Nutrition and School Meal Program Specialist
Position Circumstances
- Career Category: Advisor / Individual Consultant
- Schedule:Part-time
- Salary: N/A
Level of Input: Part-time, long-term assignment with regular monthly engagement
Hiring Organization: Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA)
Contractual Arrangement: Local Recruitment
Expected Start Date: 16 July 2026
Contract Duration: Initial contract period of 12 months, renewable based on satisfactory performance, project needs, and availability of funding.
Project: Nurturing Early Skills through Technology (NEST) Project
Financing Partner: The World Bank
Duty Station: Battambang Province (with travel to Banteay Meanchey and Pailin)
Contract Type: Individual Consultant (IC)
Objectives
The objective of this assignment is to provide technical leadership and coordination for the design, implementation, monitoring, and gradual transition to community cost-sharing of the school meal program across six target preschools in three provinces: Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, and Pailin.
Specifically, the Consultant will:
- Establish and operationalize the school meal program in newly constructed preschool facilities.
- Develop evidence-based, locally sourced nutrition standards and menus appropriate for children aged 3–5.
- Build the capacity of School Meal Committees and preschool staff to manage food safety and daily operations.
- Design and support the implementation of a monitoring and reporting framework for nutrition outcomes.
- Lead the phased transition of cost-sharing responsibilities to communities.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Program Establishment and Infrastructure
- Lead establishment and operationalization of the school meal program in six newly constructed preschools.
- Provide technical guidance on the construction and setup of kitchens and dining spaces, ensuring compliance with hygiene and safety standards.
- Provide technical input for procurement planning for kitchen equipment, utensils, and initial food supplies.
- Nutrition Standards and Menu Development
- Develop preschool-appropriate nutrition standards and locally sourced breakfast menus aligned with Ministry of Education standards.
- Ensure menus promote dietary diversity and are culturally appropriate, feasible, and cost-effective.
- Develop food safety, hygiene, and quality control standards tailored to preschool settings.
- Operational Systems and Documentation
- Develop a comprehensive Operational Manual for the school meal program covering daily operations, procurement, food safety, hygiene, and financial management.
- Design community-based monitoring mechanisms related to food safety, nutrition, attendance, and operational quality.
- Provide technical support to ensure alignment with the project's financial structure and costing standards.
- Capacity Building and Training
- Design and deliver training programs for School Meal Committees, preschool teachers, cooks, and community members.
- Develop training materials and reference guides for ongoing use by school and community stakeholders.
- Conduct regular supportive supervision visits and on-site coaching.
- . Transition to Community Cost-Sharing
- Support sustainability planning for the school meal program, including gradual community participation and future cost-sharing approaches.
- Engage local government, parents, and community representatives in sustainability planning.
- Document lessons learned, implementation challenges, and good practices to support future scale-up and replication.
- Monitoring, Reporting, and Coordination
- Provide regular monitoring, supervision, and reporting to SVA on program implementation progress.
- Prepare periodic progress reports and contribute to the project's overall monitoring and evaluation framework.
- Coordinate with SVA project management, and relevant government counterparts.
Expected Profile of Candidates
Languages:
- Khmer - Fluent is required
- English - Fluent is required
Work History:
- Professional experience in school feeding, community nutrition, or food security programs, or related programs for 5 years
Skills & Knowledge:
General & Technical Skills
- Experience working with donor-funded projects, preferably World Bank or WFP-supported programs.
- Demonstrated experience in community engagement, stakeholder coordination, and sustainability planning.
- Experience working in Cambodia, particularly in rural or provincial settings, is strongly preferred.
- Experience working with government counterparts, including education authorities, is an advantage.
- Strong knowledge of food safety, hygiene standards, and age-appropriate nutrition guidelines.
- Ability to develop operational manuals, training materials, and monitoring frameworks.
- Strong analytical, coordination, and report-writing skills.
- Fluency in English is required.
- Khmer language proficiency (spoken and written) is required.
- Familiarity with World Bank procurement and safeguard requirements is desirable.
Soft Skills
- The assignment requires flexibility to travel to target provinces and conduct on-site visits.
- The Consultant must not be a current government official during the contract period.
