State Monitoring Officer

1. POSITION VACANT: State Monitoring Officer (Food Technologist), SAMS, Kolkata, West Bengal

2. ABOUT ORGANIZATION:

About SAMS:
Strategic Alliance Management Services Pvt. Ltd. (SAMS) is a premier, multi-disciplinary, management consultancy, exclusively focused on servicing the needs of the Public Health and Development Sectors in India. SAMS is currently focused upon four principal practice areas, viz. Human Resource Consulting, Procurement & Supply Management (PSM), Capacity Building & Training and Management Consultancy Services.

Established in 1995, SAMS has been associated with a range of clients over the past 29 years which has included the best known, bi and multi-laterals, INGOs and NGOs in the country apart from the Government of India (GoI) and State Governments in the above sectors.

About Project:
Nutrition International is a global nutrition organization. For 30 years, we have focused on delivering low-cost, high-impact, nutrition interventions to people in need. Working alongside governments as an expert ally, we combine deep technical expertise with a flexible approach, increasing impact without increasing complexity or cost. In more than 60 countries, primarily in Asia and Africa, Nutrition International nourishes people to nourish life.

In India, Nutrition International supports the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Food and Public Distribution, and other ministries to address the country's nutrition challenges.

For more information, please visit

SAMS is collaborating with NI to provide Human Resources, Administrative and Programmatic support services in implementation of Rice Fortification Program in West Bengal, India

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the guidance and supervision of the Programme Manager (State Technical Consultant Team Leader), National Program Manager, NI and in alignment with GoWB, key duties and responsibilities of the State Monitoring Officer (Food Technologist) will include:

(A) Technical Assistance:
(1) Provide support in the testing of FRK and fortified rice, analyzing the results and suggest government on corrective actions;
(2) Assess existing laboratory infrastructure in the state and identify gaps;
(3) Capacitate the existing laboratory technicians to build local capacity;
(4) Provide support to the state laboratory in getting NABL accreditation and further getting FSSAI notified;
(5) Provide leadership, direction, and capacity to ensure a quality program, project design and implementation for rice fortification;
(6) Support the development and implementation of robust internal QA checklist and tools at for institutionalizing QA/QC mechanism in the state;
(7) Capacitate the stakeholders on sampling guidelines and testing protocols;
(8) Support state laboratory in monthly/quarterly inspection and certification, handling the compliance of FSSAI certification as well as filling up mandatory formats/registers by rice miller;
(9) Validate equipment at FRK units and Rice Mills used for blending rice with FRK through production trials and its alignment to the overall terms of reference against which they have been procured.

(B) Support to On-Ground Implementation and Monitoring of the Project:
(1) Facilitate capacity building programs for miller/FRK manufactures/laboratories and key government officials on the rice fortification at all levels on production process, food safety standards, nutrition, food fortification etc.;
(2) Liaise with project stakeholders for timely implementation and speedy resolution of issues identified in the projects;
(3) Provide data support to state/district teams in the regular review, analysis, and consolidation of program monitoring data;
(4) Develop and maintain a repository of data and information about rice fortification program, including e-filing of all documents related to program monitoring and reporting;
(5) Coordinate the receipt, review, analysis, and consolidation of monitoring data (including gender data) promptly and update the monthly progress report on time;
(6) Undertake the review of monitoring data and provide feedback to the district team;
(7) Undertake analysis of data/reports provided by the district team and prepare trend analysis;
(8) Liaise directly with the district team to track progress, flag issues, and implement corrective actions;
(9) Validate program monitoring data and coordinate with the district team to submit data on time;
(10) Coordinate and validate program data for the analysis of the program monitoring data submitted by the district team and come up with recommendations/ action plans and share them at state level every month;
(11) Provide consistent support to the district team on program monitoring data (gender-disaggregated data, wherever applicable) for analysis and presentation during internal and external review meetings;
(12) Undertake field visits and implement data quality improvement methods in routine program monitoring and identify the areas where the program can be made gender sensitive;
(13) Input to the revision of the monitoring plan to capture all aspects of the project;
(14) Support in the development of an action plan based on findings from analysis of QA/QC reports and monitoring data to improve the quality of implementation of the program.

(C) Documentation and Knowledge Management:
(1) Compile and identify best practices in the implementation of the project in the different production units for wider dissemination;
(2) Assist in the development of information, education and communication material and strategies relevant to the larger project;
(3) In the event of food safety incidents, support investigation exercises to enable lessons learned to be documented and shared, to reduce re-occurrence of the incident.

(D) Coordination:
(1) Coordinate with government counterparts at both State and district level across as need be to facilitate implementation of the project as well as further provision of technical assistance;
(2) Ensure necessary coordination between field staff and other relevant units of the organization for quality implementation of the project.

(E) Staff Management:
(1) Provide guidance to field staff responsible for implementing the projects and assist them with analysis, queries etc.;
(2) Help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work;
(3) Monitor teams deliverables and provide feedback to ensure that outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately;
(4) Any other specific task assigned by the PMU/Nutrition International. The scope of work is subjected to modification based on the evolving needs of the program and the governments requirements.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualification:
Degree in Statistics/ Social Science/ Nutrition / Food technology/ Public Health/ Developmental Science or another related field from a recognized University.

Experience, Skills and Competencies:
(1) Minimum 2-4 years of experience in data management and monitoring information systems with NGOs, and/or UN agencies working on health and/or nutrition programs;
(2) Experience in working with the government or familiarity with state government information systems such as ePOS, and Annavitran, NFSA will be preferred;
(3) Experience in implementing technical programs (i.e. fortification, etc.) and providing input into designing operations;
(4) Excellent computer skills including MS Office applications (high proficiency expected with Excel and PowerPoint);
(5) Familiar with digital data collection and visualization systems such as kobo-toolbox, Open Data Kit, MS form and Google Form;
(6) Skills in basic data analysis, program monitoring and developing presentations to present data-driven trends;
(7) Strong analytical ability and capability to synthesis and organize large volume of information;
(8) Proficient in the use of basic Microsoft Excel utilities data visualization graphs, filtering, validation of data checks;
(9) Must be fluent in Bengali and English in speaking, reading and writing; knowledge of Hindi would be an advantage.

5. COMPENSATION OFFERED:

Gross compensation for this position could be up to a maximum of Rs. 70,000/- per month depending on the required skills and experience. The compensation will be subject to withholding of taxes, as applicable.

6. NATURE OF ENGAGEMENT:

The selected candidate shall be appointed as Full time Consultant for fixed term assignment with Strategic Alliance Management Services Pvt. Ltd. (SAMS). The initial contract shall be till March 2025, and is further renewable based on satisfactory performance, program relevance and availability of resources.

7. NO OF VACANCY: 01

8. LOCATION: Kolkata, West Bengal.

9. REFERENCE: SPMU-WB-SMO

10. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Team SAMS
Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.
1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar
New Friends Colony, New Delhi
Phone Nos.: ;
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11. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in the position are requested to upload their applications, using the link by or before November 08, 2024.