United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (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.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Nutrition Officer (Emergency), NOB, TA
Job no: 559203
Location: Abuja
Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Level: NO-2
Categories: Nutrition
Organizational Context and Purpose for the job
- UNICEF's fundamental mission is to promote every child's right, leaving no one behind. In Nigeria, the nutrition situation of children under five has recorded minimal change, and currently, Nigeria is off track to achieving the World Health Assembly 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Approximately one in three children under five in Nigeria is stunted, while one of every ten children is wasted. Consequently, Nigeria has the world's second-highest number of malnourished children and the highest in Africa.
- Due to the combined effects of conflict, COVID-19, and climate change, there are an estimated 3 million children likely to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in 2023. To change the narrative, UNICEF in partnership with the government and other stakeholders aims to deliver good quality prevention and treatment services at scale to build resilience and protect the most vulnerable, particularly during the First 1000 Days of Life. The focus, in keeping with UNICEF Nigeria’s new Country Programme Strategy (2023-2027), is to (i) strengthen the enabling environment, including data, to inform policy and programming; (ii) strengthen systems, especially the health, and food and social protection system to deliver high-quality services; and (iii) address social and behavioral practices that influence diets and practices.
How Can You Make A Difference?
- To enable UNICEF to execute the above strategy in the context of emergencies, UNICEF Nigeria is seeking a Nutrition Officer (NO-B) to be based in Abuja, Nigeria.
Specifically, the Nutrition Officer will be responsible for the following:
- Support the Nutrition Specialist in Abuja and Field Offices to ensure high-quality Programme development and execution along the development-humanitarian nexus
- Develop high-quality concept notes, proposals, reports, and documents to mobilize resources and document results for impact
- Work closely with policy and data specialists to strengthen the enabling environment to advance nutrition in emergencies
- Work closely with the Nutrition Sector partners and UNICEF’s Supply Team to ensure a secure commodity pipeline for life-saving nutrition services.
Key Responsibilities
Support to programme development and planning
- While prioritizing prevention, and treatment where prevention fails, the Nutrition Officer will:
- Contribute to the development of multi-sectoral nutrition programming in the context of emergencies, particularly for those in the First 1000 Days of Life.
- Ensure gender-sensitive, rights, and results-based planning and Programme development
- Ensure alignment of Programme design with national and sub-national priorities as well as UNICEF and UN policies and strategies
Programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results:
- Provide technical input and oversight to the implementation of programmes along the humanitarian-development nexus
- Ensure availability of near-real-time data and conduct analysis, including budget and financial, to inform decision-making, enable mid-course corrections, facilitate Programme reviews with internal and external stakeholders, and unlock resources
- Be accountable for and manage internal and external resources, effectively and efficiently
Provide technical and operational support to Programme implementation:
- Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews, and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and provide technical support. Take appropriate action to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks, and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
- Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other stakeholders on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on nutrition-related issues to support Programme implementation, operations, and delivery of results.
Advocacy, networking, and partnership building:
- Build and sustain partnerships (internal and external) and work closely and collaboratively with stakeholders (internal and external) to ensure the achievement of sustainable results for nutrition at scale
- Advocate for and support the government to increase financing and coverage of services for nutrition interventions at both national and sub-national levels.
- Prepare high-quality evidence-informed advocacy products for internal and external use
Innovation, knowledge management, and capacity building:
- Introduce innovation and best practices to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
- Keep abreast of and share state-of-the-art research and implement best and cutting-edge practices in nutrition programming, especially in the context of emergencies.
- Organize, plan, and/or implement capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders to promote transformative and sustainable results on /nutrition-related programmes/projects.
Requirements
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- A Master's Degree in one of the following fields is required: Nutrition, Public Health, Nutritional Epidemiology, Global/International Health, and Nutrition, Health/Nutrition Research, Policy and/or Management, Health Sciences, Nutritional Epidemiology, or another health-related science field.
Experience:
- A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience.
- Experience in implementing nutrition programming in an emergency context
- Knowledge of the UN rules, procedures, and regulations and/or working experience for the UN or other international development organization would be an asset
- Good knowledge and hands-on experience in analytical, research methodology, and statistical skills are an added advantage.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English (both written and spoken) and the local working language of the duty station are required.
For every Child, you demonstrate:
- UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are:
- Builds and maintains partnerships (II)
- Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (II)
- Drive to achieve results (II)
- Innovates and embraces change (II)
- Manages ambiguity and complexity (II)
- Thinks and acts strategically (II)
- Works collaboratively with others (II)
- Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (II).