Individual Contractor, Nutrition, LAC Regional Office, Panama City, Panama (full-time, 4 months)

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

The Survive and Thrive Section of the UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO), in which this consultancy is framed, covers the areas of Health, Nutrition and HIV. In the area of Nutrition, UNICEF works on the prevention of all forms of malnutrition. Almost 1 in 5 children under five in the region are either stunted, wasted or overweight, or a combination of two of these. These trends reflect poor growth, and putting children at risk of increased infections, weak learning skills, low immunity and, in many cases, death.

Childhood overweight is an increasing concern. Around 3.9 million of children under 5 years old have overweight, or 7.5%, a number above the global average of 5.6%. The distribution of overweight and obesity among the population is unequal. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the vulnerability and greater risk of aggravation and mortality for people with obesity, including children and adolescents with this condition. UNICEF’s overweight prevention actions in LAC represent a wide range, from policy advocacy to capacity building and service delivery. Several countries in the region have pioneered actions that have been replicated across the region and in other regions. An increasing number of countries is working on this issue, while several countries in the region (also) continue their work on the prevention of other forms of malnutrition, specifically stunting and to a lesser extent wasting and micronutrient deficiencies.

For more information about UNICEF and its work. (www.unicef.org/lac)..)

For every child, health

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the Assignment

Under the overall guidance of the UNICEF LAC Regional Adviser, Survive and Thrive, the individual contractor will provide technical support for the planning and implementation of activities in the area of Nutrition, with emphasis on the overweight and obesity prevention agenda.

Specific Tasks

• Technical support and liaison with UNICEF country offices (COs) for internal reporting and donor reporting

• Support the review of country office annual reports

• Support development of donor proposals

• Identify and review capacity building needs among COs and develop a roadmap for capacity building

• Monitor, feed, update, and coordinate with COs the content for the knowledge management platform

• Provide technical inputs to regional activities [for example: studies on social norms, digital, marketing, etc.]

• Support the planning of Nutrition activities for 2022

• Other tasks considered relevant for the planning and implementation of Nutrition activities

Deliverables

• At least 2 donor reports or internal reports developed and liaison with country offices [estimated working days: 15]

• Review of country office annual reports [estimated working days: 10]

• Development of donor proposals as needed [estimated working days: 5]

• Key planning processes for 2022 reviewed and finalized [estimated working days: 8]

• Capacity building roadmap for 2022 developed [estimated working days: 10]

• Knowledge exchange platform updated and monitored regularly [estimated working days: 8]

• Technical feedback and support provided to at least 2 regional studies [estimated working days: 10]

• Other specific tasks relevant for the planning and implementation of Nutrition activities [estimated working days: 5]

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

Education: Master’s degree in nutrition, health sciences, public health, or another relevant technical field.

Work Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressive experience in health and nutrition programmes. Candidates with more years of experience will have an advantage.

• Experience in working with the UN/UNICEF is an asset.

Languages: Fluency in Spanish and English is required.

Technical knowledge:

• Experience with Nutrition programming; experience with programmes for the prevention of childhood overweight is an asset.

• Support programmes in low, and middle-income countries.

• Experience in Latin America and the Caribbean Region is considered an asset.

• Experience in writing concise reports in English.

Other skills and attributes:

• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written).

• Excellent planning and organization skills.

• Analytical and conceptual ability.

Supervision: The individual contractor will work under the direct supervision of the UNICEF LAC Regional Adviser for Survive & Thrive.

Workplace: This is a remote, home-based contract.

How to apply: Application should be submitted online and should include: Resume, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit monthly fees in their financial proposal.

Duration: This is a full-time individual contract expected to last 4 months, with an estimated start date of 25 November 2021.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and the following core competencies: Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness, Works Collaboratively with others, Builds and Maintains Partnerships, Innovates and Embraces Change, Thinks and Acts Strategically, Drive to achieve impactful results, and Manages ambiguity and complexity.

To view our values and competency framework please visit the following links: Our Values and Our Competencies.

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:

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.