Technical Field Nutritionist

Organizational Setting

For more than four decades, FAO has been working with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to address challenges in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. Joint efforts have included increasing sustainability in agricultural production, promoting value-adding practices, improving post-harvest management, enhancing productivity and increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to natural disasters, climatic hazards and armed conflict.

Reporting Lines

The Technical Field Nutritionist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in the Philippines ad interim, the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative for Programme, and day-to-day guidance of the National Food Security and Nutrition Specialist. He/She will work closely with the National Food Security and Nutrition Specialist and Senior Research and Capacity Development Consultant for the implementation of the project.

Technical Focus

The Philippine government, through the National Nutrition Council (NNC) launched the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN 2017-2022) and has highlighted the need for urgent action and stronger concerted efforts to address all forms of malnutrition, and targets improved nutrition outcomes over the next five years. The PPAN 2017-2022 presents two (2) major components, i.e. nutrition-specific and nutrition sensitive interventions. Nutrition-sensitive programs are designed to enhance the community and household environment by addressing underlying determinants of nutrition, especially those that limit the household’s capacity to provide adequate and quality nutrition for vulnerable members such as pregnant and lactating mothers, infants, and children. As such, different sectors must be tapped to provide a range of complementary nutrition-sensitive services such as agriculture, health, social protection, early child development, education, water and sanitation, and livelihoods.

Given the formal inauguration of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on 29 March 2019 which marks the forming of an autonomous government in the five provinces of Mindanao namely, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu, FAO recognizes the need to provide technical support in its newly established Ministries that would address the problem of food insecurity and malnutrition. Likewise, FAO recognizes the need to support the implementation of PPAN 2017-2022 in BARMM through the National Nutrition Council (NNC).

FAO will provide technical support to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) to strengthen subnational capacity for nutrition-sensitive food system programming and provide support in assessing/analysing good practices and lessons learned from selected food security and agriculture interventions implemented at community level. This effort further envisions to contribute to this by building on the evidence base for nutrition-sensitive programs so that these can support better decision making and promote harmonization at the national and local level. The project, TCP/PHI/3704-“Technical support in strengthening capacity for implementing nutrition sensitive food system programmes”, aims to build capacities of Municipal Nutrition Committees (MNCs) that will be able to plan, implement and monitor nutrition-sensitive interventions and contribute greatly to the success of PPAN.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Technical Field Nutritionist will serve as a focal point in the implementation of activities of the project as well as a Resource Person for other activities relevant to nutrition that are being implemented by FAO in BARMM. The Technical Field Nutritionist will support in coordinating with relevant stakeholders specifically with MAFAR and NNC-BARMM.

The Technical Field Nutritionist shall perform the following responsibilities:

1. Coordinate with relevant agencies including the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and other agencies/government units in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for the conduct of activities related to promoting nutrition-sensitive and overall food security in BARMM.

2. Provide support to the National Food Security and Nutrition Specialist in the preparation for meetings, workshops and trainings;

3. Provide technical support to the implementation of nutrition-sensitive interventions or capacity building activities related to food security and nutrition as needed;

4. Support and facilitate the conduct of documentation of project outputs, data gathering and analysis of information;

5. Facilitate coordination meetings and other activities with relevant stakeholders to be involved in promoting nutrition-sensitive and overall food security in BARMM;

6. Participate in meetings related to nutrition and provide feedback for actions or ways forward;

7. Serve as focal person for inquiries related to FSN projects of FAO in BARMM such as the FAO Legislative Advisory Group in BARMM (FLAG-BARMM), TCP Nutrition sensitive project, among others.

8. Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by FAO.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in the field of Nutrition, Public Health or other related fields;
• At least three (3) years of relevant experience in nutrition programs, food security interventions, field coordination
• A National of the Philippines

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Professional experience in implementing nutrition programs
• Strong background in coordination, planning and implementation of nutrition projects
• S/he must have a good experience in participative training and research methodologies, food security and nutrition issues.
• Demonstrated capability of providing technical assistance and recommendations related to food security and nutrition at the local level.
• General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point)
• Language requirement: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/