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Communication for Development Specialist, NOC, Lilongwe, Malawi

Lilongwe

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Lilongwe
  • Grade: Mid/Senior level - Mid/Senior - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Communication and Public Information
    • Nutrition
  • Closing Date: Closed

With an overall objective of contributing to the enhancement of nutrition security in Malawi, the C4D Specialist shall provide technical contribution to the following Afikepo Project Key Expected Outcomes and Results.

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

FAO and UNICEF formulated a project jointly known in Malawi Chichewa language as "Afikepo", which literally means "they (children) should reach their full potential". The project aims addresses Malawi's problems of undernutrition, particularly in the under-5 children, and their negative consequences on cognitive, social and economic development in line with priorities and policy commitments of the Government of Malawi, the European Union (EU) and other associated development partners (DPs).

Prevalence of stunting in under-5 children in Malawi is at 42.4% and 12.9% babies are born with low birth weights[1]. Micronutrient deficiencies are also wide spread. Fifty eight percent of primary school children suffer from vitamin A deficiency and twenty five percent have anaemia. Under-nutrition has characterised the nutrition situation in Malawi for decades, and is a prominent factor leading to an annual loss in productivity and economic growth estimated at 10.3% annually[2].

In order to improve coherence and complementarity of support to the nutrition sector, a holistic 'Four Pillars Approach' was adopted by the National Nutrition Committee in July 2015 namely: 1) Agriculture for nutrition security and improved maternal, infant and young child feeding and care Practices; 2) Primary health care, therapeutic care, support and treatment; 3) Integration of behavioural change and communication for optimal maternal and young child feeding and care (knowledge, attitudes and practices) among communities, learners, professional and frontline workers through nutrition education and 4) Governance, human capacity building, research, monitoring & evaluation and fortification. The concept of the AFIKEPO Nutrition Programme in Malawi is underpinned by these four pillars approach.

In line with the EU Global Action Plan on Nutrition launched in 2014, AFIKEPO is a joint effort with other DPs to address nutrition issues through a multi-sector integrated approach that scales up successful previous and existing initiatives. EU resources will focus on Pillar 1, 3 and 4 activities of which FAO and UNICEF will jointly implement Pillar 1 and Pillar 4 whereas GIZ will implement Pillar 3 activities. This entails that AFIKEPO will be implemented in a joint and coordinated approach and in close complementarity to interventions from the other DPs on Pillar 2 that will target the same 10 AFIKEPO districts: Chitipa, Karonga, NkhataBay, Mzimba, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Salima, Chiradzulu, Thyolo and Mulanje.

FAO and UNICEF will jointly provide technical and operational support to the DNHA and all other relevant ministries and departments at both national and local levels with a view to implementing a community-based nutrition-sensitive agriculture approach in the 10 target districts. FAO and UNICEF will establish Programme Management Units (PMU) at national and district levels that will be able to provide the required technical and operational support to the concerned government institutions to roll out the community outreach activities and facilitate the community-based monitoring mechanisms. As a result, technical capacity of District Councils and other relevant stakeholders to engage in and contribute to support nutrition-sensitive agriculture will be enhanced.

An operational research initiative on understanding how communities are resilient is planned to be conducted by UNICEF Social Policy Team using co-financing. This initiative will build on the monitoring system that FAO and UNICEF will implement and will inform the refinement of project process, approaches and strategies with a view to ensuring scaling up.

With an overall objective of contributing to the enhancement of nutrition security in Malawi, the C4D Specialist shall provide technical contribution to the following Afikepo Project Key Expected Outcomes and Results.

Key Expected Results 

  1. Increased and diversified dietary intake of safe and nutritious foods to achieve optimal nutrition for women of childbearing age, adolescent girls, infants and young children in the targeted districts.
  2. Availability and accessibility to affordable, adequate, diversified and nutritious foods for all seasons improved for the target groups.
  3. Strengthened multi-sectorial governance of nutrition contributing both to national and district development planning and monitoring as well as informing national level policies.
  4. Increased utilisation of adequate, diversified, safe and nutritious foods of the Malawi six food groups for the target groups taking account of seasonality, cultural acceptability and preferences.
  5. An effective food and nutrition security information system established at national and district levels, which complements other existing information systems and contributes to development planning and monitoring mechanisms.
  6. An operational research initiative on understanding how communities are resilient to socioeconomic shocks and disasters.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks 

  1. Development and implementation of evidence based strategic Communication for Development (C4D) strategy for Afikepo Project (40%)
  2. Planning, designing, production and dissemination of communication and visibility messages and materials in line with C4D strategy and action plan in collaboration with Afikepo partners and stakeholders at national, district and community level (20%)
  3. Capacity development, partnership strengthening and increased advocacy for direct nutrition and sensitive agriculture (10%)
  4. Innovations, formative research, monitoring and supportive supervision of Afikepo C4D activities, timely preparation and submission of high quality reports and papers (15%)
  5. Ensure that budget is properly planned, monitored and controlled, ensuring allocated funds optimally appropriated (5%)

 Qualifications of Successful Candidate

 Education:

Advanced degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, behavioural Sciences community development, public health, nutrition, food security and agriculture, international relations, or communication related disciplines.

Work Experience:

Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in C4D programme/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and administration related to nutrition, food security and agriculture. Wide knowledge of C4D tools and models, and logical processes for selection and rollout.

Demonstrated experience in develop strategies and implementing C4D interventions with clear behaviour and advocacy indicators related to nutrition, food security and agriculture. Developing country work experience, ideally on adolescent issues.

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

  • Commitment
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Integrity

Core competencies

  • Communication
  • Working with People
  • Drive for Results

Functional Competencies

  • Leading and supervising
  • Formulating strategies and concepts
  • Analysing
  • Relating and networking
  • Deciding and Initiating action
  • Applying technical expertise

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.

This vacancy is now closed.