Chief Nutrition (Khartoum) – UNICEF

Job Description

Job no	558038
Contract type	Fixed Term Appointment
Location	Sudan
Level	P-5
Categories	Nutrition
Advertised	09 Jan 2023 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline	20 Jan 2023 E. Africa Standard Time

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, health…

Sudan is one of the developing countries in Northern Africa faced with protracted complex emergencies and humanitarian crises caused by conflicts, natural hazards, and extreme poverty due to macroeconomic instability resulting in high levels of chronic and acute forms of malnutrition. UNICEF supports the Government of Sudan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. In addition, UNICEF builds and leverages strong partnerships with provincial authorities, health professionals, educators, researchers, businesses, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families including engagement withthe children, women and adolescents. Despite ongoing efforts to address the high levels of malnutrition, Sudan is off-track in meeting the WHA and SDG targets.

How can you make a difference?

Under the overall guidance of Deputy Representative and the technical guidance of the Chief Health and Nutrition, the Chief of Nutrition is responsible for managing and supervising all stages of the nutrition programme, from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of results contributing to the attainment of the national and global nutrition targets. The Chief is responsible for leading and managing the Nutrition team working on existing and emerging humanitarian crisis and on long-term nutrition programs that address the underlying causes of malnutrition in all its forms.  The Chief is accountable for ensuring that concrete and sustainable results in maternal, infant and child nutrition programmes are achieved in accordance with plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), as well as UNICEF’s 2020 – 2030 Nutrition Strategy, and accountability framework.

Core thematic areas the Chief of Nutrition oversee include a) Community-based management of acute malnutrition, b) Infant, young child, adolescent and women nutrition, c) Micronutrients, d) Nutrition sensitive programs, e) Innovative SBCC for improving quality and safety of diets, f) Emergency response to ongoing and emerging humanitarian crisis. In collaboration with the government of Sudan and partners, UNICEF Sudan will continue to make concerted efforts to address all forms of malnutrition across the life-cycle, involving multiple sectors relevant to nutrition in a systemic manner and putting in place a robust system for evidence generation to monitor progress and advance effective programming at scale.

Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

1. Managerial leadership

• Establish the section’s annual work plan with the nutrition team, and set priorities and targets. Monitor work progress and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards.
• Establish clear individual performance objectives, goals and timelines; and provide timely guidance to enable the team to perform their duties responsibly and efficiently. Plan and ensure timely performance management and assessment of the team.
• Supervise team members by providing them with clear objectives, goals, direction, and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently
• Establish nutrition team fit-for-purpose and create enabling environment for optimal performance of each member of the team.

2. Programme development and planning

• Lead and support the planning and updating of the situation analysis to ensure comprehensive and current data on maternal and child nutrition is available to guide policy development and design and management of nutrition programmes and projects.
• Keep abreast of development trends to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery to achieve sustainable, effective and equitable coverage of maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition programme results.
• Lead, coordinate and supervise the formulation and design of nutrition programme/project recommendations and related documentations as a component of the Country Programme, establishing clear programme goals, objectives, strategies and results based on results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM).
• Oversee the timely preparation of nutrition programme recommendation to ensure the alignment of nutrition programmes with the overall UNICEF Strategic Plan, Country Programme, and coherence and integration with the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), regional strategies, and national priorities, plans and competencies.
• Consult and collaborate with colleagues and externa; partners to provide technical and operational support on programme planning, management and implementation, and to ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of programmes/projects with UNICEF Strategic Plans, donors’ development strategies, policies, country level national priorities and competencies, and UN system development interventions and initiatives.
• Engage with Government and partners to build broad based consensus to address malnutrition in all its forms in Sudan, including leveraging of resources, policy and programmes, Strategic Plan, Country Programme, and coherence and integration with the Sustainable Development Goals and joint UN plan.
• Ensure evidence-based annual plans are developed through wider consultation with relevant sectors with clear areas of responsibilities and aligned to the national strategy and multi-years multisectorial nutrition plan.
• Oversee the timely preparation of nutrition programme recommendation to ensure the alignment of nutrition programmes with the overall UNICEF programmes.
• Enhance effective project and guide nutrition programming planning process including inter-sectoral and cross-sectoral planning, development and management by leading, guiding, coordinating and supporting the timely completion of the situational analysis and its periodic update through accurate and complete monitoring and analysis, addressing gender inequality and determinants of gender/sex/geographic equality; ensure the timely preparation or finalization of sectoral input.
• Lead UNICEF humanitarian action on nutrition, including over-sight guidance to the nutrition sector partners in emergencies in collabration with the nutrition cluster coordination platform.  Strengthen the SUN platform to create a sustained platform for consultation, collaboration, evidence sharing and advocate for nutrition to become a national development agenda and provide technical support to partners and networks to create viable national planning, coordination and monitoring of nutrition programs.
• Ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of programmes/projects with UNICEF Strategic Plans, donors’ development strategies, policies, country level national priorities and competencies, and UN system development interventions and initiatives.

 3. Programme management, monitoring and quality control of results

• Coordinate, 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 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/interventions to achieve results.
• 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.
• Monitor programmes and projects 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, approve, monitor and control the use of programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets) confirming compliance with organizational rules, regulations, procedures, standards of accountability and integrity, donor commitments. Ensure timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
• Submit Programme/project reports to donors and other partners to keep them informed on Programme progress and critical issues.

4. Advisory services and technical support

• Advise key government officials, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners on policies, strategies, best practices and approaches on nutrition and 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/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 Programme development and contingency planning and/or to respond to emergencies in country or where designated.

 5. 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.
• Develop 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, infant 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.

 6. 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.
• Lead the development of policies and procedures and introduce innovation and best practices to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
• Lead, 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

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

• 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.
• A minimum of ten 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 nutrition.
• Experience in health/nutrition programme development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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 competencies required for this post are…

• 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)

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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 from industrial countries are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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 only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/

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.

Advertised: 09 Jan 2023 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 20 Jan 2023 E. Africa Standard Time