Nutrition Specialist – Cluster Coordinator, P4, Sudan, Khartoum

Nutrition Specialist – Cluster Coordinator, P4

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,

Sudan is a huge country, more than four times the size of Sweden and the third largest in Africa—even after South Sudan was carved out in 2011. Sudan has a lot of land and resources, a population of 40 million and a history that predates the Nubian kingdoms established along the Nile River around 4,000 BC.

Sudan’s children make up half of the total population, and the past two decades have seen their lives improve. Fewer boys and girls are dying before their fifth birthday. Primary school attendance is increasing. Immunization coverage is high and the country remains polio free.

Still, millions of children continue to suffer from chronic conflict, from seasonal natural disasters and disease outbreaks, from under-investment in basic social services. Sudan ranks as one of the worst in the world for malnutrition, and three million of its school aged children are not in the classroom.

How can you make a difference?

to provide leadership and facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, coherent, strategic, and effective Nutrition response in Sudan by a mobilized and adequately resourced group of agencies, organizations, NGOs, local communities etc. The incumbent is to assists the Government of Sudan and state authorities in Nutrition cluster visioning, strategy formulation and the articulation of a 'Road Map' to provide adequate Nutrition responses to emergency-affected populations.

• Inclusion of key humanitarian partners
• Establishment and maintenance of appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanisms at National level and at State level
• Coordination with national/local authorities, State institutions, local civil society and other actors
• Attention to priority cross-cutting issues
• Planning and strategy development
• Application of standards
• Advocacy and resource mobilization
• Training and capacity building

  KEY END-RESULTS

  1. Inclusion of key humanitarian partners
  1. • Ensure inclusion of key Nutrition humanitarian partners in a way that respects their mandates and programme priorities including OIC, ICRC, UN, INGOs, LNGOs, Government, Civil society.

     • Act as focal point for inquiries on the Nutrition cluster's response plans and operations.

        

  1. Establishment and maintenance of appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanisms at National level and at State level:
  1. • Ensure appropriate coordination between all Nutrition humanitarian partners (national and international NGOs, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, etc), through establishment/maintenance of appropriate Nutrition Cluster/sector coordination mechanisms, including working groups at the National, and State levels
     • Promote Nutrition emergency response actions while at the same time considering Nutrition within recovery and development planning through close interaction with the Nutrition Section. Ensure inter-cluster and programme response planning with other Clusters/sector groups specifically in the areas of WASH, CP, health, education, and other key sectors as appropriate.

     • Represent the interests of the Nutrition Cluster/sector in discussions with the Humanitarian Coordinator, OCHA, Inter Sector Working Group, and other stakeholders on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy

        

  1. Coordination with national/local authorities, State institutions, local civil society and other actors
  1. • Ensure that Nutrition humanitarian responses build on local capacities
     • Ensure appropriate links with national and local authorities, State institutions, local civil society and other relevant actors (e.g. peacekeeping forces) and ensure appropriate coordination and information exchange with them

     • Strengthen Government Capacity to support and co-chair cluster coordination mechanisms in the Khartoum and at the Stale Level.

        

  1. Attention to priority cross-cutting issues
  1. • Ensure integration of agreed priority cross-cutting issues in Nutrition assessments, analysis, planning, monitoring and response (e.g. age, diversity, environment, gender, HIV/AIDS and human rights)

     • Ensure effective and coherent Nutrition assessment and analysis, involving all relevant partners.

        

  1. Planning and strategy development
  1. • Developing/updating agreed Nutrition response strategies and action plans and ensuring that these are adequately reflected in the overall country strategies, such as the HPC, HNO and SRP, Contingency plans, and in the broader UNDAF as appropriate.
     • Drawing lessons learned from past Nutrition activities, revising strategies and action plans accordingly

     • Developing an exit, or transition, strategy for the Nutrition interventions and key Cluster/sector partners.

        

  1. Application of standards
  1. • Ensure that Nutrition cluster/sector participants are aware of relevant policy guidelines, technical standards and relevant commitments that the Government/concerned authorities have undertaken under international human rights law
     • Ensure that Nutrition responses are in line with existing policy guidance, technical standards, and relevant Government human rights legal obligations.

     • Ensure all agreed upon guidelines at country level are followed and adhered to in all Nutrition response.

        

  1. Monitoring and reporting
  1. • Ensure adequate monitoring mechanisms are in place (with OCHA and UNHCR support) to review impact of Nutrition interventions and progress against implementation plans including monitoring indicators (quantity, quality, coverage, continuity and cost.  Target population data including desegregation by sex, age etc. of service delivery
     • Ensure adequate Nutrition impact reporting and effective information sharing (with OCHA and UNHCR support) to demonstrate the closing of gaps
     • Ensure the cluster adapts verification, monitoring, reporting and evaluation tools with innovations as appropriate such as mobile technology, third party monitoring, pictures, etc.

     • Ensure that the cluster evaluates own performance on a regular basis and ensure corrective actions hence improved cluster coordination and response.

        

  1. Advocacy and resource mobilization
  1. • Identify core Nutrition advocacy concerns, including resource requirements, and contribute key messages to broader advocacy initiatives of the HC, OCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, Government, and other actors
     • Act as the media spokesperson for the cluster/sector highlighting the key issues, concerns and achievements within the cluster/sector to the outside world
     • Advocate for donors to fund Nutrition actors to carry out priority Nutrition activities in the sector concerned, while at the same time encouraging actors to mobilize resources for their activities through their usual channels.

     • Produce and publish a quarterly Nutrition cluster bulletin and other regular reports as tools to show onward progress on the cluster response in relation to the workplan/response plan.

        

  1. Training and capacity building
  1. • Promote and support training of Nutrition humanitarian personnel in areas such as Minimum Standards for Emergency Nutrition and capacity building of humanitarian partners, based on the mapping and understanding of available capacity
     • Support efforts to strengthen the Nutrition capacity of the national/local authorities and civil society

     • Build capacity of the cluster/sector partners in Nutrition in Emergencies, cluster coordination, transformative agenda in order to effectively understand the cluster roles and responsibilities as well as be able to fully support cluster functions

        

  1. Accountability to Affected Populations
  1. • Ensuring that mechanisms, agreed upon by cluster partners are in place to consult and involve affected populations in decision-making about programme implementation

     • Ensure that there is a system for community/ beneficiary complaints and a proper investigation mechanism is in place and actions drawn in a transparent manner.

        

       ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS 

       Within the delegated authority and under the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be assigned the primarily, shared, or contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following areas of major duties and key end-results.

        

  1. Rights-Based Programme with Results-Based Approach.

      

     Promote the quality of rights-based Nutrition programme and programmes through participation in the formulation of programme/project goals, strategies and approaches for the sector. Bring coherence, synergy and added value to programme management processes using a results-based management approach to planning and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

      

  2. UNICEF and Government Accountability.

      

     Advocate for due attention and support to be given to environmental and sustainable development issues (pertaining to Nutrition) in all sectors and line ministries.

      

     Ensure adequate attention is given to Disaster Risk Management, including emergency preparedness.

      

      

  3. Communication, Collaboration, Networking and Partnership.

      

     Collaborate with Communication and Programme Communication groups to ensure development of effective communication materials and strategies to support advocacy and social mobilization efforts.

      

     Overall coordination with Global and HQ Clusters. Collaborate with other sectors to ensure the integration of the project/sectoral programme with other sectors.

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

     Advanced university degree 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).

     Training in gender and in nutrition programmes that promote gender equality an asset.

           Additional training in Nutrition or Communication for Development (Programme Communication),     an asset.

      

      

     A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience of progressively responsible professional work experience in the UN or other international development organization, national government or the private sector. Field work experience. Background/familiarity with Emergency (preparedness and response) and the IASC Cluster approach.
     

      

      

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
  
  
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic language is an asset.

• Competency Profile

  i)  Core Values

  • Commitment       • Diversity and Inclusion      • Integrity

    ii)  Core Competencies

  •  Communication  [ II ]  •  Working with People  [ II ]  •  Drive for Results  [ II ] 

  1. Functional Competencies

       •  Leading and Supervising  [ I ]                •  Formulating Strategies and Concepts    [ II ]      

       •  Analyzing   [ III ]                                       •  Relating and Networking    [ II ]                      

       •  Deciding and Initiating Action   [ II ]      •  Applying Technical Expertise [ III ]      

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.