Consultancy: Nutrition Information Systems – Vulnerability Analysis Consultant – Req. #571465

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, hope.

Consultancy Title: Nutrition Information Systems – Vulnerability Analysis Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Nutrition Section, Programme Group – NYHQ

Duration: August 1, 2024, to October 30, 2025

Home/ Office Based: REMOTE 

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

The demands on UNICEF to respond to large scale crisis in all regions has never been greater. There is a trend towards increasingly complex crises, where conflict and climate threats exacerbate underlying vulnerabilities in health, water, food, and other systems. The result is a greater number of countries experiencing protracted food and nutrition insecurity, and high levels of malnutrition in children and women.

Nutrition Information System (NIS) encompasses collection, analysis, and interpretation of nutrition and other sector data from multiple sources for the purpose of providing information for decision making. UNICEF is working in collaboration with the Global Nutrition Cluster and other partners, specifically WFP and platforms including the Food Security Information Network (FSIN) and the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) to initiate and drive forward system wide improvements to NIS-E. UNICEF is seeking a consultant to support specific priorities in NIS-E, including the Nutrition Vulnerability Assessment in Crisis (NuVAC) approach, which contribute to our work in strengthening NIS in emergency contexts, at both global and country levels.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will:

1.     Provide technical and management support to the execution and institutionalization of the NuVAC approach in close collaboration with WFP counterparts.

2.     Support the Global Nutrition Cluster Nutrition Information Systems Working Group (NIS WG) and ensure close collaboration with the GNC Operations Team, as well as other Working Groups.

3.     Support the revision of the IPC Acute Malnutrition (AMN) protocols to integrate the Nutrition vulnerability framework and facilitate its roll out through the IPC AMN roadmap 2024-2

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Together with WFP and GNC support the development of a comprehensive Nutrition Information Systems in Emergencies (NISe) roadmap.           

•           NIS-e Strategic Roadmap, 15 pages maximum.

–           Facilitate one development workshop (online, half day)

–           Develop first draft of Roadmap.

–           Coordinate review and integrate feedback from key stakeholders.

–           Finalize NISe Strategic Roadmap

–           Organize and facilitate dissemination workshop.

•           NISe resource mobilization plan, 5 pages maximum. 

–           Facilitate a half day consultative discussion with WFP and GNC

–           Map out key activities in the roadmap and provide 2-page costed plan.

–           Develop a first draft of the resource mobilization plan.

Map out potential donors to engage using this resource mobilization plan.

Feb 15, 2025

Institutionalization of the Nutrition Vulnerability Assessment (NVA).       

•            Three unique project documents outlining the process for NVA exercise, in close collaboration with WFP, and other relevant stakeholders.

•            1 report describing the lessons learned from implementation of three NVA exercises (max 9 pages

•            1 methodological guidance is developed with support from relevant internal and external resources.

•            3 NVA communication products are developed and disseminated.

2 NVA webinars are organized to populate the methodological approach.  

July 30th, 2025

Support the Technical Advisory Group of the NIS through the NIS-E Working Group      

•            Support the development of 1 common and harmonized ToR for NIS Working Group and the NIS Technical Advisory Group

•            Develop a costed workplan for 2 years for the NIS Working Group and the NIS Technical Advisory Group.

March 30, 2025

Support the revision of the IPC Acute Malnutrition (AMN) protocols to integrate the Nutrition vulnerability framework and facilitate its roll out through the IPC AMN roadmap 2024-25        

•            Facilitate two (2) orientations sessions on the NVA with Global Support Unit on NVA as “ad-hoc situation analysis tool.”

 1 Nutrition vulnerability module (max 5 pages) to be included in the IPC Acute Malnutrition protocols.            

October 30, 2025

Qualifications

Education:

• Master university degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Humanitarian Management, Business Management, Data and Epidemiology
• Fluency in English and French is required.
• Another UN language is considered a strong asset.

Work experience:

• Minimum 10-year experience in nutrition in emergencies
• UN experience, preferably UNICEF
• Minimum 5-years’ experience working on Nutrition Information Systems in emergency contexts.
• Experience in the IPC Acute Malnutrition

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Excellent communication, influencing, negotiation and problem-solving skills

Requirements: 

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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:  

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.