Assistant Nutrition and Food Security Officer – UNHCR
Job Description
| Organization | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
| Job Title | Assistant Nutrition and Food Security Officer |
| Location | Khartoum, Sudan |
| Hardship Level | C |
| Job ID | JR2314422 |
| Family Location Type | Family |
| Closing Date | 27/03/2023 |
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant Nutrition and Food Security Officer is a member of a multidisciplinary team and will ensure that UNHCR’s nutrition and food security programmes meet minimum UNHCR and international standards, to minimise malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia prevalence and improve food security of populations of concern towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The incumbent provides timely technical support to UNHCR senior management and partners on the design, implementation, and monitoring of UNHCR’s responses in nutrition and food security. S/he provides guidance on nutrition and food security programming in line with global and national technical standards, supports design and implementation of nutrition and food security survey and assessments (including Joint Needs Assessments, standardized expanded nutrition survey with WFP, UNICEF, Moh, other partners) and communicates the data and analysis on the nutrition and food security situation to a range of audiences internally and externally.
The incumbent will support technical coordination with other UN agencies involved in nutrition and food security including WFP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO and NGOs in line with global guidance and commitments. S/he will share information and experiences, carry out joint assessments, seek financial and technical support for refugee operations in Sudan, and conduct joint supportive supervision and trainings.
The Assistant Nutrition and Food Security Officer will work closely with UNHCR’s programme, and multi-functional team (public health, WASH, shelter, cash-based intervention, education, energy and environment, interagency / donor relation teams, registration and data management staff on targeting and prioritization of food and basic assistance with WFP. S/he will work with the Programme team to support operational collaboration and joint programming with WFP, UNICEF, FAO, and MoH on nutrition and food security.
The incumbent has a functional line to the Senior Regional Nutrition and Food Security Officer in the Regional Bureau and/or in the Public Health Section in Geneva regarding authoritative guidance and support in technical matters and is expected to maintain regular contact with them.
Operational Context
There are over 3 million forcibly displaced population in Sudan out of which some 1 million are refugees and asylum seekers and 2.4 million are IDPs. The South Sudanese refugees are the largest community with over 815,000 persons living across Sudan, followed by 121,000 Eritreans. Over 70% of the refugees are hosted in urban areas among host population and 30% in camps and settlements. The UNHCR operation responds to the needs of refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, Sudanese refugee and IDP returnees and stateless persons. UNHCR leads the inter-agency multi-sectoral response to the South Sudan refugee response through the Refugee Coordination Model (RCM), and works with a variety of partners (Government, UN agencies, International organization, National NGOs and Community Based Organizations). UNHCR has 13 sub and field offices throughout the country, responding to emergencies as well as protracted refugee situations in urban, camp based and rural settlement contexts and IDPs.
Duties
Coordination, Leadership and Partnership
- Assist with the coordination of nutrition and food security activities for forcibly displaced population with government, other UN agencies, donors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other humanitarian partners including development actors to ensure nutrition and food security is in line with the Global Compact on Refugees and in support of the Sustainable Development goals, including SDG 2.
- Support operational collaboration with WFP (in line with the global and country level MoUs between UNHCR-WFP) including the design and implementation of Joint Assessment Missions (JAM), standardized expanded nutrition surveys (SENS), post distribution monitoring (PDM), joint supervision, training / capacity building, provision of school feeding, emergency preparedness and response, and corresponding Joint Plans of Action in line with global commitments on targeting of assistance to meet basic needs and data sharing to support assistance distribution (in collaboration with programme and protection colleagues).
- Support operational collaboration with UNICEF (in line with global and country level LoUs) to support implementation, joint supervision & monitoring, training / capacity building on management of acute malnutrition, IYCF practices through CMAM program, and emergency preparedness and response.
- Support inter-agency multi-sectoral collaboration throughout all stages of programme cycle between nutrition and food security with public health, WASH, education, environment, shelter, and protection etc. in order to promote synergies and maximise impact.
- In collaboration with public health staff, provide assistance in the development and monitoring of country specific medium to long term inclusion plans in support of the Ministry of Health and other relevant Ministries (e.g. Social Welfare) and in partnership with development and other actors including the World Bank, International Labour Organisations, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, WHO and major donors.
- Work with stakeholders, including UN agencies, NGOs, Ministry of Health and academic institutions in the development of nutrition and food security plans associated with refugee movements (including in repatriation programmes).
- Maintain and update contingency plans for potential outbreaks, refugee, and returnee movements.
- Advocate with government and partners for refugees, returnees and other POC’s access to local public health and nutrition services as well as for their inclusion as a specific group in government policies, plans and social protection programmes.
Strategic planning and development
- Implement UNHCR’s Strategic Plan for Public Health, nutrition, and its adaptation at country level.
- Ensure that Nutrition and Food Security strategies address known gaps in nutrition and food security programming based on country-specific needs assessment with due consideration to multi-sectoral linkages and existing national nutrition and social protection programmes.
- Assist in the development of country public health, nutrition and food security strategies (including targeting of basic food and non-food assistance) based on up-to-date assessment and identification of needs, recognizing the contributions of governments and other actors and in support of national health and nutrition systems as much as possible; include preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative care; recognize the different approaches required for the stage of the humanitarian response (preparedness, emergency, stabilization, transition and long term inclusion) as well as for settlement or camp based POCs and those in urban or non-camp situations.
- Support the design, implementation, and reporting on Joint Assessment Missions (JAM) with WFP and the resulting Joint Plan of Action (JPA).
Technical Support
- Provide technical support and assistance on nutrition and food security to UNHCR’s staff and partners (remote and through field missions to different locations).
- Advise Field Offices on matters related to procurement of sector-related materials and equipment, and regular update on new developments and specifications of such items.
- Ensure dissemination and implementation of internationally accepted technical standards, policies, and guidelines within UNHCR and among partners; adapt accordingly to the unique situation of refugee populations.
- Advocate on all issues relating to refugees’ and other POC’s nutrition and food security including adequate access to services, inclusion in national systems and services and identification of development and international funding sources.
Assessment, analysis, and monitoring
- Contribute to the planning and implementation of the UNHCR Standardized Expanded Nutrition Surveys (SENS) https://www.unhcr.org/sens/.
- Coordinate and participate in joint needs assessments (including Joint Assessment Missions with WFP), nutrition and food security assessments of refugees and returnees.
- Assist in the design and implementation of the monitoring and evaluation system for nutrition and food security programmes within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Provide guidance to staff and partners to implement the Health Information Systems, Post Distribution Monitoring and ensure linkages with nutrition cluster assessment tools and process in out of camp or host populations.
- Support the exchange and analysis of information on nutrition and food security at the national level with government and other partners.
Capacity Strengthening
- Undertake and/or support capacity strengthening of UNHCR and its implementing partners to ensure the technical integrity of nutrition and food security programmes in a co-ordinated, multi-sectoral way.
- Share relevant guidelines and information materials on programming relating to refugee nutrition and food security with staff and partners.
- Perform other related duties as required.
- Monitoring and Progress Controls
• Reports and outputs as stated above are submitted regularly and on-time.
• Other allocated tasks assigned are completed timely
Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
1-year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree.
Field(s) of Education
Human Nutrition, or another relevant field.
Certificates and/or Licenses
Public Health; Food Security; Food Assistance;
Reproductive Health; Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Expertise in the area of nutrition and food security assessments including nutrition surveys, rapid screenings and rapid assessments. Experience in use of health and nutrition monitoring tools such as the Health Information System. Ability to work under pressure and in hardship conditions. Ability to promote good working relationships among colleagues and supervisors. Analytical and creative thinking abilities with solutions-oriented approach. Ability to coordinate a range of diverse actors and activities to achieve a common objective in the area of Nutrition and Food Security. Knowledge and experience of working with partner agencies with a capacity to provide formal and informal technical training. Strong communication skills both verbal and in writing. Proficiency in computer software such as MS Access, Epi Info, Excel, PowerPoint, Word and other statistical programmes required for nutritional survey data analysis.
Desirable
Previous professional work with refugees and other populations of concern to UNHCR with UNHCR, NGO’s and / or UN agencies. Experience in multi-sectoral programming for nutrition outcomes. Experience, advanced training and combined knowledge in various related fields: e.g. public health, food assistance/food security, IYCF, reproductive health, WASH. Demonstrated experience in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices, targeting food assistance, small scale agriculture and livelihoods interventions, cash assistance to meet basic needs. Experience in project cycle management and working with diverse range of partners.
Competency Requirements
- Core Competencies
- Accountability
- Communication
- Organizational Awareness
- Teamwork & Collaboration
- Commitment to Continuous Learning
- Client & Result Orientation
Managerial Competencies
Empowering and Building Trust
Judgement and Decision Making
Cross-Functional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
Planning and Organizing
Stakeholder Management
