International Consultant – Healthy diets and Nutrition

Purpose of consultancy

This consultancy will focus on young child diets and food environments, child obesity, settings based actions to promote healthy diets, and nutrition of older adults. Emerging areas of connectivity such as climate change and related nutrition will also form a component of the work profile for this consultancy.

Background

The WHO South-East Asia Region covers 11 Member States, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar. The Nutrition and Health for Development (NHD) unit in the Department of Healthier Populations & Noncommunicable Diseases (HPN) of WHO regional Office for South-East Asia provides support to Member States to develop, implement and monitor food and nutrition policies and promotes essential nutrition actions across the lifecycle to reduce the double burden of malnutrition. The work of the unit is guided by the Strategic Action Plan to reduce the double burden of malnutrition in the South-East Asia Region where the key objectives are to promote and establish an enabling environment with health and other sectors for effective implementation of evidence-based nutrition interventions.

This consultancy will focus on young child diets and food environments, child obesity, settings based actions to promote healthy diets, and nutrition of older adults. Emerging areas of connectivity such as climate change and related nutrition will also form a component of the work profile for this consultancy.

Deliverables

• Deliverable 1- Assist the NHD unit in reviewing the data analysis on nutrition of older adults and the report on nutrition status of older adults in WHO South-East Asia Region.
• Deliverable 2- Support the NHD Unit to collate nutrition data to update the current country profiles on nutrition in the NHD website.
• Deliverable 3- Develop policy briefs and an information slide deck on marketing to children based on the report of the multi country assessment of marketing and organize a webinar for the dissemination of information.
• Deliverable 4 - Develop a policy brief on climate change and nutrition based on a background report on climate change policies and nutrition, in coordination with the Water Sanitation and Health Unit, HPN Department and arrange for its dissemination.
• Deliverable 5 - Support the NHD unit in planning a pilot study on actions recommended in the case study based framework to promote healthier diets in the out of home food sector.
• Deliverable 6- Develop materials for World Breastfeeding Week and review information of a scoping of policies on Infant and Young Child Feeding.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential: First university degree in medicine or nutrition sciences

Desirable: Post Graduate degree in nutrition or public health with a focus on maternal, child or adolescent health and nutrition

Experience

Essential: At least 5 years’ experience in nutrition programmes at national level with 2 years at international level. Specifically, the candidate would be expected to have experience in application of nutrition interventions and policies related to young child diets, interventions to improve the food environment through regulatory measures, child obesity, data analysis and implementation research related to healthy diet promotion. The international experience in any of the above areas should be clearly mentioned in the application.

Desirable: International experience in two or more countries outside the country of residence.

Skills/Knowledge:

• Excellent knowledge of public health nutrition with updated knowledge of current regional priorities in nutrition for WHO;
• Skills in report writing and data analysis.
• Knowledge and technical expertise in evidence-based public health approaches to reduce the diet related risk factors for NCDs;
• Expertise in young child diets and childhood obesity actions;
• Demonstrated ability to adopt to diverse educational socio-political and cultural backgrounds and to maintain a high standard of personal conduct;
• Demonstrated ability to develop innovative approaches and solutions to nutrition issues;
• Communication skills, with demonstrated ability to coordinate across countries and partners;

Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Advanced):

Advanced knowledge of English both in writing and speaking

Location

This is a remote consultancy - Off site; Within 2-3 hours of India Standard Time zone

Travel

No travel is envisaged during the assignment

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

1. 1. Remuneration: Band level A; Monthly remuneration of USD 4500.
   2. Expected duration of contract: 6 months: 30 June to 30 December 2023

Additional Information:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/ diploma(s)/certificate(s) in English required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.