Re-advertisement - Nutrition Officer, NOB (FT), Mumbai, India, SAR Post Number 104022 (This post is open only for Indian Nationals)

Contract

This is a NO-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-2 contracts.

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Job Organizational Context

Maharashtra is one of the most progressive State and has committed to improve the Nutrition situation of women and children in the State by creating and establishing a strong governance for Nutrition. The nutrition outcomes for Maharashtra is articulated with a vision to reducing child stunting and child wasting with a focus on first 1000 days of life and adolescent girls in the state. The state has been in the forefront in according high priority to addressing child undernutrition and demonstrated it by establishing an Independent State Nutrition Mission since 2005 providing the leadership agenda for Nutrition. The NFHS5 district data very clearly demonstrates that the deprivation is highest in ST, followed by SC. The tribal districts and districts from Marathwada region contribute heavily to the state burden on Stunting and Wasting.

Current situation:

In Maharashtra 34% of children below five are stunted, 10.5% wasted, 10.5% severely wasted and 35% underweight. The coverage of IYCF practices related to early initiation of BF (53%) has gone down while exclusive BF (71%) and timely introduction to CF (52.7%) have improved as per NFHS5. At the same time overweight and obesity in young children is on the rise in urban as well as rural areas. The state has high levels of institutional delivery and there has been an increasing trend in early initiation of breast feeding in government facilities (approx. 80% as per the reported HMIS data by the state). But the ICDs and health facilities in the urban area have remain a challenge. The issue on good quality complementary foods and feeding continues to be a major challenge with < 10% receiving good quality nutrient dense complementary foods and feeding. The impact of this is also seen on the levels of anemia in children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age groups as 50-60% of this population are found anemic.

Purpose of the Job

The Nutrition Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the nutrition programmes/projects within the Country Programme, from development planning to delivery of results. In doing so, the incumbent implements a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of results.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support to programme development and planning.
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results.
3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation.
4. Networking and partnership building.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building.

   1. Support to programme development and planning

• Conduct and update the situation analysis for the programme sector(s) for the development, design and management of nutrition related programmes/projects. Research and report on development trends (e.g. political social, economic, nutrition, health) for higher management use to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery of results.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning, through analysis of nutrition needs and areas for intervention, and submission of recommendations for priority and goal setting.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions; preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results based planning (RBM), and monitoring and evaluation of results.
• Prepare required documentations and materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results.

• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss operational and implementation issues. Provide solutions, recommendations and/or alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decision-making. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess programmes/projects and to report on required action and interventions at the higher level of programme management.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verifying compliance with approved allocation, goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures, donor commitments, standards of accountability, and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Conduct regular programme field visits and surveys, and exchange information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support. Take appropriate action to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on nutrition-related issues to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with nutrition sector government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve programme goals on maternal and child rights as well as social justice and equity.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for nutrition programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) meetings and events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners and colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of nutrition programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.
• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Research, benchmark and report on best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.

Impact of Results:

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Nutrition Officer to the preparation, planning and implementation of nutrition programmes/projects contributes to and accelerates the national development efforts to improve the nutritional status of mothers, infants and children in the country 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 in the country.

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

Requirements of the position (QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES):

Education:

A 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.

Experience:

A minimum of two 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 health/nutrition programme/project development in a UN system agency or organization is an asset

Language Requirements:

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 values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

Core competencies skills:

• 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)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

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, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

• This is a re-advertisement. Candidates who had applied earlier need not apply again.
• This position is based in Mumbai (India).
• Selected applicant will have an initial two (2) year fixed-term contracts, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.