Programme Specialist – Financing for Child Nutrition & Development (P-4), PG Nutrition and Child Development outposted in Brussels # 00128264 (Temporary Appointment 346days)

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, … child development,

Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UNICEF Nutrition Strategy 2020-2030 aims to prevent maternal and child malnutrition in all its forms across the life cycle and ensure the early detection and treatment of children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition. Our Strategy calls for a systems approach to improving maternal and child nutrition by supporting the delivery of nutrition-specific actions through five key systems: the food system and the health, water and sanitation, education and social protection systems. These are the five systems with the greatest potential to protect and promote nutritious diets, essential nutrition services, and positive nutrition practices that support optimal nutrition for all children, adolescents and women, in all contexts: development, fragile and humanitarian.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Senior Adviser, Financing for Child Nutrition & Development, the Programme Specialist will strengthen UNICEF’s efforts to increase domestic resources and support prioritisation of sustainable financing policies for nutrition at a global, regional and local level.  

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

 Resource Mobilization

• Support UNICEF’s Regional and Country Offices in developing and implementing engagement strategies for the sustainable mobilization of domestic resources for the early prevention, detection and treatment of child wasting in alignment with national public policy agendas and priorities and social protection services.
• Support the Senior Adviser, Financing for Child Nutrition and Development in engaging global and regional financing institutions (e.g. World Bank, African Development Bank) to establish strategic collaboration arrangements with the Child Nutrition Fund.
• In collaboration with the Senior Advisers for Financing for Child Nutrition and Development and Food Systems for Children, lead the scoping of opportunities to introduce taxation of Ultra-Processed Foods and/or Sugar-Sweetened Beverages as a source of domestic funding to support services and programmes to improve children’s nutrition and diets in early life.

Nutrition Advocacy & Communication

• Support the Senior Adviser, Financing for Nutrition and Child Development and the Division of Global Communication and Advocacy (DGCA) in the development of advocacy strategies and material to support the positioning of the Child Nutrition Fund in all relevant processes at global, regional, and country level.
• Lead the development of the Child Nutrition Fund Annual Report and its internal and external dissemination.
• In collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, support the analysis of annual financing information and the development and/or adaptation of advocacy strategies to reflect changes in financing trends.

Partnerships Management

• Collaborate with the Supply Division and other relevant stakeholders to provide technical support in adapting existing financial mechanisms to facilitate the matching of domestic contributions for essential services and supplies for child and maternal nutrition.
• In collaboration with PG Nutrition colleagues, identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration, coordination and communication between the Child Nutrition Fund and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
• Support the Senior Adviser, Financing for Nutrition and Child Development in engaging with foundations, bilateral donors, and other partners to coordinate the development of proposals, concept notes, and discussions to expand fundraising efforts for maternal and child nutrition.

The following minimum requirements:

• Master’s Degree in public health, economics, international development, or social sciences, or a directly related field.  
• Minimum eight years of relevant work experience at national and international levels in nutrition, planning and management, with emphasis on strategic planning, financing and resource mobilization, influencing, monitoring and evaluation, and partnerships management. Excellent analytical skills.
• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered 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…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others 

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.

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.