SSRRE 2025-2026: NYHQ, Programme Group, Director, D-2, Child Nutrition and Development

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 and development 

Under the guidance and supervision of the Director, Programme Group, the Director, Child Nutrition and Development provides global thought leadership, strategic vision and technical guidance to UNICEF’s programming for child nutrition and development, in support of UNICEF’s SDG commitments.  

The Director leads the Child Nutrition and Development section which also anchors the early childhood development team. The Director continuously enhances UNICEF’s position as a global technical leader for child nutrition and development through intellectual, strategic, technical, managerial, advocacy and knowledge leadership for the formulation, implementation and monitoring of the UNICEF Global Nutrition Strategy 2030, in both humanitarian and fragile settings as well as provides guidance and support to the Deputy Director Early Childhood Development for the Early Childhood Development 2030 vision. The Director contributes to enhancing programme excellence for child nutrition and development, champions collaboration across sectors, maintains strategic relations with global partners and coalitions and advises the senior managers across the organization on policy, strategy and programme matters related to child nutrition and development.  

The Director, leads and supervises the Child Nutrition and Development section staff and has a strong regular working relationship with the Regional Advisors and Global Cluster Coordinator as senior members of the Global Technical Team (GTT) for Child Nutrition and Development. The Director also works in close collaboration with directors and global leads in the Programme Group, with other divisions, counterparts in UN Agencies, governments, bi-lateral development and humanitarian partners, NGOs and CSOs, media, subject matter experts, and private sector stakeholders to support delivery on the child nutrition and development outcomes and outputs to which UNICEF has committed. The Director represents UNICEF in high-level advocacy and decision-making fora, and strategic engagements with critical partners. 

How can you make a difference? 
 
The key functional accountabilities of the Director, Child Nutrition and Development include: 

Policy and Programme Leadership  

• Formulate institutional policies, strategies, and programmes; shape and influence policies, identify programme priorities and programmatic strategies, and delineate recommended actions to deliver on UNICEF Strategic Plan outputs in the Child Nutrition and Development outcome area. 

• Conceptualize, develop and disseminate programmatic guidelines and technical tools and oversee the application of these guidelines and tools in headquarters, regional offices and country offices in order to implement and scale up strategic policies, programmes and practices. 

• Provide thought and intellectual leadership, champion evidence generation, data analysis, and knowledge management, and conceptualize evaluations on innovative policy and programmatic approaches to support successful scale up on strategic policies and programmes.  

• Keep up to date on evidence, innovations, trends, analyses, guidelines, protocols, better practices and results and in the child nutrition and development sector; and use state-of-the-art evidence, knowledge and data to enhance UNICEF-supported policies, strategies and programmes. 

Institutional Capacity Strengthening  

• Conceptualize strategies that strengthen the capacity of national institutions and stakeholders to deliver improved diets, essential services and positive practices across the food, health, education, and social protection systems, supporting that children grow and develop to their full potential.  

• Develop and support the implementation of capacity strengthening programmes and career development opportunities for UNICEF staff working to scale up policies, strategies and programmes for child nutrition and development, both in development and humanitarian settings. 

• Ensure state-of-the-art capacity by the Global Technical Team for Child Nutrition and Development in order to ensure timely and quality support to UNICEF country offices in their role as providers of technical support for national polices, strategies and programmes.   

• Strengthen, jointly with regional offices, country level capacity for sector/cluster coordination among development and humanitarian partners in the preparation, implementation and review of action plans, investment cases, advocacy strategies and resource mobilization proposals. 

Advocacy and Partnerships Building 

• Advocate for children’s right to good nutrition and development in development, fragile and humanitarian settings, including by representing UNICEF in global, regional and country level advocacy/technical avenues, often serving as the spokesperson of the Executive Director. 

• Foster UNICEF’s leadership role as a global advocate for child nutrition and development in development and humanitarian settings by using principle- and evidence-based strategies and approaches that build on HHRR/CRC and state of the art evidence, data, and analyses.  

• Establish strategic and quality partnerships with UN agencies, particularly FAO, WFP and WHO, bilateral and multilateral donors, including the WBG, national and international NGOs and CSOs, foundations, academia, professional associations, media and selected private sector stakeholders. 

• Identify, develop, pursue and secure funding opportunities for UNICEF’s child nutrition and development programmes with bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies, private philanthropic foundations, non-governmental organizations, and other emerging financial partners. 

Team Leadership and Management 

• Lead UNICEF Global Technical Team (GTT) for Child Nutrition and Development, comprising HQ-Senior Advisors, Regional Advisors, and Global Cluster Coordinator as the core global technical team leading UNICEF’s policy, programme and advocacy for child nutrition and development.  

• Establish and maintain the highest quality standards for efficient and effective operation of the Child Nutrition and Development section in UNICEF New York Headquarters, including recruitment, orientation, mentoring, supervision and performance motivation and management.  

• Conceptualize and monitor annual workplans for the Child Nutrition and Development section; oversee management of budgets, including globally managed multi-country grants, and supervise reporting to ensure timely and quality fulfillment of donor reporting requirements.  

• Contribute to PG management as a member of the PG Directors’ Group and support the Deputy Executive Directors for Programmes, Emergencies and Partnerships as needed.