Nutrition Specialist, L4, Kathmandu, Nepal #107575

Job no: 515617

Position type: Fixed Term Staff

Location: Nepal

Division/Equivalent: Kathmandu(ROSA)

School/Unit: Regional Services Div (SAR), Kathmandu

Department/Office: Reg Serv - Prog Section, Kathmandu

Categories: Nutrition, P-4

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, a geographically mobile & diverse workforce

The Nutrition Specialist will be responsible for providing technical support to accelerate action for children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in South Asia. The Nutrition Specialist will lead efforts in advancing the development, promotion and implementation of the No Wasted Lives (NWL) global coalition agenda. In particular, he/she will advocate with regional leaders, governments, donors and other stakeholders to position SAM high on the agenda, support the development of related policies, leverage financial resources (domestic and/or external), build national capacities, and build partnerships through the following:

Advocate with governments and partners to elevate and position the prevention and treatment of SAM to a top priority on the public health and health systems agenda in South Asia region.
Advocate and build capacity to support the integration of SAM treatment into the health system, as a crucial mechanism to ensure systemic and at-scale implementation

Facilitate the creation and/or strengthening of strategic partnerships and alliances with key stakeholders including champions, civil society and media at regional and national level, including joint planning/action by NWL coalition members and development partners.

How can you make a difference?

1. Advocacy, networking and partnership building

Support the development, and coordinate the implementation, of a regional advocacy and communication strategy to support NWL coalition goals and advance the care of children with SAM that is tailored to the context of the South Asia region, the political economy of countries and health systems. Conceptualize, design and produce a range of advocacy and communication tools and materials.
Build and strengthen influential alliances and partnerships with relevant regional and national partners and influential individuals to promote cooperation to achieve goals of the NWL coalition, exchange knowledge/expertise and build capacity. These partners and individuals may include governments, political faces/influencers, development partners, academia, champions, the media, and others.
Coordinate engagement and support advocacy at regional and national level with leading policy makers, political faces/influencers, development partners, media and others to support NWL coalition goals.

Participate and/or represent UNICEF and NWL coalition in appropriate regional and global fora to ensure that organizational and coalition positions, interests and priorities are considered in development planning and agenda setting.

2. Regional advisory support/advice on policy and strategic planning

Advise key regional health sector/nutrition partners, national government officials, development partners and other partners on policies, strategies, approaches and best practices to accelerate the care of children with SAM and to achieve sustainability of these measures.
Contribute the development of regional policy analysis/papers/briefs, strategies and approaches to influence regional institutions / development partners and countries to ensure policy coherence, accelerated and sustainable action for children with SAM in South Asia.
Provide technical support for the integration of SAM prevention and treatment into national health systems and community based platforms
Lead and/or organize/participate in key regional events and strategic discussions to influence policy discussions and agenda setting on prevention and treatment of SAM programmes.

3. Programme development and planning

Provide technical support/guidance to the preparation/design and conduct/update of programmatic and financing gap analysis at the regional level and in priority countries to guide advocacy, policy and development, design of programmes of action and leveraging of resources to accelerate and sustain action for children with acute malnutrition in the region.
Support the formulation, design and preparation of investment cases and costed scale up plans for accelerated action for children with acute malnutrition in the region, ensuring alignment with UNICEF Strategic Plan and NWL coalition strategic plans.
Support resource mobilization of country scale-up plans by exploring and advocating for innovative financing mechanisms e.g. flexible catalytic funding and partnerships

4. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

Support NWL coalition work in monitoring developments in the area of SAM treatment and scale-up, and the analysis and dissemination of best practices within regional networks, and contribute to thematic policy development and global/regional reports.
Disseminate key lessons, findings and information associated with NWL initiative in the region through events, workshops, meetings and other forms of knowledge exchange among countries and other partners in the region.
Keep abreast, research, benchmark, promote critical thinking and implement best and cutting edge innovative practices in advocacy, policy influencing in maternal and child health and nutrition. Institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.
Organize, plan and/or implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders in accelerating action for the care of children with SAM in South Asia.

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

An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in nutrition, nutritional epidemiology, public health, global/international health and nutrition, health/nutrition research, policy and/or management, or other public health related science field is required.
A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in Nutrition with a strong understanding of and experience in policy and public advocacy, development communication, political campaigns in relevant areas of international health, development and/or nutrition or policy at least 5 years of which at international level, is required.
Experience in building partnerships and alliances in support of, and successfully driving, complex and ambitious national, regional or global policy and public advocacy initiatives, is preferred.
An entrepreneurial, results-driven personality, with strong coordination and influencing skills and a track record in successfully managing advocacy and influencing campaigns and mobilization of resources (domestic and/or external) for programs at the country level (desirable).
Experience in international health or nutrition policy and programme development is an asset.
Experience in capacity building of stakeholders in policy and public advocacy.
Fluency in English both oral and written is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

HOW TO APPLY