Nutrition Specialist (Coordination & Governance), P3, Niamey, Niger #119080 (Temporary: 10 months)

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 102,045 USD and 133,620 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, good nutrition

Niger is a landlocked country of 25.5 million people, most of whom live in rural areas (83%). The population is young, with 58% of Nigeriens being under 18. Nearly half of the population is extremely poor (43%), despite reductions in the poverty rate over the past decade. The country, which ranked 189/189 on the 2019 Human Development Index, sees its development constrained by several factors: climatic conditions that hinder rural development, vulnerability due to the absence of economic diversification, high population growth, gender equality issues, low levels of literacy and education, and the size and landlocked nature of the country, which obstruct the provision of essential goods and services to the population.

In addition, Niger is confronted to recurrent food security and nutrition crisis including a worrisome nutrition situation in 2022 which could develop into a crisis. It also regularly experiences epidemics, including measles, cholera, as well as floods. Moreover, instability in the region has in recent years led to insecurity and population displacement, especially in the eastern part of the country.

Niger relies strongly on external support provided by technical and financial partners, such as non-refundable aid, budget support and loans. Nutrition national investments remain low but the Government dedicated close to USD 1 million in 2021 to procure ready-to-use therapeutic food as foreseen in the national roadmap for the gradual handover to the Government of financing of the national wasting treatment programme.

Meanwhile, multiple progress has been made on multisectoral and emergency nutrition coordination in line with the National Nutrition Security Policy (PNSN) (2017-2025) and its action plan which is under revision. The Nutrition Directorate from the Ministry of Health is the leading government body for the Nutrition Technical Group (GTN) with UNICEF as the co-coordinator. Emergency nutrition coordination is embedded in this mechanism.

Thanks to the President engagement for nutrition, the High Commissariat for the Initiative “Les nigériens nourrissent les nigériens” (HC3N) is the leading government body for nutrition security as per the PNSN and its action plan. Under this framework, UNICEF developed different partnerships with non-governmental organizations in assistance to the government for improved nutrition results. There is a need to strengthen UNICEF’s collaboration with the food and social protection system key actors to improve nutrition sustainably.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Chief of nutrition, the Nutrition Specialist will play a key role in nutrition coordination and governance as follow:

1. As the Cluster coordinator, ensure a timely, effective and coordinated nutrition response including capacity strengthening of national and local institutions and other GTN members as needed and active participation to inter-sectoral and multisectoral cluster meetings such as WASH, food security, cash working group, health and other as necessary;
2. Niger being a signatory country of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, the GTN animated by the Nutrition Specialist will foster synergies with and between the different SUN networks under the umbrella of the PNSN governance mechanism, encourage partnerships across various sectors and assist the government in the platforms coordination toward Nutrition goals with a focus on the humanitarian and development nexus;
3. Collaborate closely with the Nutrition Specialist P3 dedicated to Information Management and actively contribute to the fund mobilization efforts of the nutrition section through the development of concept notes, proposals, and reporting.

Key accountabilities

A. Strengthen Nutrition coordination

Support the Nutrition Directorate of the Ministry of Health and the HC3N to maintain and expand partnerships among nutrition stakeholders, ensure a functional coordination mechanism for Nutrition through notably facilitation of Technical Working Group meetings, knowledge and information management and sharing and ensure the full participation of current nutrition sector partners. Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with nutrition sector government counterparts and national stakeholders. Identify additional key partners for the Nutrition sector programming and emergency response, taking into account their respective mandates and program priorities. Carry out and maintain up to date a capacity mapping of all current and potential actors including government, national and international humanitarian and development organizations as well as national institutions, private sector, etc. Provide relevant information in order to adequately communicate with donors, NGOs, government and other stakeholder on the nutrition programme needs and services.

B. Promote and support governance mechanism that aligns humanitarians and development goals for Nutrition

Invigorate sector coordination mechanisms at national and sub-national levels including working groups (emergency, IMAM, IYCF, micronutrients, survey/monitoring and evaluation, etc.). Ensure appropriate coordination between all Nutrition partners working both on treatment and prevention of under-nutrition, as well as national authorities and local structures. Ensure effective links with other sectors, especially Health, WASH, Agriculture and Livelihoods, Social Protection and Education. Represent the interests of the Nutrition sector in discussions with the Humanitarian Coordinator as well as donors on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy. Act as focal point for inquiries on the Nutrition's response plans and operations.

Establish a regular communication with decentralized coordination bodies and multisectoral platforms and ensure that their needs are adequately taken into account. Secure commitments from Nutrition stakeholders in responding to needs and filling gaps, ensuring an appropriate distribution of responsibilities within the sector. Ensure full integration of the IASC's agreed priority cross-cutting issues, namely human rights, HIV/AIDS, age, gender and environment, utilization of participatory and community-based approaches, accountability to affected population and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Promote emergency and lifesaving response actions at times of chocs/stresses while at the same time strengthening the integration of Nutrition into the health system.

C. Planning and strategy development

By collaborating with the Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist P3, contribute to situation and gap analysis and monitoring of the nutrition situation. Contribute to the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group work of toward humanitarian needs evaluation. Lead and coordinate the Nutrition Technical Group analysis toward developing the annual Humanitarian Needs Overview document and to define the Humanitarian Response Plan for the Nutrition sector. Develop / update agreed multisectoral and humanitarian contingency plans, response strategies and result-based action plans for the Nutrition sector and ensure that these are adequately reflected and aligned to the overall country strategies.

Contribute to resources mobilization for the Nutrition sector notably through facilitation of CERF funds allocation decision and development for CERF proposals as well as other emergency and non-emergency related proposals / concept notes. Draw lessons learned from past activities and revise strategies and action plans accordingly. Contribute to defining transition strategy toward strengthened capacity of the Nutrition Directorate and HC3N to lead and steer an effective sector coordination.

D. Monitoring and reporting

By collaborating closely with the Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist P3, provide an analytical interpretation of best available information in order to benchmark progress of the Nutrition programs over time. Ensure regular reporting against the Nutrition sector indicators of service delivery and support analysis of the Nutrition sector in closing gaps and measuring impact of interventions. Ensure the Technical Nutrition Working Group work done at capital level also benefit and trickle down to regional and district levels and ensure adequate knowledge and information management in collaboration with the UNICEF Nutrition Specialist in charge of the information management and health information system strengthening.

Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action and interventions to achieve results. Actively monitor programmes and projects through field visits, surveys and/or exchange of information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress. Identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.

Monitor and verify the optimum and appropriate use of UNICEF’s nutrition programme resources (financial, administrative, and other assets) confirming compliance with organizational rules, regulations, procedures, donor commitments, and standards of accountability. Ensure timely reporting and liquidation of resources by UNICEF’s partners. Prepare regular and mandated programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

E. Application of standards

Ensure that Nutrition sector participants are aware of and up-to-date with relevant policy guidelines, technical standards and relevant commitments that the Government / concerned authorities have undertaken under international human rights law and recognized sectoral technical guidance. Ensure that the Nutrition sector programming is in line with existing policy guidance, technical standards, and relevant Government human rights legal obligations including accountability to affected population and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

F. Advocacy and resource mobilization

Identify core advocacy concerns, including resource requirements for UNICEF and nutrition partners, and contribute key messages to broader advocacy initiatives of the Humanitarian Coordinators and other actors. Advocate for donors to fund Nutrition actors to carry out priority activities in the sector concerned, while at the same time encouraging Nutrition stakeholders to mobilize resources for their activities through the usual channels. Act as the focal point for reviewing and ensuring quality control for all the Nutrition project submitted for Flash Appeal, CERF and other funding mechanisms.

G. Training and capacity building of national/local authorities and civil society

Promote and support capacity building initiatives and build the capacity of all the Nutrition partners informed by learning needs assessments and/or gap analysis. Support efforts to strengthen the capacity of the national/local authorities and civil society.

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, nutritional epidemiology, or another health-related science field.
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in a developing country in one or more of the following areas is required: nutrition, public health, nutrition planning and management, or maternal, infant and child health/nutrition care.
• Experience in partners coordination in emergency (nutrition cluster) and non-emergency (nutrition sector) settings.
• Experience in technical assistance for enhanced nutrition national governance.
• Experience in resource mobilization (proposal development, donor reporting).
• Experience in health / nutrition programme / project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Fluency in French is mandatory, and a working knowledge of English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

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