VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Position: Social Accountability Officer

Organization: Civil Society Organizations Nutrition Alliance (CSONA)

Project: Nutrition Smart Community (NSC) Phase II

Location: Mangochi, Malawi

Reports To: NSC Project Manager

Position Type: Full-Time

Application Email: csonajobs@gmail.com

Deadline: 21st June 2026 (18:00 hrs)

About CSONA

The Civil Society Organizations Nutrition Alliance (CSONA) is a coalition of over 110 civil society organizations, comprising both local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), working to ensure sustained improvements in nutrition in Malawi and to support the Government's efforts to scale up nutrition interventions across the country.

About the Project

The Nutrition Smart Community (NSC) is a project that began in 2022 and is being implemented by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) in three African countries: Malawi, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. In Malawi, WHH is implementing the project in partnership with CSONA and the Kusamala Institute of Agriculture and Ecology.

The overall goal of the project is to improve food security in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone, thereby contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and global nutrition targets. At the regional level, the project seeks to ensure that local governments recognize the sustainable impact of multisectoral approaches to hunger reduction and assume greater responsibility in the collective fight against hunger.

Job Summary

The Social Accountability Officer will lead CSONA's efforts to empower target communities, civil society networks, and grassroots structures to demand transparency, quality, and equity in the delivery of multisectoral nutrition services.

Under Phase II of the NSC Project, the primary mandate of this role is to facilitate the transition of community-based nutrition micro-plans into institutionalized government planning and budgeting processes. The officer will utilize social accountability tools, such as Community Score Cards and Budget Tracking, to generate citizen-led evidence that promotes accountability among local service providers and directly informs CSONA's district and national-level policy advocacy initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Implementation and Consolidation of Social Accountability Systems

• Scale and Follow-up: Consolidate and monitor the social accountability platforms established during Phase I across target villages in Mangochi District, particularly within Traditional Authorities served by Chilonga Health Centre.
• Deploy Tools: Train and support community structures and leaders of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) on rights-based approaches and practical monitoring tools, including Community Score Cards (CSC), citizen reporting mechanisms, and public dialogue forums.
• Manage Grievance Mechanisms: Establish, test, and oversee community-based feedback and complaints response mechanisms (CRM) to track the functionality and responsiveness of frontline nutrition, health, and agricultural advisory services.
• Action Planning: Organize joint interface and review meetings bringing together community structures, frontline professionals, and local authorities to co-create corrective action plans with clear timelines and responsibilities.

2. Tracking, Planning & Institutionalization

• Tracking: Lead continuous tracking and monitoring of public resource allocations and expenditures for nutrition at the subnational/district council level to promote sustainable investments.
• Community Micro-planning: Review, update, and advance the nutrition-sensitive micro-plans developed by communities during Phase I.
• Meso-level Integration: Organize and facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue forums to ensure that the nutrition-sensitive priorities identified by communities are formally integrated into Area/Village Development Committees (VDCs/CDCs) and District Development Plans.
• Institutional Alignment: Work alongside a WHH Advocacy Specialist to build institutional capacity to minimize funding gaps between strong national policy frameworks and weak subnational allocations.

3. FNS Champions Network Support & Capacity Building

• Empower Champions: Identify, train, and support a multi-level network of Food and Nutrition Systems Champions (FNS Champions) to serve as key permanent links between local communities and policy spaces.
• Advocacy Mentorship: Equip FNS champions and community structures with specific skills in strategic advocacy, resource mobilization, budget monitoring, and multisectoral coordination.
• Policy Forums: Support the active participation of FNS Champions in multi-stakeholder platforms, district review processes, and advocacy events.

4. Evidence Generation for Strategic National Advocacy

• Translate Field Evidence: Work closely with the program and M&E teams to translate community scorecard data, budget tracking outputs, and field evidence into actionable advocacy products (e.g., policy briefs, technical guides, case studies, and multimedia materials).
• Policy Influencing: Utilize generated evidence to influence ongoing policy and strategy review processes overlapping with the project timeline, such as the Mangochi District Gender Strategy and the National Multisectoral Nutrition Strategy.
• Horizontal & Vertical Linkages: Ensure field data effectively links community voices horizontally across sectors (Agriculture, Health, WASH, Gender) and vertically up to national SUN platforms and policy dialogues hosted by CSONA.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Social Sciences, Public Policy, Development Studies, Public Health, Community Development, Nutrition, or a related field
• Minimum of 3 to 5 years of progressive experience working with NGOs or civil society networks in Malawi, with a distinct focus on social accountability, rights-based governance, or policy advocacy
• Proven technical experience in executing Community Score Cards (CSC), participatory rural micro-planning, and citizen-led social accountability initiatives
• Prior experience working in the nutrition, food security, public health, or decentralized local government sectors in Malawi is highly preferred

Core Competencies & Technical Skills

• Social Accountability Expertise: Solid mastery of civic monitoring, downward accountability principles, and navigating community-authority dynamics safely
• Knowledge of Frameworks: Good understanding of Malawi's national frameworks, including Vision 2063, the National Multisectoral Nutrition Policy, right to food frameworks, food systems, and the role of District Nutrition Coordinating Committees (DNCCs)
• Facilitation and Conflict Resolution: Exceptional interpersonal skills with the capability to facilitate dialogue between communities and authorities

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit:

• A 1-page application letter
• A 2-page CV with traceable referees
• Certified copies of degree certificates

Applications should be sent to:

csonajobs@gmail.com

The application should be addressed to:

The National Coordinator

CSONA

P.O. Box 1697

Lilongwe

Please include "SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICER" in the subject line.

Deadline

21st June 2026 at 18:00 hrs

Late submissions will not be considered. Submission is strictly via the indicated email.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

CSONA is an equal opportunity employer and everyone is encouraged to apply.