Nutrition Specialist (Emergency and Resilience) NO-C, Lilongwe Malawi (for nationals of Malawi only)

This position will support the nutrition emergency response in Malawi. *This is a Temporary Position with a duration of 364 days.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Position

Recent data from Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) survey 2016 estimates that up to over 3 million people living in 25 districts are currently affected by drought and looming hunger as a result of the flood emergency which occurred in January 2015 followed by El nino and La-nina climate change impact in 2016 . Malawi is one of the most affected country in the region. In the process of food insecurity and higher infection rates, children under 5 are most vulnerable to death. This is out of the entire Malawi population of 16.7 million and U-5 population of 2.7 million children in the affected districts.

Prior to the 2015 floods disaster, nutrition situation remained precarious in general population especially vulnerable groups such as children, Adolescents, pregnancy, lactating, and people living with HIV (PLHIV) and other chronic illness. The nutrition status of children deteriorates rapidly in emergencies situations like drought and hunger as it is Malawi at the moment. Notably, the Malawi situation is more complicated because the flood recovery and the drought are overlapping with each other, therefore the cases of acute malnutrition are expected to increase.

Considerably because of the underlying causes to malnutrition at play coupled with food insecurity challenges the population is facing. Consequently, many factors and determinants of the poor nutrition situation in Malawi are interlinked and reinforcing due to inadequate dietary intake, high disease burden especially among children, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation and therefore likely to be aggravated by the current floods disaster.

Both the MDG End line Survey and SMART survey data sources estimate Global Acute Malnutrition at 4.2 % and 4% respectively while Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) prevalence at 1,1% with an incidence rate of 2.0 %, this translates to a projected annual SAM caseload of 79, 743  children affected and requiring therapeutic nutrition care either through inpatient Nutrition Rehabilitation (NRU) or at the Outpatient Therapeutic Care through Ready to Use therapeutic Feeds (RUTF) which UNICEF and DNHA will be supporting.

The Nutrition section is having 10 times increased funding to manage Nutrition response for children. However, the staffing position for the section for Emergency leadership is challenging. Based on the short term funding, the section is managing through short term consultancies and the section Emergency Nutrition role is managed by a Nutrition Surveillance Specialist by having double hatting. It is important for the section to have a separate portfolio for Nutrition Emergency Specialist.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

1.  Facilitate timely Nutrition analysis, input, support and collaboration to the Situation Analysis and its periodic update made for effective program planning, development and management, with special focus on sanitation and hygiene, policy dialogue and knowledge management.
2. Lead Nutrition Emergency work plan and activities formulated, implemented and monitored, ensuring alignment with the defined program strategies and approaches. Programme monitored with special attention to gender/sex disaggregation of relevant indicators.
3. Management of Emergency donor grants (funding) including planning, monitoring, reporting and participating in strategic partnership with governmental and NGO partners.
4. Nutrition Emergency delivery, evaluation and reporting carried out efficiently, rigorously and transparently in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures.
5. Knowledge management effectively promoted through drafting/finalizing key Nutrition Emergency program documents and reports, sharing good practice, lessons learned, and knowledge/information exchange related to ODF Malawi and sanitation marketing.
6. Quality of rights-based Nutrition Emergency effectively promoted, and coherence, synergy and value added to program management process through results-based management and strategies.
7. Programme delivery, evaluation and reporting carried out efficiently, rigorously and transparently in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures.
8. Led the Emergency supply planning with Government accountability regarding supply, non-supply and emergency assistance as well as disbursement of program funds for the Nutrition Emergency.
9. Effective communication and networking achieved through partnership and collaboration including support to the Nutrition Cluster, other UN agencies ( WFP, FAO, UNDP and UNAIDS ) and PCAs with NGOs. 

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

 Education Background

Advanced university degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Advance University degree in Nutrition, Child development, Public health or any other relevant from the recognized national University

Additional training in Emergency Nutrition or Communication for Development (Programme Communication) an asset.

Work Experience

Five years of progressively responsible professional work experience in the UN or other international development organization, national government or the private sector with manifested capacity to manage programs involving many stakeholders. Field work experience essential.

Background/familiarity with Emergency (preparedness and response) Nutrition

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies

• Communication
• Working with People
• Drive for Results

Functional Competencies

Technical Knowledge 

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.