Nutrition Specialist (Programme / Cluster Coordinator), P4 – FT, MENARO, Amman, Jordan

The Office for the Whole of Syria based within the UNICEF Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is looking to hire a devoted Nutrition Specialist (Programme / Cluster Coordination) to be based in Amman, Jordan.

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For every child, Hope

Strategic office context  :

The nutrition needs of children and women of Syria continue to rise, year after year. The socioeconomic status has deteriorated further, in addition to the February earthquake that exacerbated the needs and amplified vulnerabilities. The erosion of service capacity continues, with water and sanitation systems, health systems, and social protection systems under immense strain. According to Humanitarian Needs Overview 2024, Syria faces a concerning escalation in the prevalence of wasting, stunting, and anemia affecting children under the age of five. Elevated levels of anemia for women of reproductive age, particularly among adolescent girls (15–19 years).

Whole of Syria (WoS) provides leadership and technical guidance to cluster coordination across Syria. The WoS leads humanitarian programme cycle including assessment, preparation of Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) which also includes sector severity ranking, children in needs, set priorities, targets and funding requirements. WoS also participates in Inter-Sector Group (ISG) coordination meetings.

The demands on UNICEF to respond to large-scale crises have never been greater in the region. There is a trend towards increasingly complex crises, where conflict and climate threats exacerbate underlying vulnerabilities in health, water, food and other systems. The result is a greater number of countries experiencing protracted food and nutrition insecurity and high levels of malnutrition in children and women.

The Nutrition Section in the Middle East and North Africa Regional Office (MENARO) provides technical and strategic assistance, quality assurance and oversight for 20 country office nutrition programmes in the region, based on the UNICEF global nutrition strategy, strategic plan and regional office priorities. The MENARO nutrition section contributes to country office results in preventing all forms of maternal, child and adolescent malnutrition and ensuring treatment for wasted children, supports evidence generation, data analysis, knowledge management and the strengthening of information systems, and pursues strategic partnerships with UN agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, donors and other stakeholders to advance the nutrition agenda in the region.

Purpose for the job:

Under the supervision of the Senior Emergency Specialist, P5, Whole of Syria and the Regional Nutrition Adviser, P5, MENARO (dotted line), the Nutrition Specialist, Programme and Cluster Coordination will provide do the cluster coordination for the WoS and provide the technical guidance to all MENA countries on nutrition in emergencies programme and cluster coordination.

The Nutrition Specialist will provide leadership and representation of Whole of Syria Nutrition Cluster. Nutrition Specialist will facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective response by participants in the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group that is accountable to those who are affected by the emergency. In their effort to provide an efficient and effective response to the humanitarian crisis, the Nutrition Specialist is responsible for building relationships with stakeholders, for securing the overall coordination of sectoral responses and for ensuring inter-sectoral collaboration.

The Nutrition Specialist under the guidance and supervision of the Regional Nutrition Adviser will work with all MENA countries facing emergencies in improving UNICEF systems and approaches for NiE and Nutrition Cluster Coordination in the region. In coordination with the global and country nutrition clusters, the Nutrition Specialist will mobilize technical capacity for analyzing and strengthening the nutrition data and systems – in emergencies and beyond. The incumbent will also ensure country-level staff have adequate knowledge and skills to effectively lead an emergency nutrition response and nutrition cluster coordination and information management.

How can you make a difference? 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Management and advisory support to the Regional and Country Offices
2. Programme development and planning
3. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
4. Technical support to strengthen national and local capacity 
5. Advocacy, Resource mobilization and partnership building 
6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
7. Cluster Coordination, representation and leadership

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Vacancy Announcement – Nutrition Specialist (Programme – Cluster Coordination), P4 [RDM24019].pdf

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

The following minimum requirements:

[Include the vacancy requirements aligned to the category and level of the position. You can see examples in the branded VA example.]

• 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.

• Work 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 of working in the humanitarian coordination system is required.
  • A minimum of two years of experience of Nutrition Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group coordination is desirable.
  • Experience in health/nutrition programme/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.

• Skills: Technical competencies must be demonstrated in the following areas:
  • Good understanding of UNICEF’s nutrition strategy (2020-2030) and Core Commitment for Children (CCCs).
  • Demonstrated understanding and experience of nutrition cluster coordination, navigating processes, advocacy and resource mobilization.
  • Demonstrated experience in nutrition sector data and needs analysis.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, French, Chinese, 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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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, time off for breastfeeding purposes[KR5] , and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required [LK6] to resign from their government positions 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. 

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All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

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

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