Nutrition Cluster Coordinator, P-4/TA, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 123,537 USD and 159,276 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 hope

PURPOSE OF THE JOB Since the beginning of 2015, Southern Madagascar, has been experiencing pronounced and prolonged drought, leading to high food insecurity against a backdrop of vulnerability and a very low resilience of the affected populations. In addition, there are aggravating factors such as an unusual rise in the price of basic foodstuffs following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020/2021, a poor agricultural season at the beginning of 2021 and the lack of access to health care and drinking water. Correspondently, the IPC results for November-December 2021, six districts in the Southern Madagascar (Grand Sud) are classified as Phase 3, and four as Phase 4. Based on the IPC results, the number of acutely malnourished children aged 6-59 months in need of treatment is estimated at 480 302 including 119,279 severely malnourished. Additionally, 1.43 million people (2 out 5 people) are in a severe acute food insecurity phase i.e. IPC3 and above.

Acute food insecurity in South Madagascar is largely the result of low or non-existent agricultural production. This situation, which has persisted in the last two years of drought have had an intense cumulative effect on humanitarian situation in the Grand Sud. This drought emergency in only one of the many episodes which magnitude and frequency have increased over the recent years, it is however one of the most intense observed in the last two decades. This extreme vulnerability is compound by traditional livelihood based on low yield subsistence farming focusing on over exploitation of natural resources which cannot feed, even in “good” years, its fast growing population. Very weak infrastructures (roads, water systems) and under resourced social services and public institutions have further worsened the current humanitarian situation. In response to the crisis, the government of Madagascar launched several initiatives to address the crisis through several president initiative including a symposium to create a new emergency-development nexus vision for the Grand-Sud, Programme emergence de Madagascar Sud (PEM-Sud). Beside this initiatives, development and humanitarian partners including the UNs launched a 75MUS$ UN flash appeal to cover the June 2021 to May 2022 response.

The severity of the drought and the weak systems to response to people needs, in particular to children nutrition needs, also led to the declaration of a Level 2 emergency by UNICEF and the activation of the Food Security, WASH and Nutrition cluster coordination in December 2021. Since the onset of the crisis, UNICEF has supported emergency response with the nutrition cluster/sector coordination through the deployment of a nutrition cluster coordinator to support the Office National de Nutrition (ONN), the government institution in charge of the nutrition cluster/sector coordination. This coordination support is backstopped by the UNICEF capacity surge on Information management, M&E and sub national level cluster coordination through a team of 7 sub-national level field staffs, 2 national M&E and 2 stand-by partners.

The UNICEF Madagascar is seeking for a nutrition cluster/sector coordinator, this is justified because of the criticality of nutrition to the ongoing humanitarian response, the UNICEF role to strengthen the nutrition coordination system and the need to strategically position Nutrition in the humanitarian-development nexus. Under the overall direction and guidance of UNICEF senior management, the Nutrition Cluster/ Sector coordinator will provide leadership and representation of the Cluster/Sector, in support to the Office National de la Nutrition, the cluster lead. She/he will facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective response by the Cluster/ Sector, that is accountable to those who are affected by the emergency and ensuring inter-sectoral collaboration to address multi-dimensional vulnerability. In addition, the coordinator will provide support to the strategic positioning of the nutrition sector, in the emergency-development nexus coordination. ensuring that national and international structures, investment and response, adequately and sustainably address nutrition needs of the most vulnerable people living in Southern Madagascar, maximising opportunities for the humanitarian response to build on resilience of vulnerable populations and ensuring that development policies, plans and investments are better risk-informed.

How can you make a difference?

KEY END-RESULTS

1. Co-lead with the ONN, the functioning of the national and sub-national Nutrition coordination mechanism, building on already established coordination structures and furthers the development of national and subnational coordination capacities, as part of an effective, intersectoral collaboration.

2. Support provided to the cluster needs assessment and analysis, including sectoral needs assessments and joint analysis to ensure alignment with the national and global humanitarian standards.

3. Technical support provided to government and non-government organizations at all stages of the programme cooperation, including capacity building of government personnel and beneficiaries.

4. Technical expertise and advice provided to sub-national cluster co-leads and Cluster/ Sector partners to ensure activities are relevant, appropriate and in line with national priorities and communities' needs,

5. A system of advocacy information exchange for improved cluster and sectorial outcomes is operational

6. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the coverage, equity, quality and progress of the response against the Cluster/ Sector priorities and agreed results are produced

7. Strategic positioning and coordination mechanisms of nutrition cluster/sector within the emergency-development nexus platform are established

8. Other assigned duties and responsibilities are effectively accomplished.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS

Coordination, representation and leadership • Co-lead with the ONN the functioning of the national and sub-national coordination mechanism that facilitates the effective achievement of the cluster/sector functions and which builds on already established coordination structures and furthers the development of national and subnational coordination capacities, • In collaboration with the UNICEF emergency nutrition specialist, develop a coordination competencies capacity gaps analysis and support the UNICEF field-based nutrition officers (7) that provide support to sub-national level Cluster/ Sector coordination • Ensure appropriate coordination with all relevant sector stakeholders including government counterparts and national authorities, local, national and international organizations and affected populations, to build complementarity of partner actions within the Cluster/ Sector pro-actively negotiating with partners to avoid and resolve duplication and gaps, • Coordinate, collaborate and represent the Cluster/ Sector with stakeholders across all sectors, including through inter-cluster coordination fora, developing cross-sectoral relationships as appropriate.

Needs assessment and analysis • Conduct technical edits of the national and subnational cluster needs assessment and analysis, including sectoral needs assessments and joint analysis (Rapid assessment, National surveillance, IPC and SMART surveys and IM products) to ensure alignment with the national and global humanitarian standards. • Collaborate with the MoH, ONN and UNICEF M&E team responsible of nutrition data, to analyze and interpret nutrition data collaboratively with the Cluster/ Sector partners. • Enhance communication mechanisms to share priority NiE findings, cluster/sector knowledge and learning products and respond to operational research gaps.

Strategic response planning • Mentor ONN leadership to conduct strategic nutrition humanitarian planning and response prioritization including regular updating of humanitarian sectoral response plan aligned to national priorities, policies and plans, • Provide technical expertise and advice to sub-national cluster co-leads and Cluster/ Sector partners to ensure activities are relevant, appropriate and in line with national priorities and communities' needs, • Ensure that the Cluster/ Sector response plan is updated regularly according to evolving needs and that updated indicators by which performance of the cluster can be measured, • Engage with OCHA and other Clusters/ Sector Groups to contribute to the updating of nutrition cluster/sector response plan, advocating for a response that reflects and addresses the concerns of the Cluster/ Sector including addressing all forms of malnutrition.

Resource mobilization and advocacy • Review existing advocacy and resource mobilisation practices at the national and subnational levels and develop a system of advocacy information exchange for improved sectorial outcomes including through engagement with line ministries clusters and national and global networks. • With ONN, support the mobilization of adequate resources to ensure the effective functioning of the Cluster/ Sector in particular sectoral funding in support of emergency coordination and response within multi-sectoral programming • Monitor, analyse and communicate information about the Cluster/ Sector resource mobilization and identify appropriate actions to address gaps or constraints, • Establish entry points for increased advocacy for NiE funding when the cluster approach is deactivated

Implementation and monitoring • Co-lead with ONN, the MOH and the UNICEF M&E teams the monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the coverage, equity, quality and progress of the response against the Cluster/ Sector priorities and agreed results, • Carry out gap and coverage analysis to identify spatial and temporal gaps, overlaps and coverage of the Cluster/ Sector humanitarian response, • Monitor Cluster/ Sector adherence to IASC cluster approach principles, relevant humanitarian and sectoral agreements, standards, initiatives and guidelines and support partners to make improvements.

Operational peer review and evaluation • Lead the updating of the annual cluster coordination performance monitoring (CCPM) exercise and annual review and contribute to other sectoral and humanitarian evaluations as appropriate. • Based on the protracted emergency nutrition situation the Grand Sud, document lessons learned and guidance for the emergency response nutrition cluster transition to sectoral coordination.

Accountability to affected populations • Establish inclusive and consultative feedback mechanisms, creating meaningful opportunities for the involvement of the affected population in the response and encouraging partners to operate accountably, • Ensure the inclusion of cross cutting issues (age, child protection, disability, gender, gender-based violence (GBV) mitigation and response and HIV & AIDS) in Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group activities throughout the HPC, • Adhere to child safeguarding and PSEA policies including procedures for reporting incidents

Strengthen national and local capacity • Develop capacity strengthening pathways, tools and materials for coordination and NiE for national and sub-national levels taking into account government and local stakeholders learning and needs • Ensure emergency nutrition coordination including cluster-led coordination are embedded within ONN sector coordination systems, mechanisms and processes • Support ONN to integrate of nutrition emergency preparedness tasks and actions within government line ministries development and emergency mechanism and processes

Strategic positionning and coordination of nutrition cluster/sector within the emergency-development nexus platform • Establish and maintain a multi-sectoral coordination forum/ platform (within the nutrition cluster and the SUN coordination mechanism) specifically dedicated to the strategic positioning and coordination of the emergency-development nexus for the nutrition sector in the Southern Madagascar • Based on the various government and partners’ medium and longer-term projects and initiatives to address the underlying and root causes of recurrent humanitarian nutrition crisis, lead the development of the nutrition cluster theory of change, costed strategy and roadmap to sustainably reduce malnutrition in all its forms in the drought-prone areas of the country • Develop a fund mobilisation advocacy strategy and engage/ ensure proper dissemination among the Government and development partners

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

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: nutrition, public health, nutritional epidemiology, global/international health and nutrition, health/nutrition research, policy and/or management, health sciences, humanitarian assistance and development or another health-related science field.
• A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in nutrition, public health, nutrition planning and management, or maternal, infant and child health/nutrition care is required with experience at international level preferred. Relevant experience in health/nutrition programme/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
• Direct, practical experience in the design, implementation and/ or coordination of nutrition interventions through community-based platforms, and effective intersectoral collaboration is strongly desired.
• A minimum of two years of experience of Nutrition Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group coordination is desirable.
• Prior experience in partnership development and management, including bilateral donors, foundations and civil society is strongly desired.
• Experience in humanitarian contexts is required with experience in development contexts an added advantage.
• Fluency in French and English

For every Child, you demonstrate…

i) Core Values • Commitment • Diversity and Inclusion• Integrity

ii) Core Competencies • Communication [III] • Working with People [III] • Drive for Results [III]

iii) Functional Competencies • Leading and Supervising [III] • Formulating Strategies and Concepts [III] • Analyzing [III] • Relating and Networking [III] • Deciding and Initiating Action [III] • Persuading and Influencing [II]

iv) Technical Knowledge a) Specific Technical Knowledge Required (for the job) [ ] (Technical knowledge requirements specific to the job can be added here as required.) • Expert knowledge of the technical areas of UNICEF programmes

b) Common Technical Knowledge Required (for the job group) [ ] Knowledge of theories and practices in: • Child and Maternal Nutrition and Health • Nutrition and Health Promotion and Disease Prevention • Public Health and Nutrition • Educational Interventions in Health and Nutrition Care • Environmental Health and Nutrition • Knowledge Management • Computer software application, including word processing, spreadsheet and corporate software packages

General knowledge of: • Methodology of programme/project management • Programmatic goals, visions, positions, policies and strategies in Health • Knowledge of global health issues, specifically relating to children and women, and the current trends, methods and approaches. • Policies and strategy to address national and global health issues, particularly relating to conflicts, natural disasters, and recovery. • Emergency programme policies, goals, strategies and approaches.

c) Technical Knowledge to be Acquired/Enhanced (for the Job) [ ] • Knowledge of the latest developments and technology in related fields. • Knowledge of local conditions and country legislation relevant to UNICEF programmes • UN policies and strategy to address international humanitarian issues and the responses. • UN common approaches to programmatic issues and UNICEF positions • UN security operations and guidelines.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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:

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.