Emergency Nutritionist | Bunia | DR. Congo

Qualified women and people with physical impairments are strongly encouraged to apply.

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INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL VACANCY

JOB TITLE :

Emergency Nutritionist

TYPE OF CONTRACT :

Regular Consultant

UNIT / DIVISION:

Programme / RBJ

DUTY STATION (City, Country) :

Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo

DURATION :

11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the second largest country in Africa, covering an area of 2.34 million km². The population is estimated at 102 million. Despite the country's vast resources, a high proportion of the population (approximately 63.4 per cent) lives below the poverty line (less than USD 1.25 per day) and is unable to meet its basic needs.

The situation in the country is fragile and the development challenges are great. The DRC is ranked 152 out of 163 countries on the 2016 Global Peace Index and 157 out of 167 countries on The Economist's 2022 Democracy Index. On the Fragile States Index 2021, the DRC is listed in the category of 'greatest concern and urgency', with widespread conflict and insecurity caused by the struggle for control of natural resources, access to land, ethnic tensions, and the activities of armed groups.

Poverty, conflict, displacement, and vulnerability continue to undermine food and nutrition security for a growing number of Congolese, especially women and children. Despite significant efforts by national and international partners, the food and nutrition crisis are deepening, making it increasingly difficult to leave no one behind.

In DRC, at the peak of acute malnutrition from July to December 2022, 81 health zones and 39 territories were in a severe nutritional situation (IPC phase 3) and 19 health zones and 27 territories were in a critical situation (IPC phase 4).

The aggravating factors of acute malnutrition vary from health zone to health zone. However, for health zones and areas in the severe phase and above (IPC phase 3 and above), poor infant and young child feeding practices, acute food insecurity, limited access to health services but high prevalence of childhood diseases (malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, epidemic diseases, epidemics such as measles and cholera), poor hygiene conditions, poor hygiene conditions (poor access to adequate sanitation), poor access to drinking water and the negative impact of the security situation, which has led to massive displacement, are all factors contributing to acute malnutrition.

ACCOUNTABILITIES / RESPONSABILITIES :

Reporting to the Head of Programme in the Bunia field office, the Emergency Nutritionist will have overall responsibility for managing the scale-up of WFP's emergency nutrition response in the operational area of Ituri Province, in close coordination with the CO Nutrition Team and in accordance with the recommendations of the WFP Nutrition Response Strategy endorsed by the CO, the Regional Bureau (RB) and the Nutrition Division at Headquarters (OSN), including:

1. Coordination with all functional units (supply chain, programme, VAM, HR, donor relation and communication, etc.) at CO and sub-office (SO) level, aiming at ensuring that Nutrition is fully integrated in WFP’s emergency response in the shock-affected area.
2. Development of WFP’s SO staff and partners’ capacity, including PRONANUT, for the design, implementation and monitoring of malnutrition treatment and prevention programme, through development of training materials, class training, on-the-job training and formative supervision in Ituri.
3. Supporting the rolling out of IFE guidelines through WFP food and nutrition assistance platforms (general food assistance – GFA, blanket supplementary feeding programme – BSFP, targeted supplementary feeding programme –TSFP, SBCC), in coordination with the Nutrition Cluster, local authorities, key IFE actors in DRC as well as food security partners.
4. Contributing to the setting up a robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan of the nutrition activities, including minimum indicators for monitoring performance of WFP’s nutrition response, including systematic/monthly reporting on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening results in BSFP areas of Ituri.
5. Supporting social and behavioural change communication design, development, implementation, and monitoring as a complementary intervention to nutrition-specific activities in the province of Ituri.
6. Technical support to and advocacy for the implementation of nutrition assessments and integration of nutrition indicators in food security assessments, with government partners, UN agencies, NGOs and other nutrition actors.
7. Strategic engagement with the Nutrition Cluster at the decentralized level, with government, UNICEF, and other key partners to strengthen alignment and to promote implementation of coordinated/multi-sectoral responses including ensuring the MAM-SAM continuum of care in the province Ituri.
8. Oversee preparation and dissemination of timely analytical and critical reports including situation reports (Sitreps) for the office Ituri.
9. Assist in the design of specific funding proposals for nutrition activities in collaboration with the CO nutrition team and donor relations officer for the office Ituri.
10. Participate in the organization of donor visits and nutrition communication/ advocacy events.
11. Elaboration of a report (in the three weeks following the end of deployment) on the results, challenges, opportunities, and best practices related to the deployment.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Formation:

Masters in nutrition, master’s in public health or higher diploma in a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of work experience in international nutrition in humanitarian contexts.

  • Must have operational experience supporting/managing program, in nutrition especially in emergency contexts, including familiarity with integrated management of acute malnutrition (IMAM)/community management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) and prevention programming.
  • Must have operational experience in at least one social and behavioural change communications intervention in low- and middle-income settings, preferably in emergencies.
  • Must have experience working in the UN, preferably with WFP or with NGOs.
  • Demonstrated ability to strategically engage with Government and partners to develop and implement multi-sectoral programmes.

  Knowledge & Skills:

• In-depth knowledge of protection and protection mainstreaming tools

  • In-depth knowledge about international standards and policies, especially those centred around food-insecurity.
  • Previous work experience with a protection actor in a humanitarian or development setting is a plus.
  • Knowledge of International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law and Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women is a plus.
  • Good analytical skills.
  • Proven knowledge and ability to effectively use basic software packages and commonly used office equipment.
  • Ability to multitask while working under pressure.
  • Ability to maintain and establish professional working relationships with a variety of actors.
  • Ability to gain cooperation of others in a team through technical inputs in abroad range of operational issues.

  Languages :

• Fluency (level C) in French language and at least intermediate knowledge (level B) English language.

  • Fluency in Swahili (level C) is a plus.

  DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

  • Knowledge of global nutrition and global humanitarian architecture including the Cluster approach.
  • Knowledge of key principles for social and behaviour change, particularly for nutrition-related behaviour change.
  • Conceptual and operational knowledge of nutrition in emergencies.
  • Knowledge and experience with gender and protection concepts.
  • Strong assessment and analytical skills.
  • Knowledge of humanitarian funding mechanisms (Central Emergency Response Fund –CERF, flash appeals, country-based pooled funds, etc.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work effectively in multicultural settings and teams.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Master in Word, Power Point, excel tools.

OUR VALUES AT WFP:

• Integrity
• Collaboration
• Commitment
• Humanity
• Inclusion

APPLICATION DEADLINE

05/10/ 2023

Please note that the only documents you need to submit at this time are your CV and cover letter. Additional documents such as passports, letters of recommendation, university certificates, etc. may potentially be requested in the future.

For candidates who have difficulty accessing the WFP e-recruitment platform and require support in applying, please contact us at the following e-mail address: [email protected], quoting the vacancy number in the subject line.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free from sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of power. Consequently, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any contract will be offered to members of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the FAO Finance Committee, the WFP External Auditor, the WFP Audit Committee, the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities for WFP, either during their service or for three years following termination.