Nutrition Specialist (MIYCN), P-4, Fixed Term, Nairobi, Kenya, Eastern & Southern Africa Regional Office #81045

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, nutrition.

For more information about our programme, please visit our website:www.unicef.org/esaro/

How can you make a difference?

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Advisor (RA) Nutrition, the position will be responsible for technical support and strategic direction on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN), including micronutrient supplementation, first foods and food fortification. The work of the Specialist is guided by the UNICEF global nutrition strategy and its regional contextualization, notably the multi-system approach. The Nutrition Specialist provides substantive support to the RA for the work of the Nutrition Section, in terms of authoritative technical assistance, oversight on implementation of multi-country grants and initiatives and quality assurance to the MIYCN aspect of nutrition programs in countries, contribution to the regional aspects of the nutrition section’s work on MIYCN, including development of tools and guidance, innovation, evidence generation and knowledge development and exchange. The position oversees partnerships with regional economic communities (RECs) in the region, as well as with other stakeholders including UN agencies, NGOs, donors, academia and others on MIYCN.

1.         Management and advisory support to the Regional Adviser

• Provide advice to the RA in establishing, implementing and monitoring the MIYCN components of the annual work plan.
• Ensure results for MIYCN are achieved according to schedule and performance standards, and report to RA critical issues for timely action.
• Provide technical assistance and advice to colleagues in the section on the MIYCN aspects of programming and implementation to enable them to achieve results.

2.         Programme development and planning

• Provide technical support and guidance on the preparation, design and updating of regional and country situation analyses on MIYCN, to inform the regional and country agendas.
• Provide technical and strategic assistance to country offices to formulate, design and prepare the MIYCN components of nutrition programmes across multiple systems and develop implementation plans.
• Provide support for country offices to develop the MIYCN components of humanitarian response plans, HACs, appeals, proposals and other relevant emergency documents, as well as resilience strategies.
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues in other UNICEF sectors, particularly ECD, Gender, Disability Inclusion, Emergency, SBC, Health, WASH, Social Policy, Supply and Communications and with HQ. Act as focal point of the Nutrition Section for ECD and for Disability Inclusion.
• Provide authoritative technical and operational support on MIYCN throughout all stages of programming processes.

3.         Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF system indicators and measurements to assess and strengthen performance accountability and results for MIYCN.
• Provide quality assurance and review of country office annual reports, NutriDash, RAM, CSIs and results related to MIYCN and review of RO/CO technical assistance compacts.
• Serve as focal point of ESARO and of the Nutrition Section for selected country offices.
• Supervise the outposted nutrition colleague (TA) in the SADC Secretariat and oversee the development and implementation of UNICEF-SADC workplans and the development and implementation of policy decisions, guidance documents, tools and resources.
• Contribute to the design of assessments, evaluations and research related to MIYCN and review reports. Identify lessons learned and disseminate and use knowledge.

4.         Advisory services and technical support

• Provide advice to key government officials, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on policies, strategies, best practices and approaches on MIYCN-related issues.
• Participate in strategic programme discussions and planning to provide technical advice, contribute to policy discussions, and promote appropriate MIYCN interventions across multiple systems.
• Prepare policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials on MIYCN for management use, information and/or consideration.
• Participate in emergency preparedness initiatives in countries, assessments and response to emergencies in country (surge) on MIYCN. Coordinate and provide assistance to the 21 Country Offices in identifying where support is required.

5.         Advocacy, networking and partnership building

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships on wasting & NiE with relevant UN agencies, RECs, government counterparts, NGOs, national stakeholders, global and regional partners, allies, donors, and academia.
• Build capacity, exchange knowledge and expertise, and/or promote cooperation and alliances to achieve programme goals on MIYCN.
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency discussions and planning on MIYCN -related issues.
• Contribute to design and implementation of strengthened resilience programming for nutrition with a focus on the MIYCN components.
• Contribute to design and implementation of the UNICEF agenda on climate and nutrition, including mapping, analysis, research, recommendations, investment cases and advocacy for climate-sensitive nutrition actions, fundraising, technical assistance and documentation.
• Contribute to designing and implementing of the UNICEF agenda on food systems for children, especially the first foods component, including mapping, analysis, research, recommendations, investment cases and advocacy for child-sensitive food system actions, fundraising, technical assistance and documentation.

6.         Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches and good practices for sustainable and high coverage MIYCN programmes in relevant systems in all contexts.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best and cutting-edge practices in nutrition management and information systems for MIYCN.
• Contribute to the development of policies and procedures and introduce innovation and best practices on MIYCN strategies and programmes across multiple systems.
• Organize, plan and/or implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of country office Nutrition staff, Government counterparts and other stakeholders to promote and deliver results on MIYCN. The successful individual will be responsible for the following key accountabilities:

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

• Advanced university degree in Public Health or Nutrition (preferably with specialized training in public health and nutrition planning, health and nutrition education, health care system management, or epidemiology), Child Development, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or other relevant disciplines.
• Eight years of professional work experience at the national and international levels in planning, programming, implementation monitoring and evaluation of nutrition programmes. Professional work experience in a managerial/leadership position, or a technical expert position in nutrition.
• Background/familiarity and specific work experience on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (including micronutrients) programmes
• Developing country work experience and familiarity with emergency is an asset
• 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 Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

((1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people.

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.