External and Internal Vacancy Announcement: Nutrition Manager (Care for children with severe acute malnutrition), P4, Fixed Term Appointment, #99038, Juba, South Sudan (For Non South Sudanese)

The Nutrition Manager supports the Chief in managing the section, contributing to innovation and knowledge management. S/He will be responsible for developing, preparing and managing complex, key and integrated nutrition programmes. And, he/she will also provide authoritative technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of concrete and sustainable results in maternal, infant and child nutrition programmes/projects

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.

And we never give up.

For every child, Nutrition

 

Organizational Context and Purpose for the job

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, nutrition, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

 

Purpose for the job:

The Nutrition Manager supports the Chief in managing the section, contributing to innovation and knowledge management. S/He is responsible for developing, preparing and managing complex, key and integrated nutrition programmes. The Nutrition Manager provides authoritative technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of concrete and sustainable results in maternal, infant and child nutrition programmes/projects. This is carried out per plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), as well as UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance, and accountability framework.  The incumbent is expected to undertake 2 field visits per quarter and spend 15% of their time in Field locations.

Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

The holder of this position will lead and coordinate the Nutrition Programme Outputs on “Care for children with wasting” aiming to ensure that “More children benefit from equitable access to integrated and quality curative services for the management of wasting, including in emergencies”. He/She will provide guidance, leadership and technical in planning and management on care for children with wasting. He/She will support resource mobilization efforts for the nutrition section through development of quality donor proposals and reports. He/She will support management and monitoring of nutrition section grants/budgets under this output.

 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1.Management and advisory support to the Chief

2.Programme development and planning

3.Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

4.Advisory services and technical support

5.Advocacy, networking and partnership building

6.Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

 

Management and advisory support to the Chief

• Provide advice to the Chief in establishing the annual work plan, including developing strategies and determining priorities, targets and performance measurements.
• Coordinate work progress monitoring and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards, and report to Chief critical issues for timely action.
• Provide technical assistance and advice to colleagues in the section on all aspects of programming and implementation to enable them to achieve performance objectives.
• Perform the full duties of the Chief in his/her absence.

Programme development and planning

• Provide technical support and guidance on the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for the nutrition sector/s to ensure comprehensive and current data on maternal and child nutrition is available to guide policy development as well as design and management of nutrition programmes/projects.
• Keep abreast of development trends to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery.
• Participate in strategic programme discussions on the planning of nutrition programmes/projects.
• Formulate, design and prepare a sector of the nutrition programme proposal, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, Country Programme, and coherence/integration with the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), regional strategies, as well as national priorities, plans, and competencies.
• Establish specific goals, objectives, strategies, and implementation plans for the sector(s) based on results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM). Prepare required documentations for programme review and approval.
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies, and to determine national priorities and competencies to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results.
• Provide authoritative technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes to ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of programmes/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated.

 

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Plan and/or collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence, and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector in nutrition programmes.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual health reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action and interventions to achieve results.
• Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and/or weaknesses in programme management. Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals
• Actively monitor programmes and projects through field visits, surveys and/or exchange of information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
• Plan, monitor and verify the optimum and appropriate use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets) confirming compliance with organizational rules, regulations, procedures, donor commitments, and standards of accountability. Ensure timely reporting and liquidation of resources.

• Prepare regular and mandated programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

 

Advisory services and technical support

• Provide advice to key government officials, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on policies, strategies, best practices and approaches on nutrition-related issues to support programme development planning, management, implementation, and delivery of results.

• Participate in strategic programme discussions and planning to provide technical advice, contribute to policy discussions and agendas, and promote health/nutrition interventions, especially in the areas of gender, emergency preparedness and maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition.

• Prepare policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use, information and/or consideration.
• Participate in emergency preparedness initiatives for programme development, contingency planning and/or to respond to emergencies in country or where designated

 

Advocacy, networking and partnership building

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with nutrition/health sector government counterparts, national stakeholders, global partners, allies, donors, and academia, through active networking, advocacy and effective communication. Build capacity, exchange knowledge and expertise, and/or promote cooperation and alliances to achieve programme goals on maternal and child rights as well as social justice and equity.
• Prepare communication and information materials to highlight programme goals, achievements and/or needs to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances and support fund raising for nutrition programmes (maternal, newborn and child survival and development).

• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) discussions and planning on nutrition-related issues to ensure organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNDAF process in development planning and agenda setting. Collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF planning and preparation of nutrition programmes/projects.

 

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches and good practices for sustainable nutrition programme/project initiatives through advocacy and technical advisory services.

• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best and cutting edge practices in health management and information systems. Institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.

• Contribute to the development of policies and procedures, and introduce innovation and best practices to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.

• Organize, plan and/or implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders to promote sustainable results on health/nutrition related programmes/projects.

 

Impact of Results

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Nutrition Manager to the preparation, planning and implementation of nutrition programmes/projects contributes to and accelerates the national development efforts to improve the nutritional status of mothers, infants and children in the country. This in turn contributes to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to continue to provide programme services to mothers and children that promotes greater social equity in the country

Competencies and level of proficiency required (based on UNICEF Professional Competency Profiles.

i) Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

ii) Core Competencies (For Staff with Supervisory Responsibilities) *

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Recruitment Qualifications

Education:

An advanced university 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 eight years of professional experience in a developing country in one or more of the following areas is required: nutrition, public health, nutrition planning and management, or maternal, infant and child health/nutrition care.

Experience in health/nutrition programme/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset

Strong experience in complex emergency settings will be a must.

Strong experience in supervision and coaching of staff will be an asset.

Experience managing programmes on community management of acute malnutrition and integration of early childhood development in nutrition will be essential.

Experience developing guidelines and training manual will be a must.

Experience in preparing success stories, case studies and scientific publications is desirable.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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. 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.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable [Female candidates] are encouraged to apply.

Priority will be given to all the eligible candidates participating in 2022 Mobility Exercise and Staff on Abolished post.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Eligible UNICEF International Professional (IP) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to a Temporary Appointment, which is dedicated to L3 (or L2) Response, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and their current tour of duty, and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.