UNICEF Zimbabwe is inviting applications for an individual consultant for Provision of Technical Support for strengthening Nutrition sensitive resilient Food Systems

This opening expired 2 years ago. Do not try to apply for this job.

UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Open positions at UNICEF
Logo of UNICEF

Application deadline 2 years ago: Thursday 3 Jun 2021 at 21:55 UTC

Open application form

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, clean water!

UNICEF has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1982. We are a team of passionate professionals committed to the protection and fulfillment of children’s rights.

The current UNICEF-Government of Zimbabwe Country Programme of Cooperation (2016-2020) aims to support Zimbabwe to sustain and build upon the gains achieved for children during the 2012-2015 Country Programme of Cooperation. The programme focuses on improving the quality of social services, increasing access to services, and helping to build national and sub-national capacities to provide low-cost, high-impact interventions for all children, especially the most vulnerable.

For more information about UNICEF Zimbabwe please click here

You can also access and explore all new UNICEF vacancies and create job alerts via the UNICEF Zimbabwe website link below:

https://www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/work-us

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Zimbabwe is inviting applications for an individual consultant for Provision of Technical Support for strengthening Nutrition sensitive resilient Food Systems.

Consultancy Terms of Reference

Assessment roll-out with UNICEF Implementing Partners.

Section

Health and Nutrition

Purpose

The purpose of the proposed assignment is to provide technical support and capacity building to integrate nutrition sensitive actions into value chain projects implemented by the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund partners.

Location

Harare based

Duration

336 days

Start and end dates

15 June 2021 to 22 May 2022

Reporting to

Nutrition Specialist

Background and Rationale

Zimbabwe, for more than a decade has experienced repeated and prolonged periods of drought and other shocks which have exposed most vulnerable people, mostly women and children, to recurrent food and nutrition crisis. Although the country had managed to respond timely to emergencies there is an urgent need to look into programmes and approaches which build resilience in communities to lessen the impact of repeated droughts and shocks.

Diets, specifically unhealthy diets, have become the number one risk factor of death and disability-adjusted-life years (DALYs) lost (HPLE 2017). Currently, Zimbabwe faces a triple burden of malnutrition where all forms of malnutrition coexist including micronutrient deficiencies across the lifecycle. In children under 5, the stunting rate is high at 23% with wasting at 3% (MICS 2019). Despite efforts made to impart knowledge and skills to mothers, minimum dietary diversity, a measure of minimal meal frequency and dietary diversity remains unacceptably low at 2.1% (ZimVAC 2020). Nutrition indicators show that food systems are not delivering enough to ensure sustainable healthy food choices for most vulnerable women and children.

UNICEF has recently joined the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund through an 18 months UN to UN contract with UNDP (EU funded). The overall objective of the ZRBF is to contribute to increased capacities of communities to protect development gains and achieve improved well-being outcomes in the face of shocks and stresses however the investments towards these approaches have been insufficient to ensure that affected populations particularly women and children are able to maintain good nutrition in the face of shocks and stress.

It is with this background that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Zimbabwe Country Office, is seeking to hire Nutrition Food Systems consultant to provide technical assistance in conducting food environment analyses, designing nutrition-sensitive activities with local markets and food system actors, capacitating food and nutrition security committees and providing on-going mentoring and technical guidance. The consultant will be expected to support the roll out of the food system approaches focussing on actions that food and nutrition security committees (FNSCs) and communities can take to improve food environments to provide nutritious, healthy, sustainable food choices in 18 select districts where the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) programme is being implemented. The consultant will also support urban food studies for Harare and Bulawayo provide technical support to the study and the development of action plans and recommendations.

Overall Purpose

The purpose of the proposed assignment is to provide technical support and capacity building to integrate nutrition sensitive actions into value chain projects implemented by the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund partners.

ASSIGNMENTS:

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

  • Review of relevant policies and strategies in consultations with ZRBF consortia and other relevant actors in the 18 ZRBF districts to integrate nutrition-sensitive food systems development strategies and activities.
  • Design tools for food environment analysis to effectively monitor food environments (accessibility, affordability, food safety, marketing of food) within the ZRBF districts and urban food environments for young children and school age children and adolescents
  • Support UNICEF and the ZRBF consortium in conducting initial assessment in the 18 districts
  • Provide recommendations to stakeholders in the 18 districts to improve structures which ensure sustainable healthy food choices for young children and adolescent throughout the year and ensure women have opportunities to participate in the food supply chains.
  • Develop nutrition-sensitive food system training packages for Food and Nutrition Security Committees and ZRBF partners to monitor food environments and recommend actions committees/sectors can take to improve food environments.
    • Facilitate the TOT on the developed nutrition-sensitive training package
    • Develop a training plan for the 18 districts and ZRBF stakeholders
  • Contribute to guidance on nutrition sensitive food system approaches in UN, government, food and nutrition security committees at national, provincial level and the 18 districts and Harare, Bulawayo.
  • Identify and document innovative approaches for food system integration into nutrition programming that can be promoted/replicated/scaled up in nutrition programmes
  • Monitoring and reporting
    • Conduct field visits to collect field-based data on food environments.
    • Monitor and mentor district-based teams on subsequent actions for implementation.
    • Propose key indicators to routinely track and monitor food environments in the 18 districts
  • Produce a final report providing recommendations and way forwards for UNICEF engagement into nutrition sensitive food system programming

The consultant will work on a time-based contract (with predetermined fees paid per month) on an on-going and full-time basis.

Description of expected deliverables and payment schedule

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Timeline

Inception report prepared and shared with supervisor and Nutrition Team at UNICEF

Inception Report

Literature and policy review drafted.

15 June-14 July

(10%)

Monitoring and evaluation

Field visits to monitor progress and provide mentorship

Draft Field report templates with actions targeted at food environments

Tools/Report outlining key indicators for systematic tracking on food environments (to be utilised throughout the assignment)

Review of relevant policies and strategies to integrate nutrition-sensitive food systems development strategies and activities

Draft Guideline with implementable actions for nutrition programming integrated with nutrition sensitive food system approaches.

15 July to 14 August

(5%)

Validation and finalization of guidelines for nutrition sensitive food systems approaches

15 August-15 September

(10%)

Design and conduct food environment analyses in the 18 districts through the ZRBF consortia

1 Stakeholder meeting conducted for sensitization of the assessment

Development of assessment protocol and tools.

15 September—14 October

(5%)

Assessment conducted and Assessment report with recommended actions for government, FNSCs and other UN agencies and development partners

1 Stakeholder meeting for validation of the Assessment report. (Final Report available)

15 October – 14 November

(15%)

Develop and test formulation definition and acceptability study for market-based fortified complementary food to be incorporated in ZRBF partners value chain development

Review ZRBF partner food value chains and existing complementary feeding (including review of recipe books)

15 November-14 December

(5%)

Design and conduct acceptability study for complementary feeding formulations (Study Report/Findings)

15 December to 14 January

(5%)

Guidance document on integrating complementary food development in ZRBF value chains

Selection of one compound complementary food and food analysis conducted. (sensory evaluation, /consumer testing, market testing)

15 January to 14 February

(15%)

Finalization of complementary food product development

15 February to 14 March

(10%)

Develop nutrition-sensitive food system training packages and facilitate TOT for relevant stakeholders

Training package developed and pre-tested

Training of Trainers conducted (Training Report)

15 March-14 April

(5%)

Final food system package (training package, tools and report templates) developed based on lessons learnt. (Document library)

15 April-14 May

(10%)

Write final consultancy report including recommendations, for UNICEF engagement into nutrition sensitive food system programming

Exit Report, including presentation on efficacy of Food system approaches adopted and guidance on the way forward for future programmes.

14 May-22 May 2022

(5%)

Exit Report, including presentation on efficacy of Food system approaches adopted and guidance on the way forward for future programmes.

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

  • An advanced degree (Maters) in development economics, nutrition, nutrition policy, food studies or a related field.
  • Five years of relevant experience in project management, economics/financial and statistical analysis related to food and nutrition security, agricultural and agribusiness development, or related topics.
  • Able to work within various teams and be able to contribute to the overall success of that team.
  • Able to demonstrate a flexible and adaptable approach to work.
  • Ability to communicate fluently in English required.

For more information refer to the attached ToR TOR for ZRBF Food Systems Consultant .pdf

Other Consultancy Costs and Payment Modalities

Competitive market rates will apply.

If interested and available to undertake the consultancy, please submit your application online and attach the required documents including the technical and an all-inclusive financial proposal (detailing professional fees, DSA, airfare etc where necessary).

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.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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.

Remarks:

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

Those who had already applied do not need to re-apply.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org