National Consultancy: Nutrition Information Management Consultant (Open to Malawian Nationals only)

Contract

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For every child, Care...

Malawi is experiencing its worst cholera outbreak in decades, with a declaration made for a cholera outbreak on 3 March 2022 after a case reported to Machinga District Hospital was confirmed culture positive for Vibrio cholerae. Since the outbreak was officially announced just over one year ago, cholera has spread to all 29 districts in the country, affecting more than 50,000 people with over 1,500 deaths (as of 2 March). Of these more than 12,000 children have contracted cholera and 197 have died.

Nutrition is critical in preparing for and responding to the cholera epidemic. Children under-five, pregnant and lactating women and the chronically ill are vulnerable groups and hence the need to ensure their daily nutrition needs are met to prevent incidences of malnutrition. In addition, those who are already malnourished need to be treated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on managing severe acute malnutrition in the cholera context.

The current cholera outbreak has hit at a time when 3.8 million people are facing high acute food insecurity, classified in “Crisis” or Phase 3 based on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. The admission trends for severe acute malnutrition in 2022 showed a 10% increase compared to 2021; the number is expected to rise even further owing to the increased vulnerability, with over 62,000 children under five years projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2023. Severely malnourished children are at high risk of death, and the situation has worsened with the cholera situation in Malawi.

Currently, the Nutrition Sector has defined various strategies to contribute towards the current cholera response. These include strengthening early identification and referral for the treatment of children suffering from wasting (life-threatening form of malnutrition defined as low weight-for-height), including the provision of Zinc supplements as part of the cholera case management, management of severe child wasting in the context of cholera, promotion of infant and young child feeding practices, and micronutrient supplementation.

How can you make a difference?

With the support of the National Nutrition Cluster Coordination Team, the Nutrition Information Management consultant will be responsible for providing support to the Nutrition Cluster at the national and sub-national levels in Malawi. The consultant will collect and organize data on nutrition sector/Cluster coverage and programming results and produce and share information on the response, showing results, gaps and trends with Cluster partners and the Cluster Lead Agency to facilitate a timely and effective nutrition response and demonstrate whether results and impact are achieved or not. The specific tasks will include, but are not limited to:

Cluster functions

Key activities

Supporting service delivery/outputs

• In consultation with Cluster partners, identify key humanitarian information management (IM) products, develop/adapt templates for collecting this information, and support the Cluster and the Cluster partners in producing a consolidated IM products in a periodical manner
• Support in conducting the mapping of all current and potential actors– government, national and international humanitarian organizations as well as national institutions, and the private sector through the provision of regular inputs/updates on the Clusters 5 W’s (Who, What, Where, When and for Whom) matrix, Cluster priority response matrix and other tools
• Facilitate information flow between the Cluster and Cluster partner programs by clearly outlining how data is collected, collated, and analyzed, and facilitate the identification of information gap geographically and programmatically
• Assist in developing mechanisms to eliminate duplication of service delivery based on existing data and proactively strive for effective methods of acquiring data from the relevant stakeholders to fill the information gap
• Support the Cluster coordination team in organizing and participating in regular Cluster coordination meetings aimed at information sharing for appropriate coordination between all nutrition humanitarian partners
• Prepare Cluster meeting minutes and circulate the Cluster meeting outputs, presentations and minutes
• Regularly update and maintain a contact list of all nutrition Cluster partners and working groups

Informing strategic decision-making of the Humanitarian Coordinator / Humanitarian Country Team for the humanitarian response

• Manage an inventory of database that contains relevant documents on the humanitarian situation (multi-sectorial assessments, nutrition surveys, and SMART surveys, assessment reports of other relevant Clusters such as WASH, Food Security, Health etc., and other relevant information)
• Provide IM support for the preparation of the nutrition situation analysis
• Using geographic information system (GIS) for geographic data management, analysis, and production, compile the data and create maps in a timely manner and as needed to assist the nutrition Cluster activities as well as partners and other stakeholders

Advocacy

• Work with Cluster partners to keep and maintain an up-to-date database and information for nutrition programming. Make this information available to facilitate planning and impact assessment of the Cluster response by the Cluster and other stakeholders. Update the database and reporting tools structure as needed, aligning with revisions of the Flash Appeal / Humanitarian Response Plan
• Together with the Cluster coordinator/co-coordinator, estimate both geographic and programmatic coverage of programmes and produce coverage maps. Update inputs for mapping formats as needed to support the continuous review of the Nutrition Cluster activities
• Support and provide input into the preparation of situation reports with emphasis on Cluster achievements by providing relevant and up-to-date information
• Support drafting of high quality and regular district and sub-district emergency nutrition situation updates
• Compile regular inputs on the emergency affected areas for the national/subnational level Cluster with the expected outputs
• Support the Nutrition Cluster in developing regular country/region/district level data and information based on agreed outputs and share this information with stakeholders
• Work with Cluster partners to identify information gaps at national and sub-national levels and propose ways to bridge information gaps
• Support the Cluster in developing a framework for the monitoring and evaluation of the Cluster response plan and support the development of indicators that Cluster needs to monitor, linked to the response plan

Monitoring and reporting the implementation of the Cluster strategy and results

• Collate, curate, and analyze nutrition and nutrition-relevant information and maintain and update the nutrition emergency dashboard to facilitate humanitarian information exchange and promote data and information standards
• Undertake regular monitoring visits to review the responses and provide oversite for quality control for partners reporting
• In consultation with partners, develop/adapt and roll out a monitoring and reporting system for the Nutrition Cluster in line with the Cluster Response Plan. Review the system each time Cluster Response Plan is modified to ensure that the system can capture newly identified indicators
• In collaboration with the Cluster coordinators, rectify any gaps identified in reporting against the Nutrition Cluster indicators of the service delivery (quantity, quality, coverage, continuity and cost) by regularly communicating and discussing the gaps with Cluster partners and providing technical support aimed at enhancing timely and quality reporting
• Work with Cluster partners on reporting sex and age disaggregated data, that should inform Nutrition Cluster analysis
• Maintain/streamline monthly & weekly collection of reports from partners; work with partners to identify issues with regards to reporting and devise ways to solve them together with Cluster partners

Build National Capacity Building for Preparedness and Contingency Planning

• Promote and provide training and capacity building activities of the Nutrition Cluster partners for reporting
• Adopt existing training modules and provide training and expertise on key nutrition and nutrition-relevant information management tools
• Support the Cluster coordination team and Cluster partners in preparedness and contingency planning: consolidation of inputs by partners for the Emergency Preparedness and Response, maintenance/update of the nutrition database to ensure quick access to data for analysis, and other IM tools, etc.

Accountability to Affected Population

• Support the Cluster coordination team and Cluster partners in setting up and maintaining a Cluster complaint and feedback mechanism based on the inputs/guidance provided and feedback regularly to the Cluster partners

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

Academic qualification:

• Advanced University Degree or higher in nutrition, public health, nutritional epidemiology, statistics, or information management.

Required work experience:

• At least eight years of professional experience in nutrition information and nutrition.
• Experience in GIS mapping using ArcGIS or QGIS.
• Experience in information management and information design.
• Experience in training and capacity development.
• Experience developing reports, policy briefs, and journal articles for a range of audiences, including practitioners in the field and policymakers.
• Experience and proficiency in using key statistical software to analyze nutrition data (i.e., MS Excel, Emergence Nutrition Assessment (ENA), Epi Info, STATA, SPSS, R).

Knowledge, technical skills and competencies:

• Knowledge and programming experience in nutrition information management/systems in a humanitarian context.
• Drive for results.
• Ability to work effectively under stress and in emergency settings.
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse and multi-cultural team to achieve goals.
• Ability to develop new and nurture existing internal and external networks, partnerships and relationships which deliver results.
• Ability to communicate confidently and persuasively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to analyze information, solve problems and make decisions in various contexts
• Strategic thinking.

• The highest levels of personal integrity and commitment to adhering to required standards of conduct.

  Language Proficiency

• Excellent written and spoken skills in English is required

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference Terms of Reference_Nutrition IM Consultant.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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.

HOW TO APPLY...

Interested consultants should provide the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment
3. Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees, travel, living cost, visa and other costs). Financial Proposal for Consultancy.xlsx Complete the attached form.
4. References details of at least 3 previous supervisors.

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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.