UNICEF is seeking for a Consultant that will support the operationalization of a coordinated, demand-driven NiE technical assistance function through the GNC Helpdesk, ensuring timely, quality-assured, and well-prioritized support to country coordination platforms and nutrition practitioners.

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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

For every child, nutrition

Purpose of Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancy is to strengthen the effectiveness, coherence, and strategic value of programme technical assistance within the Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC), in line with UNICEF’s core commitments for children, and evolving humanitarian architecture. The consultant will support the operationalization of a coordinated, demand-driven NiE technical assistance function through the GNC Helpdesk, ensuring timely, quality-assured, and well-prioritized support to country coordination platforms and nutrition practitioners. Acting as a central link between country requests, GNC structures, and UNICEF, the role will enhance alignment across multiple technical assistance mechanisms, reduce fragmentation, and improve overall efficiency and value for money. (See TOR for details)

Scope of Work:

Under the overall supervision of the UNICEF Centre of Excellence (CoE) – Global Child Nutrition and Development Practice, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

  1. Provide timely NiE technical support to Nutrition cluster/ sector coordination teams and nutrition practitioners in priority countries

In close alignment with UNICEF, and GNC partners the consultant will

  • Support coordinated, transparent, and quality-assured NiE technical assistance, directly or through vetted TA providers or TWG.
  • Coordinate with the different pillars (programme leadership team and operations management group) of the GNC to ensure NiE related questions and discussions are linked and streamlined and NiE knowledge shared.
  • Support development and refinement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the GNC related request intake, routing, quality assurance, and feedback loops.
  • Prepare summaries of incoming requests, including context, urgency, and proposed response options and raise with UNICEF and GNC for timely action.
  • Monitor and analyze trends in NiE technical assistance requests to inform planning and prioritization of support.
  • Facilitate quarterly review meetings with Working group chairs and co-chairs on servicing NIE requests for feedback and quality improvement and to identify any support needs.
  • Track implementation of agreed response actions and ensure feedback to the secretariat.
  • Analyze trends in requests to inform strategic capacity strengthening priorities.
  1. Co-lead NiE Capacity Strengthening Initiatives

• Support implementation and monitoring of the NiE capacity strengthening strategy, through the GNC Capacity Strengthening Working Group.

• Support the design and delivery of structured learning events (e.g., webinars, workshops, technical clinics) informed by TA trend analysis and country demand.

•Develop practical tools, guidance notes, and learning resources addressing recurrent technical gaps jointly with working groups.

  1. Knowledge Management, coordination and management support for smooth functioning of the various GNC networks

•Develop annual plans and run regular workplan review meetings with key members of the technical working groups and the GNC leadership.

•Contribute to development and monitoring (on quarterly basis) of the GNC budget – Coordination and Programme team.

•Support planning and execution of GNC partner update calls including country partner update calls in close collaboration with the GNC Coordination Team.

•Develop monthly GNC Progress Updates.

•Contribute to briefing notes, presentations, and technical updates for GNC stakeholders.

•Contribute to the GNC Annual Report with provision of data and summaries from GNC trackers and dashboards.

•Support planning and administration of webinars.

•Provide updates for the GNC website maintenance.

•Ensure technical products and resources are documented and accessible through appropriate platforms, and support management of working group folders.

•Support documentation of lessons learned and good practices emerging from TA engagements.

How can you make a difference? 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the Terms of Reference here:  Download File ToR - Nutrition in emergencies Help Desk - Global nutrition cluster TMS.pdf

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

Minimum requirements: (Qualifications/Experience/ Knowledge/Expertise/Skills)

  • Education: Master’s degree in Public health, Nutrition.
  • Work Experience: 
  • Minimum of 8 years of experience in nutrition in emergencies programming or nutrition, food security programme management, including experience of coordination of nutrition responses in a range of settings including sudden onset natural disasters and conflict settings.
  • Experience in developing and delivering training and other capacity strengthening initiatives.
  • Strong familiarity with UN humanitarian coordination mechanisms and programming cycles; prior experience working with UNICEF or other UN agencies is a strong advantage.
  • Proven ability to work independently and deliver results
  • Competencies:
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Excellent analytical and presentation skills
  • Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate Care

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

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System):

Remarks:  If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.