Nutrition Cluster Coordinator, NOC, TA, Kenya Country Office, Nairobi

Contract

This is a NO-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-3 contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a future

Humanitarian action is of fundamental importance to UNICEF and encompasses interventions aimed at saving lives, alleviating suffering, maintaining human dignity, and protecting the rights of affected populations wherever there are humanitarian needs, as well as interventions addressing underlying risks and causes of vulnerability to disasters, fragility, and conflict. UNICEF’s humanitarian action is guided by the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs) which set organizational, programmatic, and operational commitments and benchmarks against which UNICEF holds itself accountable for the coverage, quality, and equity of its humanitarian action and advocacy and which are mandatory for all UNICEF personnel. UNICEF is committed to supporting humanitarian coordination through the sector/cluster approach. Introduced as part of the humanitarian reform, the cluster approach, aims at ensuring clear leadership, predictability, and accountability in international responses to humanitarian emergencies by clarifying the division of labor among organizations and better defining their roles and responsibilities within the different sectors involved in the response. As Cluster Lead Agency (CLA) for Nutrition, UNICEF is committed to fulfilling the core functions defined by the IASC. A well-run humanitarian coordination team is a formal deliverable of the Cluster Lead Agency and forms a part of the agency’s work.

Kenya is facing a drought emergency following four failed seasons. Significant deterioration of nutrition status of children resulting from the increasing food insecurity has been reported in arid and semi-arid counties. According to Integrated Phase Classification for acute malnutrition (IPC-AMN) conducted in July 2022, the nutrition situation has significantly deteriorated across the counties compared to the same season last year and the 2021 Short Rains analysis conducted in February 2022. Nutrition situation was extremely critical (IPC AMN Phase 5) in Turkana North, Turkana South and Laisamis sub counties, critical (IPC AMN Phase 4) in Mandera, Garissa, Turkana West, Turkana central, Wajir, Isiolo, Samburu, North Horr sub-county in Marsabit, and Tiaty in Baringo County. Saku, Tana River and West Pokot Counties were classified in serious phase (IPC AMN Phase 3) with Moyale in alert phase (IPC AMN Phase 2). Over 884,000 children are in need of treatment for acute malnutrition.

The drought emergency in Kenya is continuing to worsen requiring robust emergency preparedness and response capacity. UNICEF cluster/sector lead role requires adequate in country coordination capacity to support government at national and sub national level, sector partners to implement a coherent response strategy. In this regard, UNICEF Kenya is looking for a Nutrition Specialist – Coordination, to boost the capacity of the current nutrition team involved in the drought response and scaling up.

How can you make a difference?

Under the overall guidance of Chief of Nutrition, the coordination function will support KCO Nutrition humanitarian preparedness and response activities across Kenya as per the CCCs and the Country Programme Response Plan. The Role will be critical in supporting a humanitarian development nexus approach in addition to supporting other core coordination and systems programme actions.

Main Responsibilities;

1. Ensure the establishment/maintenance of appropriate sector coordination mechanisms including working groups at the national, and sub national level;

2. Ensure appropriate coordination between all Nutrition humanitarian partners (including national and international NGOs, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, other international organizations active in the sector) as well as national authorities and local structures

3. Ensure full integration of the IASC’s agreed priority cross-cutting issues, human rights, HIV/AIDS, age, gender and climate change, accountability, and community-based approaches. In line with this, promote gender equality by ensuring that the needs, contributions and capacities of women and girls as well as men and boys are addressed.

4. Promote emergency response actions while at the same time considering the need for early recovery planning as well as prevention and risk reduction concerns.

5. Ensure effective links with other sectors (including with OCHA), especially health, food security and livelihoods, cash and social protection, water, education et al

6. Represent the interests of the sector in discussions in humanitarian coordination forums and leadership on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy;

7. Developing/updating agreed response strategies and action plans for the sector and ensuring that these are adequately reflected in the overall country strategies

8. Ensure that responses are in line with existing policy guidance, technical standards, and relevant Government legal obligations.

9. Ensure mainstreaming and inclusion of risk reduction elements in policy frameworks

10. Seek and promote new partnerships and resource mobilization, working with sector actors including government to support sector humanitarian priorities and action

11. Support capacity strengthening of current and potential actors – government, national and international humanitarian organizations as well as national institutions, the private sector for a coherent and scaled nutrition sector approach

12. Ensure regular reporting against sector indicators of service delivery (quantity, quality, coverage, continuity and cost) supports analysis of Sector in closing gaps and measuring impact of interventions

13. Advise the Chief of Nutrition and support him/her technically on the needed changes and areas of improvement for the overall emergency nutrition response in coordination with Country Office Team.

14. Any other work assigned by the Supervisor.

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

• Master's Degree in nutrition, preferably with corresponding degree in Public Health, Food Security, Medicine, or another related field.

  • At least 7-10 years of progressively responsible professional work experience in similar emergency contexts and chronic vulnerable situations, with either UN and/or INGOs.

  • Knowledge of humanitarian and development issues is an asset

  • Able to work within various teams and be able to contribute to the overall success of that team.

  • Able to demonstrate a flexible and adaptable approach to work.

  • Fluency in English required.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework 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. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.