to ongoing stewardship of donor and partner relationships to enhance the broader results of our programming and to support and foster programmatic and strategic relationships globally, regionally and nationally.

Team Leadership and Human Resources Management

• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability across the technical team.
• Ensure effective performance management of direct reports in line with NI procedures, including:
• Development of job descriptions and approval of work plans, goals, and results targets.
• Conducting annual performance reviews and supporting staff learning, development, and capacity building.
• Support strategic and collaborative decision‑making on the allocation of financial resources for investments provided to Nutrition International. This requires working closely with countries, regions, other portfolios and different units in the organization.
• Maintain technical oversight in the development, management and oversight of costed work plans, portfolio budgets and/or project budgets.

Thought Leadership, External Representation and Positioning

• Provide technical leadership and actively contribute, shape and engage in global working groups and other relevant and strategic fora to shape global dialogue and foster technical collaboration and positioning of Nutrition International and the excellence of our work.
• Provide technical leadership over and/or contribute to global partnership brokering and stewardship.
• Support the development and execution of comprehensive portfolio‑level advocacy and communications strategies in collaboration with supporting units.

Business Development

• Cultivate donor relationships, including through regular meetings, participation in conferences and events and representation during country field visits.
• Ensure donor stewardship with our committed donors to sustain relationships; communicate the progress and learning from our programming and their investments, and generate new opportunities with these donors.
• Lead the technical design and development of new project proposals.

Occasional short‑term travel (1–2 weeks) in Asia and Africa. Additional international travel may be required to Europe, the Americas, sub‑Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

What we offer

A competitive market pay, pension, professional development allowance, health and dental benefits, four weeks of vacation (plus public holidays), and flexible work hours. We offer a collaborative and engaging work environment.

Selected candidates must have current legal entitlement to work in Canada (Permanent Residency, Current Work Permit, Citizenship, USMCA eligibility or other reciprocal trade agreement). We thank you for your interest, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Nutrition International is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible work environment. Upon request, accommodations due to a disability are available throughout the selection process.

Nutrition International upholds a zero‑tolerance policy on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH). Following the principles of the Inter‑Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, reference checks will include safeguarding verifications with previous employers. By applying to this position, candidates acknowledge and consent to these reference checks being conducted with previous employers.

Please note that all our offers are conditional subject to appropriate screening checks and satisfactory reference checks.