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Decision Support Advisor, FEWS NET (Famine Early Warning Systems Network)

Tetra Tech ARD, headquartered in Burlington, Vermont is accepting expressions of interest from qualified candidates for the Decision Support Advisor (DSA) position for a FEWS NET (Famine Early Warning Systems Network) Task Order. This Task Order is designed to deliver early warning of hazards, food insecurity, vulnerability to food insecurity, and famine to the US Government and USAID, and to national governments and regional, international and non-governmental organizations. The DSA will help provide decision makers with timely and high-quality early warning and food security analysis to mitigate food insecurity and prevent famine. The project will be led by a headquarters office in Washington D.C., and implemented with support from over 20 country and regional project offices located in Africa, Asia and Latin America, building capacity to forecast food insecurity in these countries.

 

This position will be based in Arlington, Virginia.

Responsibilities:
* Assure production and delivery of targeted, regular and ad hoc decision support products, such as Food Security Outlooks (FSOs), Outlook updates, alerts, and briefings, for more than 30 countries;
* Inform and support response and contingency planning processes; ensure that FEWS NET decision support identifies potential food insecurity and/or emerging crises as early as possible to support strategic decision-making and resource-allocation processes, especially within USAID;
* Inform and provide technical assistance in contingency and response planning for USAID and for food security networks in FEWS NET countries;
* Oversee FEWS NET’s regular and ad-hoc decision support to USAID, particularly in Washington, as well as to other food security stakeholders;
* Provide guidance on and build capacity related to decision support including, developing decision support and communications strategies and providing remote or in-person sessions for staff on how FEWS NET produces its decision support and what FEWS NET decision support includes; and
* Manage and supervise Decision Support Group staff, including mentoring staff and ensuring their professional development.

Qualifications:
* Graduate degree in agriculture, agricultural economics or security, or an emergency or crisis management-related area or a related field;
* At least 5 years of relevant experience in food security, humanitarian and/or development assistance, contingency and response planning, and decision support required; overseas and management experience strongly desired, with at least 2 years in a developing country context preferred;
* Significant experience with early warning analysis required;
* Detailed knowledge of, and experience with, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) required;
* Experience with USAID Washington and field operations, programs, policies, and procedures required;

* Outstanding intercultural communication and interpersonal skills;

* Excellent computer skills, data management and statistical analysis skills, including geographic information system (GIS);
* Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity;

* Fluency in written and spoken French or Spanish preferred; and
* U.S. citizenship or a valid U.S. work permit is an absolute requirement.

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