Consultant- Nutritionist

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the winner of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. In Lao PDR, WFP supports the government in providing school lunches for primary students, counters malnutrition with targeted food support to the most vulnerable, and helps communities build resilient lives with sustainable livelihood options.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Lao PDR is characterized by high levels of stunting (33%), wasting (9%) and micronutrient deficiencies in children and women of reproductive age. Overweight and obesity have significantly increased in the past decade, echoing global and regional trends, and is a growing concern particularly among adult women. Thus, Laos can be characterized as experiencing the triple burden of malnutrition. Nutrition remains a high priority in the national development agenda.

Having established a presence in Lao PDR in 1975, the World Food Programme (WFP) is supporting the Lao Government’s vision of “a prosperous country, with a healthy population, free from food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty”. In its approach, WFP is gradually shifting from the delivery of services to building the capacity of both institutions, communities, and individuals to address the challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. As populations are scattered over vast areas where access can be difficult, strengthening the self-reliance of communities for solving their own nutrition and food security problems is central to WFP’s strategy.

Since January 2022, WFP has been implementing a Country Strategic Plan 2022-2026 which is formulated around the achievement of four strategic outcomes. Through Strategic Outcome 2, WFP aims to improve the nutritional status of key population groups. This includes promoting changes in people’s behavior through the introduction of complementary, nutritious foods; diversification of diets; improving infant and young child feeding practices; and enhancing communities’ ownership of initiatives such as school feeding. WFP aims to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable people throughout their life cycle, as well as increase their resilience to seasonal and long-term shocks and stresses.

The Nutritionist will manage the nutrition team and activities within Strategic Outcome 2 of the WFP Country Strategic Plan (CSP, 2022-2026). They will also be responsible for advising on nutrition aspects across the other Strategic Outcomes of the CSP and leading / co-leading on strategic thinking around WFP’s work in nutrition. In all activities, the Nutritionist will be responsible for collaborating with several partners, including development partners and the Government of Lao, in providing technical support and strengthening capacity, particularly to draft and roll out the National Nutrition Plan of Action (NPAN).

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Provide strategic leadership, supervision, coaching and guidance to the nutrition team on WFP Laos’ nutrition strategy.
2. Develop annual workplan and budget for the nutrition team and follow through the implementation.
3. Manage staff performance and provide regular feedback and through the PACE process by guiding and supervising junior staff, acting as a point of referral, and supporting them on more complex analysis and queries.
4. Manage recruitment and supervise external consultants hired for the implementation of specific activities.
5. Lead and coordinate the development of nutrition projects, plans, processes and donor proposals, ensuring alignment with wider programme and nutrition policies and procedures.
6. Manage research and evidence generation activities, as well as coordinating with relevant government counterparts and other partners.

Key Accountabilities

7. Manage the monitoring and analysis of project data to inform programme adjustments and to contribute to the timely and accurate reporting on nutrition activities to donors and other stakeholders.

8. Work with staff in procurement, logistics, finance, other programme units and other divisions to ensure effective design and delivery of WFP nutrition programming.

9. Provide support for operational partnerships, including inter-agency collaboration, to ensure a strong multi-sectorial response to nutrition and to ensure WFP’s strategic positioning in nutrition.

10. Support the strengthening of national nutrition initiatives, including the development of national policies related to nutrition as well as nutrition strategies, action plans, protocols and guidelines in line with international guidance and current evidence.

11. Represent WFP at national, regional and international meetings to contribute in technical discussions, exchange experiences and best practices, advocate for nutrition specific and sensitive interventions and identify areas of potential collaboration.

12. Build capacity of WFP staff, partners and national governments to prepare for and respond to nutrition and food security problems.

13. Analyze and keep abreast of policy and operational issues to inform the development of programmes and activities

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Advance University degree in Public Health Nutrition, Nutrition, Food Technology, medicine or other relatvant field.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• At least six (6) years of experience developing or implementing programme strategies with a focus on nutrition;
• Deep technical knowledge in the field of nutrition gained through exposure to technical teams and projects;
• Experience in developing/implementing Social Behaviour Change Communication strategy and activities for nutrition;
• Experience facilitating, developing and monitoring joint programme and workplans;
• Experience in conducting and coordinating nutrition assessments;
• Fluency in both written and oral English; strong interpersonal communication skills;
• Good analytical, facilitation and negotiation skills;
• Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with persons of different cultural background.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Duty Station: Vientiane, Laos

Contract type: Consultant- regular

Contract duration: 11 months (renewal)

Reporting: Head of Programme

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Posting date: 16 December 2022

Closing date: 9 January 2023