Innovation Specialist – Bundle Up! Nutrition for Small and Sick Newborns

About the role

Save the Children is seeking an Innovation Specialist to lead the Bundle Up! Nutrition for Small and Sick Newborns project at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. The role combines health expertise with design‑thinking to develop, prototype and scale solutions that improve nutrition outcomes for vulnerable newborns.

Key responsibilities

• Plan, implement, monitor and report on all project activities over a two‑year fixed‑term contract.
• Apply Human‑Centred Design and Innovation‑Friendly Procurement to identify, prototype and evaluate new nutrition solutions.
• Facilitate co‑design workshops with healthcare workers, mothers, caregivers, Ministry of Health officials and private‑sector partners.
• Strengthen partnerships, coordinate innovation activities and support the adoption and scale‑up of successful interventions.
• Represent the project in national technical forums, generate evidence and ensure compliance with Save the Children’s Innovation Strategy and donor requirements.
• Adapt working hours and duties in the event of a major humanitarian emergency.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Design Strategy, Innovation, Manufacturing Engineering, Business Information Technology or a related discipline.
• Additional certifications in product development, product management or newborn health nutrition are an advantage.
• Proven experience designing and implementing innovation projects and managing programmes, partnerships or incubators/accelerators.
• Strong knowledge of health, nutrition and newborn‑care policies and practices in Malawi.
• Demonstrated ability to run Human‑Centred Design workshops and to coach and mentor stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical, reporting, monitoring‑and‑evaluation and documentation skills.
• Fluent in English and Chichewa.

Required skills

• Human‑Centred Design
• Innovation workshop facilitation
• Project and budget management
• Procurement processes
• Stakeholder engagement
• Report writing and M&E
• Microsoft Office suite
• Figma