Senior Technical Advisor, Lead Exposure Reduction Consultant

AI summary

Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) is recruiting a Senior Technical Advisor, Lead Exposure Reduction Consultant to be embedded within the Office of the Honourable Minister of State for Health in Abuja (FCT), Nigeria. The consultant will support the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in advancing national policy, cross-ministerial coordination, regulatory enforcement, and stakeholder engagement to reduce lead exposure, particularly from consumer products affecting children and vulnerable populations. The role focuses on implementation of the national lead poisoning policy, strengthening surveillance, and driving high-level action through the Minister’s convening power.

• Consultant role embedded in the Office of the Honourable Minister of State for Health in Abuja (FCT).
• Focus on national lead exposure reduction policy, coordination, and regulatory enforcement.
• Supports implementation of Nigeria’s national lead poisoning policy and multisectoral frameworks.
• Engages key agencies including NAFDAC, SON, FCCPC, and the Inter-Agency Working Group on Lead Elimination.
• Targets consumer product-related lead exposure risks for children under five and pregnant women.

Original source description

Senior Technical Advisor, Lead Exposure Reduction Consultant at Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) ⏲ Aug 14, 2026, 7:07 AM ⋕ View all Medical & Healthcare jobs Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) is a global health organization that aims to save millions of lives by reducing preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease and preventing infectious disease epidemics. Since September 2017, the Prevent Epidemics team at RTSL has been working closely with governments, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and academic and other partners to strengthen national capacity to prevent, detect and respond to epidemic threats. Some key initiatives include Program Management for Epidemic Preparedness (PMEP) to grow institutional leadership and management capabilities and 7-1-7 to establish a global goal for early detection and response. We are recruiting to fill the position below: Job Title: Senior Technical Advisor, Lead Exposure Reduction Consultant Location: Abuja (FCT) Position Summary The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW), under the leadership of the Honourable Minister of State for Health, plays a central role in coordinating national efforts to reduce lead exposure through policy development, stakeholder coordination, surveillance, and public health interventions, in collaboration with key regulatory agencies including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) seeks to engage a consultant to be embedded within the Office of the Honourable Minister of State for Health to support implementation, cross-ministerial coordination, policy advancement, and the use of the Minister’s convening power to drive high-level action on lead exposure reduction and response in Nigeria. Lead exposure remains one of the most significant yet preventable environmental public health threats in Nigeria, particularly affecting children under five, pregnant women, and populations exposed through environmental and consumer product pathways. Increasing evidence points to consumer products—such as cosmetics, spices, and other locally available goods—as important and under-addressed sources of exposure. Significant progress has already been made in addressing lead exposure in Nigeria, including the development of a national lead poisoning policy and multisectoral coordination frameworks, as well as RTSL-supported efforts in laboratory capacity assessment reports and legal landscape assessments. There is now a critical need to build on these gains by accelerating implementation and strengthening enforcement of existing regulations, while advancing national policy frameworks and increasing government resource allocation—particularly for consumer product-related exposures. Core Tasks and Activities The Consultant will work closely with the Office of the Honorable Minister of State for Health, the Senior Technical Advisor, Lead Poisoning Nigeria, the Principal Advisor, Cardiovascular Health Nigeria, the Executive Director, RTSL, Nigeria and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Lead Elimination. Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination: Build on the existing stakeholder mapping to strengthen coordination among actors working to reduce lead exposure. Identify coordination gaps and support alignment of stakeholder efforts toward implementation priorities. Develop recommendations on human resource and institutional strengthening needs. Track activities of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including the Inter-Agency Working Group on Lead Elimination. Regulatory Implementation and Enforcement Support: Support alignment and coordination of regulatory actions across ministries and agencies. Develop actionable recommendations to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and compliance. Identify key bottlenecks to effective enforcement of policies and regulations across relevant agencies and sectors. Track progress on implementation of existing regulations and identify opportunities for acceleration. Build on the completed regulatory landscape to support the implementation of existing regulations on lead in consumer products, including cosmetics, spices, and other goods. Capacity Strengthening: Identify priority capacity gaps that affect the implementation and enforcement of lead-related interventions. Propose targeted strategies to strengthen systems, including workforce, infrastructure, and training. Assess technical and laboratory capacity for biomonitoring, consumer product testing, environmental and ambient testing High-Level Policy Advancement and Government Program Acceleration: Support the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) in advancing the National Lead Policy and its Implementation Plan, with a strong emphasis on operationalization. Support efforts to improve government resource allocation and financing for implementation and enforcement activities. Identify priority opportunities within government systems to accelerate program delivery on lead exposure reduction. Leverage the convening power of the Office of the Honourable Minister of State for Health to facilitate coordinated high-level inter-ministerial dialogue among key ministries, agencies, and stakeholders. Jointly plan and support strategic engagements, roundtables, and policy dialogues aimed at accelerating implementation and enforcement. Support the development of policy briefs, talking points, and strategic materials forhigh-level decision-making and advocacy. Coordination and Advisory Support: Support convening, documentation, and follow-up actions of IAWG meetings, regional and global convenings. Provide technical advisory support to the Office of the Minister of State for Health on lead exposure, with emphasis on implementation and enforcement. Undertake any other related duties assigned by RTSL technical leadership in collaboration with government stakeholders. Prepare briefs, reports, and analyses on project progress to ensure the Minister and RTSL program team make informed decisions. Work closely with the STA, Lead Poisoning Nigeria and the Principal Advisor, Cardiovascular Health Nigeria to ensure alignment with national priorities. Contribute to policy discussions, technical briefs, and strategic documents. Support coordination and facilitating collaboration across relevant government ministries, departments, agencies (MDA) and partners working on lead elimination. Qualifications Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience: in environmental health, with demonstrated expertise in lead exposure prevention, regulatory systems, or public health programs. Able to travel within Nigeria if required. Experience: working with government institutions and understanding government systems, particularly Ministries, Departments and regulatory agencies. Strong experience: in facilitating policy dialogues and working with senior government officials. Advanced Degrees in Public Health, Environmental Health, Toxicology, Environmental Science, Food Safety, Public Policy, or related field. Excellent analytical, communication, and technical report writing skills. Ability to operate effectively in high-level policy and political environments. Strong understanding of public sector systems, regulatory enforcement, and policy processes. Proven experience: supporting policy implementation, government coordination, and high-level stakeholder engagement. Contract Deliverables: Periodic technical updates to the Office of the Minister of State Health. Report on progress and gaps in implementation and enforcement of existing lead-related regulations, particularly for consumer products, to be shared with relevant stakeholders Brief on stakeholder coordination status and recommendations to strengthen alignment and implementation to be shared with the Ministry. Periodic reports, quarterly consultancy report with strategic recommendations for sustained implementation, enforcement, and national scale-up shared with RTSL Support senior government leadership on developing policy briefs, talking points, and advocacy materials to support senior government decision-making. Report on identified bottlenecks, government processes, and priority actions to accelerate regulatory enforcement to relevant stakeholders. Technical inputs and documented contributions to the National Lead Policy and its Implementation Plan, with emphasis on operationalization through the IAWG. Documentation and outputs from high-level policy dialogues and stakeholder engagements facilitated through the office of the Minister of State. Provide and recommend strategies to strengthen government resource allocation and investment for implementation of lead poisoning intervention. Contract Management: The Independent Contractor will submit all deliverables to the Principal Advisor & Manager, CVH, Nigeria, who will manage this contract and monitor progress toward the deliverables. How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply online View all Jobs in Nigeria Abuja