Programme Specialist (Nutrition), P3, FT, Child Nutrition and Development in Emergencies, Programme Group, Nairobi (#00117166)

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 111,152 USD and 145,545 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…

The mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does. UNICEF accelerates progress towards realizing the rights of all children, the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Our efforts have contributed to reduce the global prevalence of child stunting by one-third and the number of children with stunted growth and development by 55 million (2000-2020), demonstrating that progress for child nutrition at scale is happening across countries and regions.

However, despite this unprecedented progress, the burden of poor child nutrition and development remains unsolved, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and in countries suffering from fragile governance and/or humanitarian crises.

Currently, one in three children under five years of age is not growing and developing well because of malnutrition – undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight – and two in three children are living in food poverty, without the minimum diet they need to grow healthy.

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.

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: the food system and the 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.

How can you make a difference?

The demands on UNICEF to respond to large scale crisis in all regions have never been greater. There is a trend towards increasingly complex crises, where conflict and climate threats exacerbate underlying vulnerabilities in food, health, water and sanitation, and social protection systems. The result is a greater number of countries experiencing protracted food and nutrition insecurity, and high levels of malnutrition in children and women.

While UNICEF has capacity in nutrition in emergencies in most countries and regions, the demands for developing and updating technical guidance, tools and provision of direct surge support to countries and clusters – remains high. Further, there is a need for UNICEF’s systems and approaches for nutrition in emergencies to adapt to an ever faster-moving humanitarian landscape-incorporating metrics and processes that are reflective of the wide range of humanitarian nutrition actions to meet the needs of women and children, including but not limited to the treatment of children with wasting. UNICEF is also seeking additional experienced capacity at the global level to analyse, create and test new approaches that will enable UNICEF’s Nutrition in Emergencies systems to be more agile and effective, and strengthen preparedness, anticipatory, and recovery actions.

This structural support for Nutrition in Emergencies at HQ will help deliver the minimum actions and standards defined in UNICEF’s revised Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, and timely nutrition support to COs responding to a crisis.

Purpose for the job

Under the leadership of the Senior Nutrition Advisor, Child Nutrition and Development in Emergencies, this role will provide significant support to improving UNICEF systems and approaches for Nutrition in Emergencies globally. This will entail supporting current essential functions by emergency focal points in HQ, while bringing new capacity for analysing and testing how systems can be improved and strengthened 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.

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 the nutrition ERT, the GNC Technical Alliance and the Nutrition in Emergencies Technical WG, as well as colleagues in emergency operations (EMOPS), responsible for data management.

Summary of results-based key functions/accountabilities:

Support provision of high quality, proactive technical support to priority humanitarian countries.

• In coordination with EMOPs, the Global Nutrition Cluster and Regional Offices, provide direct, context appropriate technical support (remote and in person) to countries for Nutrition in Emergency (emergency preparedness, response and recovery).
• Enable systematic linkages between technical resources at HQ and RO, and country level needs, for example in Maternal and Child Nutrition (MCN) and Early Childhood Development (ECD) information systems in emergencies, and fragile contexts.
• Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the MCN and ECD component of emergency responses (e.g. annual reporting on emergency preparedness and response, documentation of lessons learned and good practices, and strengthening the capacity of UNICEF monitoring systems to track emergency preparedness and response) and contribute to knowledge management and communication to ensure that emergency responses are adequately resourced, and documented for future planning and strategy development.

Support strengthening of systems for more effective and efficient NiE preparedness and response.

• In coordination with the Child Nutrition and Development in Emergencies team, and in consultation with Global Nutrition Cluster and relevant stakeholders, develop tools for Nutrition in Emergencies programme monitoring, tracking and reporting (eg; monitoring BMS donations/violations or misuse, coverage surveys etc)
• Support assessment, data analysis and program monitoring tools and guidance to strengthen collaboration between Nutrition, and UNICEF’s Health, WASH and Protection sectors at the global level.
• Work in close coordination with Regional Nutrition in Emergencies specialists, and global partners to monitor the nutrition situation in priority countries and identifying priority actions in preparedness. This includes but is not limited to supporting development of emergency preparedness and response plans for crisis countries and reviewing strategic response documents (Strategic Response Plans, Humanitarian Needs Overviews, Humanitarian Action for Children appeals) to contribute to effective and efficient emergency preparedness and response actions.
• Support country specific Emergency Management Team (EMT) and Technical Meetings by preparing nutrition inputs and following up on actions relevant to nutrition.
• Support global capacity strengthening initiatives for Nutrition in Emergencies.
• Provide operational support including proposal development, procurement and budgets as required.

Support technical developments in NiE.

• In line with UNICEF CCCs, and in coordination with the GNC Technical Alliance, support initiatives to improve Nutrition in Emergencies technical capacity in areas including cash programming, disaster risk reduction, and resilience building in humanitarian settings.
• Support identification and implementation of operational research in nutrition in emergencies.

Impact of Results

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Nutrition Specialist to the preparation, planning and implementation of nutrition programmes/projects contributes to and accelerates efforts to improve the nutritional status of mothers, infants and children globally and this in turn contributes to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to continue to provide programme services to mothers and children that promotes greater social equity. More specifically:

1. Strengthened UNICEF leadership in nutrition in emergencies
2. Strengthened coordination and partnerships

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

• Advanced university degree (Master's Degree) in public health, international development or social sciences is required.
• Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible professional work related to data management, analysis, interpretation and reporting in the areas of public health nutrition, public health, humanitarian assistance and development, health/nutrition research, or other health related social science field is required.
• Direct, practical experience in the design, implementation and monitoring of nutrition in emergencies interventions, surveys, data systems and analysis.
• Experience in providing context appropriate technical support both in person and remotely.
• Experience in capacity strengthening in nutrition in emergencies for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrable experience in the nutrition cluster, at country or global level. Experience as a cluster coordinator an asset.
• Prior experience in nutrition program/project development and management in any UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to work in difficult and complex environments, and effective management of diverse stakeholders.
• ADDITIONAL SKILLS DESIRED:
  • Knowledge of UNICEF programs in the field of child survival and development, UNICEF Nutrition Strategic Plan 2020-2030 and the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs)
  • Proven skills in communication, influencing and negotiation.
  • Experience in planning and financial management.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English is required.
• Working knowledge of languages including Arabic, French, Portuguese, or Spanish is considered a significant asset.
• This role involves travel to Country Offices, sometimes at short notice. The post holder must be able to travel for up to 40% level of effort.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS)

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

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

i) Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Ii) Core competencies

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others

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.