Social Accountability Officer

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT@ Civil Society Organizations Nutrition Alliance (CSONA)

POSITION: SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICER 

Location: Mangochi

OVERVIEW 

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

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 socio-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 moderate tense dialogue interfaces between right-holders (citizens) and duty-bearers (local authorities).

Analytical Writing: Proven ability to turn raw qualitative community feedback and quantitative budget rows into refined advocacy messages or policy brief data.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a 1 paged application letter, 2 paged CV with traceable referees and certified copies of degree certificates to the following email address: csonajobs@gmail.com. The application should be addressed to the National Coordinator CSONA, P.O. Box 1697, Lilongwe. Please include “SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICER” the subject line.

Deadline for receiving applications is 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.