Nutrition Needs Assessment Consultant - Remotely

Consultant Medical & Health Programme & Policy

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy 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, health.

How can you make a difference?

Background:

The war in Ukraine is affecting women and children, millions of whom are now on the move, and their nutritional status and wellbeing needs to be protected. In all emergencies, the youngest children are at the highest risk of illness and mortality. Infants who are not breastfed are especially vulnerable, as the normal environment for accessing and hygienically preparing infant formula is disrupted. This is a concern in Ukraine, where the number of children who are exclusively breastfed is low, and many were dependent on infant formula before the start of the conflict.

UNICEF and the nutrition cluster estimate that over 1.5 million children under five and 200,000 pregnant and lactating women are potentially vulnerable to nutrition needs in the whole of Ukraine. Among them, 715,000 children under two are particularly vulnerable, as a high number of them were not breastfed before the conflict.

Women in Ukraine and those on the move across borders must have a safe environment to feed their infants and young children. Through Mother and Baby Spaces (MBSs) and similar platforms, breastfeeding women should be supported to continue breastfeeding, and women whose infants are partially or fully dependent on infant formula should receive the support that they need to artificially feed as safely as possible in the current emergency environment.

Purpose of assignment:

To achieve deliverables of the UNICEF-GIZ project “Ensuring safe and adequate nutrition for young children affected by the war in Ukraine and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) support to healthcare professionals”, the consultant will support interventions within Outcome 1: “Young children affected by war in Ukraine have access to optimal infant and young child feeding through breastfeeding promotion and adequate micronutrients and energy food supplies” with the following tasks:

• Based on identified needs, organize trainings (both online and offline) for healthcare workers (doctors and nurses) and breastfeeding consultants working at primary health care facilities, perinatal centers, maternity wards, and/or children’s hospitals on effective initiation and continuation of breastfeeding and good nutrition practices; monitor and report on activities implementation.
• Provide support to development of information materials on breastfeeding and optimal infant and young child feeding / nutrition.
• Provide support to health facilities’ managers in modeling services to support breastfeeding within a health facility.
• Identify the needs for core nutrition-related commodities, equipment, and other relevant supplies in support of breastfeeding and optimal nutrition practices, and prepare a distribution list.
• Once agreed, coordinate and support the IYCF-E assessment in collaboration with the selected partner and the US CDC.
• Participate in Project Team meetings and meetings with partners, counterparts.
• Prepare progress updates for donors, UNICEF CO management.
• Provide inputs to mid-term, final donor reports on project implementation.

The consultant will work under the supervision of the UNICEF CO Health Specialist.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education

Master's degree

An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Medicine,

Public Health, Nutrition, Dietetics,

Healthcare management,

Health Administration or related field. Alternatively, a higher education in other fields with 2 years of professional experience as a breastfeeding consultant or 2 years of experience in project management in the area of health, public health or nutrition.

Professional experience

At least 2 years of professional experience in implementation of initiatives in the areas of health, public health, nutrition or experience in public health and/or management in healthcare including health facility and/or clinical medicine.

Experience in cooperation with international organizations and/or emergency response would be an asset.

Language

English

Upper-intermediate [B2]

Ukrainian

Proficient/Native [C2]

Skills and competencies

• Knowledge of the Ukrainian healthcare system, related context and challenges
• Good organizational skills, ability to manage complexity
• Working with others, good communication skills
• Networking and partnership building
• Drive to achieve result for impact

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.

Work assignment overview:

Deliverable

Deadline

# of w/days

1. Trainings for healthcare workers, breastfeeding consultants, online and offline trainings for doctors, nurses and breastfeeding consultants working at primary health care facilities, perinatal centers, maternity wards, and/or children’s hospitals on effective initiation and continuation of breastfeeding and good nutrition practices are organised, monitored and reported on.

15.12.2023

120

2. Inputs to information materials

Support to development of information materials on breastfeeding and optimal IYCF/nutrition

1.07.2023

60

3. Updates on support to health facilities’ managers in modeling services to support breastfeeding

1.08.2023

10

4. A List of key supplies alongside with distribution lists based on needs identification are provided to support procurement of nutrition products, core commodities, equipment, and other relevant supplies to support breastfeeding and optimal nutrition practices.

1.06.2023

30

5. Progress updates for donors, UNICEF CO management, inputs to donor reports on project implementation are provided.

15.12.2023

15

6. ​​Upon agreement, desk review and preparatory inputs for the IYCF-E assessment.

15.07.2023

15

Total:

250

Please provide an all-inclusive financial proposal to carry out the deliverables listed above.

i Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

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.

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.

Apply now

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org