Chief Nutrition, P-4, Antananarivo, Madagascar, #6951

The Chief of Nutrition will be in charge of the overall management of the nutrition section and the job description will include effective design and management of innovative nutrition programmes for UNICEF in Madagascar.

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

For every child, nutrition

Over 50 per cent of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition.  This places Madagascar among six countries worldwide with the highest burden of chronic malnutrition.  Children who suffer from chronic malnutrition fail to grow to their full potential, mentally and physically. There is a critical window for a child’s optimal physical and mental growth and development, from when it is still in its mother’s womb and during its first two years of life. If the opportunity is missed to intervene, the child will never make up the difference in growth and development, and will be adversely affected for the rest of his/her life.

For more information, please visit: https://www.unicef.org/madagascar/eng/

How can you make a difference? 

The Chief of Nutrition will be in charge of the overall management of the nutrition section and the job description will include effective design and management of innovative nutrition programmes for UNICEF in Madagascar. Improvement of the nutrition team and partners’ capacity and skills. The incumbent provides strategic programme vision and high level technical support with partners and donors. He/She leads efforts for high level advocacy, inter-agency and inter sectoral coordination, knowledge management, programmatic guidance at all levels (from policy to community) . Primarily responsible for leading, nutrition team, maintaining good relation with donors, managing the overall nutrition budget and mobilizing additional resources for nutrition.

The key expected results are:

1. Timely sectoral analysis, input, support and collaboration to the Situation Analysis and its periodic update made for effective programme planning, development and management.

2. Knowledge management effectively promoted through drafting/finalizing key Nutrition sectoral programme documents and reports, sharing good practice, lessons learned, and ensuring knowledge/information exchange.

3. Quality of rights-based, gender-sensitive Nutrition projects/programmes and policies effectively promoted, and coherence, synergy and value added to project management process through results-based management including in emergency settings.

4. Sectoral work plan and activities formulated, implemented and monitored including in emergency settings, ensuring alignment with the defined project strategies and approaches, with special attention to gender/sex disaggregated data or relevant indicators.

5. Project fund-raising, delivery, evaluation and reporting carried out efficiently, rigorously and transparently in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures.

6. UNICEF’s global goals effectively promoted through advocacy and policy dialogue in the Nutrition sector.

7. Proper and timely UNICEF and Government accountability ensured regarding supply and non-supply assistance as well as disbursement of programme funds for the Nutrition sector.

8.  Effective communication and networking achieved through partnership and collaboration, ensuring that gender-specific feature and requite issues are highlighted.

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Public Health & Nutrition, Health Sciences, International Health & Nutrition, Public Health & Nutrition Policy and Management, Family Health & Nutrition, Nutritional Epidemiology, Health & Nutrition Education, Health & Nutrition Promotion and Disease Prevention, Public Health, Health Emergency Preparedness, or other relevant discipline(s) related to international development.
• Training in gender and in nutrition programmes that promote gender equality an asset.
• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience in nutrition programming.

• Developing country work experience.
• Background/familiarity with Emergency.
• Experience in monitoring gender inequalities and in programming interventions that reduce these inequalities an asset.
• Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

This position is classified as “rotational” which means the incumbent is expected to rotate to another duty station upon completion of their tour of duty,

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.