Consultant Senior Knowledge Management and Learning Advisor

Senior Knowledge Management and Learning Advisor (Consultant)

Program Title: CAtalyzing Strengthened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and resiliencE  (CASCADE)
Location: Remote, with potential travel to six African countries
Duration: 3 months (estimated 40 hrs / week)
Reports to: Project Director
Start Date: August 2025
Donor: Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1. Background

The CASCADE program (CAtalyzing Strengthened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and resiliencE) aims to improve food security and contribute to the reduction of malnutrition of at least 5 million women of reproductive age and children under 5 in Benin, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Mozambique. Using an advocacy-centered approach that galvanizes government, business and communities, the program has 2 Strategic Objectives:

• to increase access to and consumption of healthy diets,

• to increase the resilience of households to economic and climate-related shocks

Efforts across the 6 countries are contextually driven and are 1) strengthening food systems and nutrition policy and government accountability for financing and implementing these;  2) re-engineering markets and mobilizing private sector;  3) mitigating the effects of negative cultural norms and practices on nutritional well-being and diets of women of reproductive age and children under 5 years of age; 4) strengthening capacities of mothers and families of young children to access healthy diets year round;  and, 5) systematizing data and learning for policy and decision-making at all levels of government.

CASCADE is 4.5-year program, now in its third year, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The program consortium is led by CARE Nederland with participation from CARE USA and one major international partner, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Country programs also partner with a range of different local partners to enhance sustainability of interventions.

Knowledge management and cross-country learning are essential components of the program’s design, enabling evidence-based decision-making, adaptive programming, and effective engagement with the donor and stakeholders. To date, CASCADE has developed global and country learning agendas, a few briefs and blogs, and a sustained social media presence on LinkedIn. This consultancy will build upon these assets.

1. Purpose of the Assignment

CARE Nederland seeks a seasoned consultant to strengthen knowledge management and learning (KML) across the CASCADE program. The consultant will enhance program quality, foster cross-country learning and promotion of best practices, and support strategic decision-making and the timely production of high-quality knowledge products and donor reports. The consultant will ensure that insights from program implementation, monitoring and research are captured, documented, and shared strategically within the consortium and with key external stakeholders, including the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Key KML priorities relate to nutrition (with a focus on healthy diets), food systems, resilience, policy, women’s empowerment and local governance and accountability.

The consultant will report directly to the CASCADE Project Director, with dotted coordination lines with the Technical Program Manager and the Operations and Partnership Manager. The consultant will also work in close collaboration with MEAL colleagues, Technical Leads and Policy and Advocacy advisors at the global level, and country counterparts they support. The consultant will also provide guidance to the Communications Advisor (consultant) to ensure alignment between knowledge products and communication outputs, supporting coherent and impactful dissemination.

1. Scope of Work and Key Responsibilities
2. Knowledge Management and Documentation

• In consultation with the Technical Assistants, MEAL staff and Country Offices, develop and implement a knowledge management and learning plan aligned with program goals, existing country learning agendas, advocacy plan and CASCADE’s global narrative.
• Collect, document, and synthesize best practices, lessons learned, innovations, and challenges across countries, also based on existing data and documents and to respond to defined learning questions, making this information easily accessible to project staff, partners, and stakeholders.
• Oversee and support country teams and global team members in the production and quality assurance of knowledge products such as technical briefs, case studies, policy notes, multimedia content, and success stories.
• Ensure alignment of knowledge products with CASCADE’s global narrative, theory of change, donor priorities, and strategic learning goals.

1. Donor Reporting (Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

• Support the quarterly review process and preparation of the annual plan narrative (2026) to meet Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs standards.
• In collaboration with MEAL colleagues, synthesize cross-country progress, lessons, and impact into accessible formats for reporting and communication that are accurate and compelling.

1. Learning and Cross-Country Collaboration

• Facilitate knowledge exchange across the six African countries, including learning events, webinars, and peer-to-peer engagement, encouraging adaptation of successful approaches.
• Develop, adapt and promote tools and processes for capturing and sharing experiential learning, including after-action reviews and story-based reflection.
• Curate content and manage a central knowledge repository or platform accessible to consortium partners and stakeholders and enables tracking of content use and learning uptake.

1. Technical Assistance

• Provide technical assistance to implementing partners and field teams in knowledge documentation, communications for learning, and knowledge sharing practices.
• Provide targeted support and coaching to staff involved in KM, reporting, and learning functions.
• Collaborate with technical teams to guide and coach each country team to develop its country-specific variant of the CASCADE global narrative, which will inform its communications and knowledge products.

1. Communications Oversight

• Provide strategic direction to the Communications Lead to ensure production of high-quality, evidence-based communications and learning products.
• Oversee strategic alignment between knowledge management priorities and communications outputs, including messaging, dissemination plans, and content formats.
• Review and provide guidance on key communication materials (e.g. case studies, briefs, reports) to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency with program learnings and positioning.
• Facilitate coordination between program teams across the six countries and the communications consultant to translate technical insights into accessible, audience-relevant narratives for internal and external stakeholders.

1. Deliverables

Key deliverables will include:

1. Review and refine the existing knowledge management and learning plan, outlining key learning priorities and developing a detailed work plan.
2. Review and implement an enhanced platform for documenting and sharing learning across country teams and partners, including the development of a structured and accessible KM repository (tagging and index systems, documented focal points and distribution systems).
3. Provide routine technical assistance and guidance to country teams to support quality content creation and promotion, aligned with CASCADE branding and program priorities.
4. At least 2 high-quality knowledge products for internal and external use (learning briefs, case studies, synthesis papers, pitch decks, etc.).
5. Summary document of major program adaptations and innovations implemented to date, with rationale, context, and evidence-based outcomes. This should include lessons learned for scale-up, future adaptation or donor engagement.
6. Contributing to and reviewing key program reports, including the quarterly reviews and annual work plan narrative submitted to the donor.
7. Organization of at least 2 internal and/or external learning events in collaboration with CASCADE program teams and documentation of outputs and follow-up actions (e.g., reports, recordings, summaries). This could include peer exchanges, after-action reviews, country showcases, global or regional conference presentations, and similar events.
8. Document and share key learning, adaptations and implications of the Mid-Term Review Report, facilitating discussions where needed.
9. Support cost extension planning, including drafting content for learning, innovation and narrative sections of the proposal.
10. Provide strategic direction, coaching, and oversight to the Communications Consultant to ensure development, alignment and completion of communications outputs with the KML agenda and completion of assigned deliverables.
11. Final consultancy report summarizing key achievements and outputs, learning generated, and recommendations for strengthening and sustaining long-term KM and learning systems.

Deadlines will be determined during the initial two weeks of hire.

1. Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced degree in international development, knowledge management, public health, nutrition, food systems, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in a similar capacity, including knowledge management, learning facilitation, and donor reporting in complex, multi-country programs.
• Demonstrated understanding of nutrition-sensitive programming, sustainable healthy diets, or food systems approaches, and governance / advocacy.
• Proven experience in consolidating information across diverse geographic and cultural contexts.
• Excellent writing and synthesis skills; ability to tailor content for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong facilitation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience designing and facilitating participatory learning sessions and communities of practice.
• Familiarity with knowledge-sharing tools, digital platforms, and information management systems.
• Experience working in African contexts, especially with multi-stakeholder projects.
• Fluency in English; proficiency in French and/or Portuguese, a plus

1. Timeframe and Level of Effort

The consultancy is expected to begin in August 2025 and last for 3 months, 65 days. Travel to program countries may be required, subject to security and logistical considerations.

1. Management and Reporting Arrangements

The consultant will report to the Project Director and collaborate closely with the communications staff, technical staff, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team at the global and country level, and program managers in each of the six countries.

1. Application Process

Interested consultants are invited to submit the following:

• CV detailing relevant experience.
• Cover letter outlining suitability for the role, understanding of KM in food systems and nutrition, and approach to the consultancy.
• Two samples of authored knowledge products or donor reports.
• Proposed daily rate and availability.
• 3 references

Applications should be submitted through the button on our website by July 30th.