Re-advertisement: Chief Nutrition, P-4, Fixed Term, Lilongwe, Malawi, REQ#565698 (Open to Non-Malawian nationals)

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 131,361 USD and 169,362 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.

Previous applicants need not apply.

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 chance.

UNICEF Malawi Country Programme (2019-2023) is aligned with the Government of Malawi’s Implementation Plan (MIP1) based on Malwi’s Vision 2063 and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2019-2023 (UNDAF). The programme supports the Government of Malawi to meet its commitment to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights in line with international conventions and standards. The country programme is guided by the principles of children’s rights, equity, gender equality, inclusion and resilience and supports evidence-based, integrative and innovative programming. The vision is that ‘all girls and boys in Malawi, especially the most disadvantaged and deprived, realize their rights’. The programme focuses on early childhood (parenting, high-impact social services, early stimulation and learning), middle childhood and adolescence (learning, multi-sectoral services, active citizenship), communities (decentralized services and systems, community ownership, social norms), programme effectiveness (monitoring, evaluation, HACT, Innovation, Social Protection and Social Policy and External Communication. The programme is based on ‘leaving no child behind’, realizing ‘rights for all children in Malawi’.

Malawi’s new Nutrition programme (2024-2028) will focus on strategic partnerships with various systems such as food systems, education, health, WASH and social policy to support a multisectoral approach to addressing nutrition issues; technical support of food system transformation to improve dietary practices and services; system strengthening at both central and decentralized level to build capacity and improve accountability; collaboration and coordination with key stakeholders for complementarity and cross-sectoral linkage; advocacy for policy reforms and public financing for nutrition; risk-informed planning and quality service delivery; policy and strategy development to guide implementation; community engagement, and social behaviour change.

As Chief Nutrition, the office will rely on your strong management skills, strategic thinking and experience in nutrition programming with a focus on system strengthening and food system transformation to work with key stakeholders in Government, Civil Society, Academia, and Development Partners to leverage partnerships, resources and most importantly, results for children. Malawi is a dynamic country where you can also contribute your skills in responding to nutrition emergencies which are more prominent due to polio, cholera, the impact of climate change such as floods, food insecurity and increased poverty due to economic shocks. Your experience in working hands-on at a decentralized level will be a great advantage to us.

How can you make a difference?

The Malawi Country Office offers an exciting and rewarding career opportunity for you to join our dynamic Nutrition team, where you will manage and lead all stages of nutrition programmes/projects, from strategic planning and formulation of annual workplans and key strategies to deliver results for children. You will use your core competencies in effective interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, drive for results, ethics and integrity, and person-focused and care-driven management approaches to motivate the nutrition team to achieve concrete and sustainable results. In your role, you will be under the overall guidance of the Deputy Representative Programmes.

Therefore, this job presents a unique and significant opportunity for a qualified, vibrant, motivated, and committed person to contribute to the overall achievement of transformative results for children by delivering on the following key responsibility areas, summarized as follows:

1. Strong and responsible managerial leadership with a focus on fostering teamwork and nurturing staff morale.
2. Programme development and planning through critical and strategic thinking.
3. Programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results through establishing clear accountability frameworks adaptable to emergencies.
4. Advisory services and technical support to Government and all other Development Partners, as well as internally, to ensure effective cross-sectoral collaboration to bring meaningful change.
5. Advocacy, networking, and partnership building, ensuring a responsive and dynamic UNICEF presence on the ground that responds to the needs of the communities we serve.
6. Innovation, knowledge management, and capacity building to elevate our programmes to new heights of efficiency and sharing the invaluable lessons we have learned.

You are encouraged to download the detailed job description GJD - Chief Nutrition.pdf to view the full role and its requirements.

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Public Health, Medicine, Nutrition, Dietician, Paediatrics, or any other relevant field.

Experience:

• A minimum of eight years of relevant professional work experience is required in developing and implementing nutrition programmes within an international context with a focus on the humanitarian/development nexus.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered a strong asset.
• Experience in emergencies is required.
• Experience in system strengthening and decentralized service delivery strengthening is a strong asset.
• Experience in managing large-scale nutrition programmes with multiple partners is required.
• Experience in evidence generation and data analysis is critical.

Technical knowledge and skills:

• Nutrition Science: Deep understanding of nutrition principles, including macronutrients, micronutrients, dietary requirements, and the impact of nutrition on health and development. A good understanding of current global nutrition priorities in development programmes and is expected to possess a diverse skill set and a comprehensive understanding of nutrition's complex challenges, especially in emergency settings.
• Public Health Nutrition: Deep knowledge of public health approaches and evidence-based strategies to address the population's malnutrition, stunting, and other nutrition-related issues.
• Programme Design and Planning: The ability to design evidence-based and context-specific nutrition programmes, that are context-specific and culturally sensitive.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Proficiency in building robust monitoring and evaluation systems to measure programme effectiveness, identify gaps, and ensure accountability.
• Budgeting and Resource Management: Skills to allocate resources efficiently, optimize budgets, and ensure cost-effective implementation of nutrition programmes.
• Policy and Advocacy: Understanding of nutrition policies and the ability to advocate for policy changes and resource allocation to support nutrition initiatives.
• Research and Data Analysis: Capacity to utilize data and research findings to inform decision-making, improve programme strategies, and contribute to the nutrition evidence base.
• Emergency Nutrition Response: Familiarity with emergency nutrition protocols and the ability to coordinate and manage nutrition interventions in emergencies.
• Cross-Sectoral Collaboration: Skill in fostering collaboration with other sectors like health, agriculture, and education to address nutrition issues comprehensively.
• Capacity Building and Training: Experience in developing and delivering training programmes to enhance the capacity of staff and partners in nutrition-related topics.
• Partnership Management: Competence in building and maintaining relationships with government entities, NGOs, donors, and other stakeholders to enhance programme impact.
• Communication and Advocacy: Effective communication skills to convey complex nutrition concepts to diverse audiences and advocate for nutrition-related issues at various levels.
• Leadership and Team Management: Strong leadership skills to inspire and guide teams, foster a positive work environment, and achieve programme goals collectively.
• Innovation and Adaptability: Willingness to embrace new technologies and innovative approaches to improve nutrition programme efficiency and adapt to changing circumstances

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others and (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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.

We offer 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 promote 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.

Remarks:

The position is not considered an elevated-risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates and suitable persons living with disability are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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 are also 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.

Without compensation, UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment 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/.

The vacancy announcement is open to all candidates – both internal UNICEF staff and external candidates.

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

Previous applicants need not apply.

To deliver results for the children of Malawi, UNICEF Malawi Country Office works in a fast-paced but impactful environment where creativity, innovation, collaboration, teamwork, a safe space and professional development are supported and encouraged. Therefore, we seek individuals who are motivated to make a real difference and serve the children of Malawi with resourcefulness, resilience, creativity, and professional excellence.