Organization: UN Children's Fund
Country: India
Closing date:
14 Jul 2017If 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.
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
PURPOSE OF THE POST
The Nutrition Officer will provide professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the nutrition programs with special focus on Integrated Management of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (IM-SAM) within the Country Program from development planning to delivery of results, preparing, executing, managing and implementing a variety of technical and administrative program tasks to facilitate program development, implementation, and program progress monitoring, evaluating and reporting of results.
ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS
Summary of Key functions/accountabilities:
Support to program development and planningProgram management, monitoring and delivery of resultsTechnical and operational support to program implementationNetworking and partnership buildingInnovation, knowledge management and capacity building1. Support to program development and planning
Conduct/update situation analysis for the program sector/s for development, design and management of nutrition related programs/projects with special focus on IM-SAM including both facility and community based management of children with severe acute malnutrition. Research and report on development trends (e.g. political social, economic, nutrition, health) for higher management use to enhance program management, efficiency and delivery of results.Contribute to the development/establishment of sectoral program goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through analysis of nutrition needs and areas for intervention and submission of recommendations for priority and goal setting.Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing/administering a variety of technical program transactions, preparing materials/documentations and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support program planning, results based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluating results.Prepare required documentations/materials to facilitate the program review and approval process.2. Program management, monitoring and delivery of results
Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and partners to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decision. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programs/projects and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of program management.Monitor and report on the use of sectoral program resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation/goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.Prepare regular/mandated sectoral program/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of program progress.3. Technical and operational support to program implementation
Conduct regular program field visits and surveys and/or exchange information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support, take appropriate action to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on nutrition interventions focusing on IM-SAM and related issues to support program implementation, operations and delivery of results.4. Networking and partnership building
Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with nutrition sector government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate program implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve program goals and social justice, equity and rights of mothers, newborn and children.Draft communication and information materials for CO program advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for nutrition programs.Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) meetings/events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNSDF operational planning and preparation of nutrition programs/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF position and strategies with the UNSDF development and planning process.Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable program results.Research, benchmark and report on best and cutting edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.Participate as resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.IMPACT OF RESULTS
The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Officer to program preparation and planning and implementation of nutrition programs with special focus on supporting the IM-SAM interventions and contribute to and accelerate the national development efforts to improve the nutritional status of mothers, infants and children in the country and this in turn contribute to maintaining/enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to continue to provide program services to mothers, newborn and children that promotes greater social equity in the country.
QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
Education:
A University Degree or higher in nutrition, public health, nutritional epidemiology, global/international health and nutrition, health/nutrition research, policy and/or management, health sciences, nutritional epidemiology or other health related science field is required.
Work Experience:
A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in nutrition, public health, nutrition planning and management and/or in relevant areas of maternal, infant and child health/nutrition care is required.Previous working experience on research, programming, technical support to interventions related to management of malnutrition is an advantage.Experience in health/nutrition program/project development as well as previous working experience in UN system agency or organization is an asset.Language Proficiency:
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.
Competency Profile (For details on competencies please refer to the UNICEF Professional Competency Profiles.):
Core Values (Required)
Commitment • Diversity and Inclusion • Integrity
Core Competencies (Required)
• Communication [ II ] • Working with People [ I ] • Drive for Results [ I ]
Functional Competencies (Required)
Formulating Strategies and Concepts [ I ]Analyzing [ II ]Applying technical expertise [ II ]Learning and researching [ II ]Planning and organizing [ II ]Only applications of short listed candidates will be acknowledged.
Candidates are informed that all applications are subject to background verification which may include academic and professional experience.
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 organization.
UNICEF does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process including application, interview, meeting, traveling, processing, training etc. UNICEF is a non-smoking working environment.
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How to apply: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 organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=505651