Consultancy: Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection Consultant, 11 Months, Lusaka, Zambia (Zambian Nationals only)

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Social Protection

The UNICEF Programme of Cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) is designed to address and mitigate the threat of poverty the country’s children face, while responding to the needs with interventions addressing the multiple causative factors.

To find out more about UNICEF’s work in Zambia, please visit https://www.unicef.org/zambia/.

How can you make a difference?

The role of the Nutrition Sensitive Social Protection Consultant will be to provide technical support and backstopping to all aspects of the implementation of the 1000 days SCT Nutrition Pilot. The consultant will be embedded in HQ of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, in the Department for Social Welfare, and work closely with non-statutory section.

Description of tasks for this assignment will:

• Facilitate and support the coordination of the key implementing partners, especially MCDSS, Ministry of Health and National Food and Nutrition Commission as well as other stakeholders relevant to the implementation of the pilot, throughout all aspects of pilot implementation.
• Identify areas of need for capacity building and facilitate and support training and capacity building of implementers at all administrative levels according to the needs arising as implementation progresses.
• Provide technical mentorship support to MCDSS staff and volunteer cadres in the pilot districts as well as to the relevant Provincial Social Welfare Offices to strengthen their understanding and implementation of the relevant linkages of the SCT to nutrition and gender-sensitive services.
• Provide mentorship to implementers at district and community level related to case management.
• Support the implementation of all communication activities, including engagement of key stakeholders such as Chiefs and other traditional leaders and implementation of the Social Behaviour Change Communication component in the pilot districts.
• Support the integration of the grievance mechanism in the pilot and its implementation in the pilot districts. The consultant will work closely with the Grievance Mechanism Consultant to ensure alignment to the overall Social Cash Transfer programme grievance mechanism.
• Support the development and operationalisation of 1000 days MIS dashboard by pilot districts.
• Facilitate and support all operational processes of the pilot including information management and beneficiary payments.
• Facilitate implementation of M&E and reporting activities.
• Support ongoing activities for implementation research being conducted to identify the best implementation modality for nutrition sensitive social cash transfers by facilitating field work and other needs for the research team.
• Support the MCDSS and partners in the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, challenges and recommendations.

Please see Detailed TOR for more information on the tasks and deliverables: Nutrition Sensitive Social Protection Consultant - 2022 TORs_.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The consultant must possess the following:

• Bachelor’s in social science, Economics, Public Health, Social Policy, Social Work or any related field.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional work experience in social welfare with either Government, Intergovernmental, or Non-Governmental Organizations.
• Substantive experience in project management, preferably in a public-sector environment.
• Demonstrated ability to provide capacity building in social protection and M&E.
• Familiarity with the background and rationale of Social Cash Transfer scheme is desirable; Experience cash plus programming; particularly in nutrition sensitive social protection programming.
• Familiarity with nutrition (MCDP) and public health programming in Zambia is desirable.
• Experience in providing communication for development, training and capacity building, including use and development of data collection tools.
• Demonstrated ability in report writing, facilitation, research and documentation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and fluency in English; knowledge of any main local languages will be added advantage (Nyanja, Bemba, Tonga, Lunda, Luvale, Kaonde, Lozi).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Please remember to express your financial proposals (and/or professional consultancy fees) in Zambian Kwacha for Zambian

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.