Young Professionals Programme - Technical Officer (Food & Nutrition Action in Health Systems)

Contract

This is a P-2 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 2 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 106,558 USD and 144,732 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.

The Young Professionals Programme

WHO Headquarters offers opportunities for young professionals from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to engage in WHO’s work and build skills and competence in key public health areas. This is a structured programme which incorporates additional exposure and experience at country level and career support.

Young Professionals will be assigned to regular WHO positions and will be fully immersed in WHO’s technical work. Young Professionals will benefit from career support, networking, mentoring and tailored learning opportunities throughout this period to support them in achieving their personal career goals. To enhance their knowledge and widen their professional network, the YPP may be posted in a different WHO office on short-term learning assignments.

Eligibility criteria

The following eligibility criteria in addition to the minimum requirements of the position will be used to shortlist candidates:

• To be no older than 35 years on 31 December of the year of application.
• To be a national of a country eligible for the Programme: List of Eligible Countries.
• To hold a relevant university degree obtained in your home country or other eligible country.*

*Exceptions will be considered where no institute of higher education exists offering the degrees required for eligibility to this Programme as per the World Higher Education Database.

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Purpose of the Position

This position will assist in strengthening WHO guidance and implementation tools for the integration of essential nutrition actions in primary health care delivery, particularly actions to improve maternal nutritional status and infant and young child feeding. The work will support the Member States and their partners in the implementation of evidence-informed nutrition actions for achieving Global Targets 2025 on maternal, infant and young child nutrition and contribute to the achievement of sustainable health and development. This work will provide support to the technical work carried out in the Unit with respect to guideline development, evidence assessment, technical input and other public health nutrition work.

Objectives of the Programme

The mission of WHO’s UHC/Healthier Populations Division is to contribute to reducing health inequalities and reducing preventable disease and injury caused by environmental, social and economic determinants of health. This is achieved through a coordinated inter-sectoral approach aimed at enabling all people to enjoy better health and well-being, in line with the Organization’s 13th General Programme of Work (GPW13) and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) is addressing the burden of disease from physical, chemical and microbial hazards in food and unhealthy diets, maternal and child malnutrition, overweight and obesity. The Department aims to ensure universal access to safe, sufficient nutritious food and effective nutrition actions, through setting science-based international food standards, promoting nutrition action in health systems, fostering sustainable food production and consumption, improving food environments and empowering consumers in all situations, monitoring nutrition status, and managing food safety events at the international level, closely working with Member States, UN partner agencies and non-State actors.

The Food and Nutrition Actions in Health Systems (AHS) Unit assists countries with the application of essential nutrition actions delivered through healthcare and community platforms. AHS develops guidance on programmes and policies, creates application tools, provides technical assistance, fosters global partnerships, and supports global advocacy to ensure that proven nutrition interventions are universally accessible to all relevant populations. The Unit addresses multiple forms of malnutrition, including wasting, stunting, obesity, and micronutrient deficiency and supports improvements in infant and young child feeding.

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Organizational context

Reporting to the Unit Head of the Food and Nutrition Actions in Health Systems unit, the Technical Officer supports the department and unit within and outside WHO for activities related to the integration of essential nutrition actions in community programmes and primary health care delivery. The incumbent will support the work on improving maternal nutritional status and infant and young child feeding through antenatal counselling, nutritional supplementation, postnatal feeding care, skilled breastfeeding support, and complementary feeding counselling. Additional guidance is needed on how quality nutrition services can effectively be scaled up through effective financing and purchasing, strengthened staff capacity, improved monitoring and evaluation systems, and policy implementation. To support country-level implementation of evidence-based interventions, countries need advocacy documents, policy briefs, clarification documents, and training tools. The incumbent will collaborate with unit staff in developing materials and providing support to countries.

Summary of Assigned Duties

Under the supervision of the Unit Head of the Food and Nutrition Actions in Health Systems unit in the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, the incumbent will:

• Prepare documents conveying WHO guidance on maternal nutrition and infant and young child feeding;
• Support WHO processes in the development of guidelines and implementation tools on essential nutrition actions in primary health care;
• Develop training materials and skills assessment tools for clinical and public health personnel in countries;
• Provide technical support to countries on the implementation of essential nutrition actions in primary health care;
• Support the engagement of external partners and networks;
• Plan face-to-face and virtual meetings with external expert groups and implementing agencies;
• Track the progress of project plans, schedules, budgets and expenditures;
• Perform other tasks that may be assigned by the supervisor.

Competencies

Producing results

Knowing and managing yourself

Communication

Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Teamwork

Functional Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to think strategically; to express ideas clearly; to work independently and in teams.
• A strong commitment to international public health; an interest in adapting to varied physical and professional environments; and a desire to work with people with different language, national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to support appropriate projects related to the integration of essential nutrition actions in community programmes and primary health care delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse technical issues, to write and present scientific technical information clearly and concisely with good communication and presentation skills.
• Maturity, initiative, tact and a high sense of responsibility.
• Ability to work in close collaboration with different nationalities, scientific fields and cultural backgrounds.

Education Qualifications

Essential

Advanced university degree in public health, health service delivery, maternal and child health, or nutrition and a relevant first university degree. A university degree in a relevant subject must have been obtained in your home country or other eligible country.

Desirable

Advanced university degree in nutrition with specific training in maternal, infant and young child nutrition.

Experience

Essential

At least 2 years' work experience in public health nutrition programmes.

Desirable

Experience in the delivery of maternal, infant and young child nutrition services. Experience in the preparation of guidance materials for use in public health programmes. Experience in presenting scientific evidence to different audiences, including policy makers, community health workers or non-academic professionals.

Use of Language Skills

Essential

Intermediate knowledge of English.

Desirable

Expert knowledge of English. Intermediate knowledge of Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish.

Other Skills

Ability to use computer software (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and specific nutrition-related software (e.g. Epilnfo and other evidence assessment programmes). Training and curriculum development skills. Effective communication skills.

Additional Information

Candidates may apply to one or more vacancies advertised under the YPP; candidates should ensure they meet the vacancy and programme eligibility criteria.

The selection process may include asynchronous video assessment, technical evaluation and interview.

If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO 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 through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

Should you have any questions, please check our FAQs available at https://www.who.int/careers. If your question is not listed, please contact us at [email protected].

For information on WHO's operations, please visit: http://www.who.int.

WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.

WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

WHO has zero-tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.