Nutrition Specialist in Emergencies – UNICEF Vacancy Announcement

1- Timely sectoral analysis, input, support and coordination contribute to the Situation Analysis (including inputs to humanitarian needs overview) and its periodic update for effective project planning, development and management, in partnerships with the nutrition sector/cluster partners.

•  Contributes to the preparation of the Situation Analysis by compiling, analysing and evaluating information and providing the technical input and support to Nutrition interventions and its periodic update. Regularly prepares and shares emergency nutrition situation reports as an input to the multi-sectoral HAC reports as well as ad-hoc donor updates. Prepares sectoral input to the Country Programme Document and all related documents (e.g., Country Programme Recommendation, Plans of Action, Country Programme Summary Sheet). Specific tasks include:

• Contribute to ensuring up to date information on the nutrition situation and response is available

• Contribute to information requests on the nutrition in emergency and response for meetings, presentations, communication, fundraising etc.

• Contribute to reporting and learning on Nutrition in Emergency response in collaboration with the nutrition section

• Provide quality and timely contribution to national and sub-national level documentation of the emergency nutrition response

2. Support scaled-up implementation of nutrition actions in line with the CCCs. 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.

• Works with other UNICEF sectors, particularly Health, WASH, Social Policy, Emergency Support Unit and programme communication to ensure integration of the Nutrition programme with other    sectors. Contributes to build on intersectoral experience and establish partnerships to promote innovative    approaches to address immediate and underlying determinants of maternal, newborn and child health and     nutrition, recognizing that health and nutrition outcomes are not the results of action in the health and nutrition    sectors alone. Ensure life-cycle approach in designing strategies to ensure the situation of all relevant taget groups is included in the designing of emergency nutrition program

• Participates with UNICEF, Government, non-government organizations (NGOs) and other partners in the development of strategies and approaches relating to Health & Nutrition.  Monitors status to ensure achievement of strategic results  in line with agreed Annual and Country Programme objectives and adopts corrective action to meet programme/project objectives.

• Contributes to the identification and introduction of new approaches, methods and practices in project management for improving programme delivery with emphasis on sustainability of intervention and community participation. The specific tasks include:

– Provide technical support to country offices in the implementation of nutrition services in an emergency context in line with global guidance

– Provide technical assistance on identifying gaps in the responses and strategies to address them

– Contribute to national and sub-national emergency preparedness, and readiness actions, providing technical recommendations on contingency planning, risk analysis, and early warning

– Support SAM management services scale up planning, simplified approaches, and quality of care in response to emergencies in close collaboration with the supervisor.

– Provide immediate technical and programmatic support to UNICEF’s nutrition response in emergencies in crisis-affected areas

– Provide technical assistance in the implementation of grants secured for emergency nutrition response action

– In collaboration with the supply team, support monitoring of RUTF pipeline to ensure continued availability of the life-saving commodities

3. Work plan and objectives are strategically established, implementation support is effectively

• provided, and planned results are timely delivered through application of technical expertise, in consultation with all relevant partners

• Exercises technical and programme management leadership for the development and implementation of the results-based sectoral work plan and objectives as well as for administration and monitoring of sectoral project activities, consistent with the defined project strategic priorities and approaches.

• Ensures objectives and targets are timely achieved, through full coordination between activities and collaboration with implementing partners and nutrition cluster partners, by providing guidance and support to staff of Health & Nutrition.

4. 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.

5. Technical support is provided to government and NGOs and all other partners at various stages of the project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, including capacity building of government personnel and beneficiaries.

• 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.

•  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.

– Support training and capacity building activities on NiE or CMAM as per requests from MOH and partners

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. Donor proposals and concept notes are developed timely, building on the latest situation analysis with clear articulation on links between prevention, early detection and treatment as well as noting any gaps for resource mobilization against the UNICEF CCCs on nutrition.

• Contributes to the development of concept notes and proposals that are anchored on latest data on the nutrition situation in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures and in collaboration with communications and donor relations teams.

10. 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.

11. 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).

12. 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.

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)

• Works Collaboratively with others (1)

• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)

• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)

• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)

•  Drive to achieve impactful results (1)

• Manages ambiguity and complexity(1)