Nutrition Specialist in emergencies -(Infant and Young Child Feeding) – UNICEF Vacancy Announcement

1. Timely sectoral analysis, input, support and coordination for IYCF-E: contribute to the Situation Analysis with particular focus on infant feeding, and the key determinants for infant feeding in the prevailing country context, especially in population groups and geographic areas at risk of/ or affected by humanitarian disasters.

Contributes to the preparation of the Situation Analysis by compiling, analysing and evaluating information and providing the technical input and support to Health & Nutrition interventions with particular focus on ensuring integration of infant and young child feeding.

2. IYCF-E capacity assessment undertaken, and plan in place to address priority gaps identified at national and sub-national levels. Provides technical support to government and NGOs in the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation stages of the programmes/projects. Provide support to government and NGO partners for systematic analysis of capacity gaps followed by tailored capacity strengthening action.

•  Supports IYCF-E capacity assessment in consultation with the government, cluster/sector coordinator and nutrition sector partners. Ensures the use of standard checklist and procedures in assessing systemic, organizational and technical capacity at national and sub-national levels. Supports development of action plan to address the identified capacity gaps.

•  Identifies training needs; designs and conducts training and orientation activities for government personnel and beneficiaries and other relevant partners, for the purpose of capacity building, sustainability of programme/projects and expansion of coverage of services.

•  Designs and implement a staff training/development programme to upgrade the capacity of the Country Office staff regarding competencies for technical requirements as well as for the programme development, implementation and management of Health & Nutrition programme. Conducts relevant orientation, workshop, training and staff learning/development activities, including relying on technical partnership with collaborating agencies and the nutrition cluster/sector to provide state –of the –art -technical information to staff. Link with regional and global technical assistance mechanisms to facilitate focused technical support based on identified gaps. Specific tasks include:

• Support the identification and review of capacity strengthening needs among nutrition and supply staff of UNICEF, implementing partners, or MOH on emergency response.

• Assist in the planning of capacity development initiatives (needs assessment, outreach and community development planning, monitoring) for CO staff.
•  Support the adaptation or development of relevant training materials.

3. Community and household level IYCF assessment integrated within initial rapid assessments, nutrition rapid assessments and other assessments and surveys to allow identification of the key determinants of the IYCF practices of households at risk/ or facing humanitarian disaster. Particular attention is given to enhanced IYCF integration in the context of rapid onset emergencies including in settings whereby households are facing internal or cross-border displacements.

• Closely engages with nutrition information working groups, the nutrition cluster, and other platforms to facilitate review and integration of IYCF related assessment indicators within rapid and standard assessment tools. Supports the training of government, UN and NGO staff on the IYCF component who lead assessments

4. Scaled-up implementation of IYCF-E response action integrated within the sector response plan facilitated.

Quality contributions are made to the development and implementation of Integrated Nutrition strategies and approaches with clear link to relevant sectors (Health, WASH and others) through participation and collaboration with internal and external partners to ensure appropriate design for emergency nutrition programming. Partnerships with cluster partners, as well as relations with the nutrition team of MOH enhanced and exploited efficiently, in order to formulate common advocacy position and influence allocation of resources, as well as investment decisions on behalf of Health and Nutrition. Key actions related to infant and young child feeding integrated within the development of integrated nutrition strategies.

5. Project implementation progress is monitored and evaluated for adjustment, acceleration and improvement of program delivery and sustainability. Gender/sex disaggregated data and inputs provided, relevant to the Health and Nutrition programme. SPHERE and HAC indicators closely monitored to ensure compliance to minimum performance.

•  Undertakes field visits to monitor programmes, as well as participates in periodic programme reviews with government counterparts and other partners. Identifies necessary action for programme adjustments. Provides technical advice and support to government officials and implementing partners in the planning and management of the Health & Nutrition interventions and ensures their sustainability. Support maintenance of information system for monitoring gender sex aggregated data. SPHERE and HAC indicators closely monitored to ensure compliance to minimum performance. Provide inputs to NutriDash and other monitoring systems, and support utilization at national and sub-national levels

6. UNICEF and Government and implementing partners accountability is ensured for supply and non-supply assistance and disbursement of programme funds for Health & Nutrition.

• Coordinating with Operations and Supply staff on supply and non-supply assistance activities, ensures UNICEF, Government partner and all implementing partners accountability. Certifies disbursements of funds, ensuring those activities are within established plans of action and programme budget allotments; and to orientate and train Government and UNICEF implementing partners in UNICEF supply and non-supply policies and procedures.  Monitors the overall allocation and disbursement of programme funds, making sure that funds are properly coordinated, monitored and liquidated. Submits financial status reports to management in compliance with the regulations and guidelines. Support end-user monitoring of nutrition commodities as part of emergency response, ensuring that the monitoring includes UNICEF’s procedures on accountability to affected population.

7. Effective working relationships with internal and external counterparts are maintained for advocacy, technical coordination, information sharing and knowledge networking.

• Coordinates activities and exchanges information and knowledge with other programmes to contribute to achievement of overall country programme objectives. Builds up effective monitoring, knowledge database/network and reporting systems to ensure the availability of current and accurate programme information/data, and contributes to the development of communication materials and strategies to support advocacy and community participation for Health & Nutrition; and to widen partnership with all stakeholder at national, regional , district, community and household levels as well as with funding partners including the private sector in order to accelerate achievement of Health and Nutrition related SDG goals.

• Facilitates partnership and collaboration with external counterparts, including those of the UN and national partners, nutrition cluster as well as inter-cluster groups to improve the ability to collect and disseminate relevant data, and to exchange information on programme/project development and implementation. Facilitates exchange of knowledge, information, experience, and lessons learned.

8. Relevant and strategic information is kept available and shared with relevant stakeholders as required, including the cluster partnerships to support the Health & Nutrition Programme by the effective implementation of an integrated monitoring system.

• In collaboration with monitoring and evaluation and program communication colleagues, conducts accurate and timely monitoring and data collection, and supports an integrated monitoring system. Where relevant, support the integration of nutrition information system within the relevant sector information system

• Coordinates with partners to ensure that monitoring systems are properly designed, and that data collection and analysis from field  visits are coordinated and standardised across programmes to feed into to programme performance monitoring.

• Provides assistance for evaluation exercises, programme mid-term review, annual sector review and preview meetings with Government counterparts and all other relevant partners. Analyses and evaluates monitoring data, ensures achievement of objectives and proposes corrective measures as appropriate.

9. Required programme/project  reports are timely prepared in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures.

•  Contributes to the timely preparation of annual sector status reports and shares information with relevant partners as required in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures. Participates in the preparation of all programme reports for management, Board, donors, budget reviews, programme analysis, and annual reports.

10. Emergency preparedness is maintained,  and in emergencies, emergency responses with effective coordination are provided.

•  Supports emergency preparedness plan relating to nutrition.  In case of emergency, assists in monitoring and assessing the nature and extent of the emergency in the assigned area, as required. Provides assistance to the Country Office in identifying where support is required. In line with the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) in Humanitarian Action, strengthens partnerships with the Health and Nutrition humanitarian actors s within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).

11. Other assigned duties and responsibilities are effectively accomplished.

•  Assumes any other duties and responsibilities assigned as appropriate to the purpose of this post, and delivers the results as required.