Nutrition Specialist - Emergency Preparedness, Data Analytics and Advocacy (P-4), PG - Nurition and Child Development, Outposted Nairobi, 364days (Remote)

Overview

Lead UNICEF's global nutrition risk assessment and emergency preparedness efforts.

You have:

• Advanced University degree in nutrition, public health, international relations, demographics, geography, political science, communications, international development, sociology, or another relevant technical field is required.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of professional experience in public affairs, programme management, public health, health diplomacy, or other relevant area is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or National Government is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, or Spanish) is an asset.

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 126,994 USD and 163,733 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.

Note: "****Ideally, this position will be based in Nairobi/Kenya****. However, the position has the option for a fully remote work modality. This will be determined based on the preferred candidate's location and availability to relocate. In the event, that a remote work modality is selected, no installation to the duty station will be applicable and relevant entitlements will be adjusted based on lower of the two costs between the remote work location and the duty station."

Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UNICEF Nutrition Strategy 2020-2030 aims to prevent maternal and child malnutrition in all its forms across the life cycle and ensure the early detection and treatment of children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition. This is especially true in fragile humanitarian settings, including in high food insecurity and conflict settings.

Our Strategy calls for a systems approach to improving maternal and child nutrition by supporting the delivery of nutrition-specific actions through five key systems: food, health, water and sanitation, education and social protection systems.

These are the five systems with the greatest potential to protect and promote nutritious diets, essential nutrition services, and positive nutrition practices that support optimal nutrition for all children, adolescents and women, in all contexts: development, fragile and humanitarian.

One programming principle underlies our actions across countries and regions, both in development and fragile settings: Prevention comes first, everywhere, including in humanitarian action. When prevention fails, treatment is a must.

For every child, Good health for all……

Under the leadership of the Senior Nutrition Advisor, Child Nutrition and Development in Emergencies, this role will be the lead for UNICEF’s global engagement on nutrition risk assessment, strengthening the use of nutrition data in emergency needs estimation, supporting country teams to estimate the number of children at risk of wasting, strengthening and enhancing UNICEF engagement in critical global food security initiatives (such as Integrated Phase Classification (IPC), Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC), Global Alliance for Food Security). This position will also strengthen and coordinate UNICEF’s Famine Prevention efforts, with a focus on preparedness, early warning, anticipatory action and multi sectoral response, with a focus on the needs of children and women.

This role will considerably expand the standing capacity in Nutrition in Emergencies in HQ and ROs to provide agile, responsive, and proactive technical support to UNICEF COs responding to a humanitarian crisis. This role will work in close coordination with UN partners, especially WFP, FAO and UNHCR; the GNC Technical Alliance and the Nutrition Information Systems Global Thematic Working Group (NIS GTWG), and with UNICEF colleagues in emergency operations (EMOPS), responsible for hazards and risk assessments, preparedness, and anticipatory action.

The position will also provide significant support to improve UNICEF systems and approaches for Nutrition in Emergencies globally and support new initiatives like NuVAC (Nutrition Vulnerability Assessment) that can provide a more detailed understanding of the hazards and risks that impact child wasting. This will entail supporting current essential functions by emergency focal points in HQ, while bringing new capacity for analysing and investing in systems at all levels for nutrition in emergencies. In addition, this role will provide much needed technical and operational support – both remotely and via deployment - to priority humanitarian responses to support UNICEF Country Offices deliver on the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action.

In summary, this position will support UNICEF’s coordination and strategic engagement throughout the organization and with partners, including cross-sectoral and divisional operations and facilitate development, application and adaptation of nutrition data systems and policies and strategies to ensure that the organization can deliver on its commitments. The position is expected to provide specific guidance, technical support to nutrition and relevant cross-sectoral colleagues in WASH, social protection and health programmes.

How can you make a difference?

Support Technical Coordination and Partnerships

• Leads UNICEF’s work on Nutrition Information Systems, in alignment with our mandate as Cluster lead agency in close partnership with Global Nutrition Technical Alliance in humanitarian settings.
• Coordinate across UNICEF and other UN agencies, and in close coordination with UN OCHA, and GNC partners an estimation of humanitarian nutrition needs, and ensure a leadership role for UNICEF in meeting the nutrition needs of children and women in humanitarian settings.
• Establish data systems for strengthening implementation of the child wasting prevention and treatment framework in emergencies.
• Support preparedness and response efforts, with a focus on the use of data and analysis and communication across UNICEF for anticipatory action in a range of emergency contexts. Support the adaptation, and use of NuVAC assessments to strengthen planning and response.
• Develop tools and guidance to support countries with readiness and response actions, ensuring a multisectoral response.
• Support coherent engagement in the UNICEF-led global clusters, and other relevant cluster agencies and leadership as necessary.
• Support team wide efforts in resource mobilization both internal and with partners.

Leads UNICEF’s contribution to and coordinates UNICEF’s engagement in the Global Network Against Food Crises:

• Leads and coordinates UNICEF’s contribution to the work of the Global Network in understanding food crises, which includes the generation and analysis of nutrition evidence, data and information as the basis for advocacy, resource mobilization and action.
• Strengthen analysis and coordination in evidence-based and sustainable responses to address the causes of food and nutrition crises, enhance focus on nutrition needs including promotion sustainable solutions through humanitarian action.
• Leads and coordinates UNICEF’s contribution to the work of the Global Network in strengthening and mobilizing strategic investments in food and nutrition security to prepare, prevent and respond to food and nutrition crises.
• Leads and coordinates UNICEF’s contribution to the work of the Global Network in strengthening action beyond food by fostering political uptake and coordination across clusters/sectors to address other dimensions driving food and nutrition crises.
• Leads and coordinates UNICEF’s contribution to the advocacy work of the Global Network to prepare and respond to food and nutrition crises and support the collective outcomes related to ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition (SDG 2).

Support Country engagement and operational support

• Strengthen regional and country level capacities on data systems strengthening, cluster coordination as linked to the development of SOPs, alerts and other relevant tools and guidance.
• Contribute to/facilitate development of tools and guidance on global and country plans for NiE, and enhance use of data, information and analysis on relevant emerging and cross-sectoral areas, Women’s nutrition, Gender Based Violence, social protection etc.
• Oversee information sharing global initiatives such as High-Level Task Force for Famine Prevention, HAC, HRP plans and reports etc. Improve cross-divisional collaboration and integration of cross-cutting issues within UNICEF.
• Provide technical and operational support on preparedness and response planning, management, and implementation.

• Oversee the planning of NiS workplans for assigned areas to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery of results.

  Lead Policy development, advocacy and resourcing

• Work closely with Senior advisors in Nutrition Division, UNICEF’s Public Partnerships Division, and others to identify and support Senior Level engagement on High Level Task force for Famine Prevention, and other UN Wide initiatives.

• Participate in strategic programme discussions and planning to provide technical advice and to contribute to policy discussions and agenda setting to promote NiE, and facilitate UNICEF leadership’s participation to global forums through direct support, briefings, and documentation

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

• Advanced University degree in nutrition, public health, international relations, demographics, geography, political science, communications, international development, sociology, or another relevant technical field is required.
• A minimum f eight (8) years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is i.e., public affairs, programme management, public health, health diplomacy, or other relevant area is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or National Government is considered an asset. .
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

Please click Here to view UNICEF's core values and Here to view our competency framework.

UNICEF competencies required for this post are.

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

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 including 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, 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 promoting 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.

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 may also be 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.

“UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/”

For more information on remuneration and benefits, please visit UNICEF’s Entitlements’ page. If you would like to find estimates for entitlements, you may use the online Salary Estimate Calculator

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

Potential interview questions