CARE International is a leading development organization dedicated to save lives, fight poverty, and achieve social justice with a special emphasis on women and girls. CARE International is a global force and a partner of choice within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. We are known everywhere for our unshakable commitment to the dignity of people. CARE International and partners contribute to the empowerment of the most marginalized and vulnerable rural women and girls to exercise their rights.

CARE Malawi secured funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, locally titled ‘Tiwoloka’. The funding runs from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2029. CARE Malawi is implementing the project in partnership with the Forum for African Women Educationists in Malawi (FAWEMA) and Water Aid.

Therefore, CARE Malawi seeks to recruit professionally qualified person to fill the following vacant position within its USDA funded McGovern dole Food for Education program i.e., Tiwoloka Project in Lilongwe:

SCHOOL FEEDING SPECIALIST (SFS)

Position Description –

The School Feeding Specialist under the Tiwoloka project will be responsible for the overall execution daily operations of school meal programs in ECD and primary schools (located at six project activity implementing districts (Lilongwe, Kasungu, Ntcheu, Chiradzulu, Thyolo and Mulanje). She/He will oversee/supervise and coach district-based nine School Feeding Field Officers, ensure implementation of school MoUs, project meal guidance including at the school level receipt, handling, storage, loss management and reporting; guide community and school-level implementation groups; and lead capacity-building training for Officers. The Specialist represents the program in government and community forums, conducts enrollment trend analysis to forecast commodity needs, and ensures timely reporting, compliance, lead the reconciliation process of reports and having success story recorded, ensure all school feeding operational items are available and functional at the schools, the monitoring observation are addressed and recorded, work with MEL team, technical team and all stakeholders. SFS will support the implementation of school feeding programs by utilizing both locally procured food and internationally donated in-kind supplies. Her/His role will involve regular field visits to provide support and monitor project activities. She will routinely conduct needs assessments of school feeding operational items, explore innovative ideas for sustainability through community engagement, and identify areas where the project can extend support.

Specific duties and responsibilities include the following:

• Develop/Adapt and ensure adherence to school feeding guidelines, manuals, SOPs, and monitoring tools—considering both LRP and USDA commodity distributions.
• Prepare training plans.
• Provide technical backstopping, ongoing field support, routine visits and logistical planning assistance. Convenes Tiwoloka School Feeding functional team meetings.
• Identify operational challenges and develop strategies to resolve them.
• Assess training needs; develop or revise modules for community engagement, logistics, reporting, and nutritional meal management.
• Design and deliver capacity-building initiatives for field staff, School Management Committees, storekeepers, cooks, and SFFOs.
• Establish and maintain MoUs with schools and other stakeholders, clarifying roles, responsibilities, and accountability.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of monthly school-based reports (e.g., Stock & Issue Registers).
• Analyze enrolment and attendance data to support commodity forecasting and resource planning.
• Support timely data collection, analysis, and reporting to supervisors and district finance teams.
• Coordinate closely with district-level teams, technical leads, MEL, commodity, logistics, and accounting departments to ensure smooth program delivery.
• Liaise with government bodies and regulatory agencies.
• Directly supervise nine School Feeding Field Officers (SFFOs) at the district level.
• Conduct performance management, coaching, and mentoring for both CARE and partner commodity staff.
• Undertake field visits to guide implementation and promote best practices.

Qualifications or requirements

Minimum Required Qualifications, skills and relevant work experience

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in logistics, business management, education or any other relevant disciplines.
• Possess at least 2 years of managerial experience in logistics, with proven ability to oversee school feeding activities, manage large datasets, and demonstrate strong expertise in commodity compliance and reporting. Well versed in the latest Malawi Government and stakeholder policies, guidance, frameworks, and strategies related to school feeding implementation and aspect of health promotion, water and sanitation, and community development in project implementation. Knowledge of nutrition and food security issues, particularly in the context of school feeding.
• Strong facilitation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse groups effectively.
• Ability to work with diverse and large team
• Proficiency in data collection, analysis, and reporting using relevant software and tools.
• Willingness to work in rural communities and work as a team player with adoptive and learning attitude
• Good communication skills in local language with English as an advantage.
• Have understanding on the USDA donor compliance and Govt polices.

Competencies required:

• Team and relationship building, conflict management, action orientated, communication.

Languages:

• English and Chichewa

• Develop/Adapt and ensure adherence to school feeding guidelines, manuals, SOPs, and monitoring tools—considering both LRP and USDA commodity distributions.
• Prepare training plans.
• Provide technical backstopping, ongoing field support, routine visits and logistical planning assistance. Convenes Tiwoloka School Feeding functional team meetings.
• Identify operational challenges and develop strategies to resolve them.
• Assess training needs; develop or revise modules for community engagement, logistics, reporting, and nutritional meal management.
• Design and deliver capacity-building initiatives for field staff, School Management Committees, storekeepers, cooks, and SFFOs.
• Establish and maintain MoUs with schools and other stakeholders, clarifying roles, responsibilities, and accountability.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of monthly school-based reports (e.g., Stock & Issue Registers).
• Analyze enrolment and attendance data to support commodity forecasting and resource planning.
• Support timely data collection, analysis, and reporting to supervisors and district finance teams.
• Coordinate closely with district-level teams, technical leads, MEL, commodity, logistics, and accounting departments to ensure smooth program delivery.
• Liaise with government bodies and regulatory agencies.
• Directly supervise nine School Feeding Field Officers (SFFOs) at the district level.
• Conduct performance management, coaching, and mentoring for both CARE and partner commodity staff.
• Undertake field visits to guide implementation and promote best practices.

• Strong facilitation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse groups effectively.
• Ability to work with diverse and large team
• Proficiency in data collection, analysis, and reporting using relevant software and tools.
• Willingness to work in rural communities and work as a team player with adoptive and learning attitude
• Good communication skills in local language with English as an advantage.
• Have understanding on the USDA donor compliance and Govt polices.
• Team and relationship building, conflict management, action orientated, communication.

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in logistics, business management, education or any other relevant disciplines.
• Possess at least 2 years of managerial experience in logistics, with proven ability to oversee school feeding activities, manage large datasets, and demonstrate strong expertise in commodity compliance and reporting. Well versed in the latest Malawi Government and stakeholder policies, guidance, frameworks, and strategies related to school feeding implementation and aspect of health promotion, water and sanitation, and community development in project implementation. Knowledge of nutrition and food security issues, particularly in the context of school feeding.