Nutrition Specialist,(NO-3)TA  Needed At UNICEF

Tanzania has achieved a notable progress in reduction of undernutrition, particularly on childhood stunting. Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS) and Tanzania National Nutrition Surveys (TNNS) show that at the national level, the prevalence of stunting among children under-five years was reduced from 42.0 per cent in 2010 to 31.8 per cent in 2018.UNICEF is committed to support the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar on operationalization of the Zanzibar National Multisectoral Nutrition Strategic Action Plan (ZNMNSAP 2021-225). Implementation of the plan from 2021 and beyond will require close collaboration between the food, health, social protection and WASH sectors in Zanzibar in order to attain the ZNMNSAP targets.

The incumbent of the post will be required  to provide technical leadership in the implementation of the nutrition program in Zanzibar. The Nutrition Specialist reports to the Chief Zanzibar Field Office for managerial purposes and to the Chief of Section, Nutrition for technical guidance and supervision. The Nutrition Specialist is responsible for managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting of the country office’s program and providing technical guidance and operational support throughout the programming process to facilitate the achievement of concrete and sustainable results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM) and organizational Strategic Plans and goals, standards of performance and accountability framework.

How can you make a difference?

•  Contribute to and support the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for the nutrition sector(s) to ensure comprehensive and current data on maternal, child and adolescent nutrition are available to guide policy development, and the design and management of nutrition programmes/projects.
• Keep abreast of development trends to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery.
• Participate in strategic programme discussions on the planning, design and implementation of nutrition programmes/projects.
•  Formulate, design and prepare a sector of the nutrition programme proposal, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, Country Programme, and coherence/integration with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), regional strategies, as well as national priorities, plans and competencies.
•  Establish specific goals, objectives, strategies, and implementation plans for the nutrition sector(s) based on results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM). Prepare required documentations for programme review and approval.
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies, and to determine national priorities/competencies to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes to ensure convergence, integration, coherence and harmonisation of programmes/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated
• Support the institutionalizing of Community Based Health Program and the CHVs within government and community health structures. Although the CHVs have been formally recognized in a variety of policy and planning documents, because the focus on community health and CHVs is new, the Specialist will need to assess the gaps andneeds at various levels of government and work together with MOH and other partners to develop plans to embed and support CHVs within the health system.
• Support the development of CBHP planning to ensure smooth roll out nationally. This includes assessing the needs and developing strategies to address key obstacles to successful CBHP, including training, deployment, supplies, service delivery issues, supervision, etc.
• Ensure overall coordination in collaboration with MoH of all stakeholders supporting community work in Zanzibar. Assist the government and development partners to develop systems, tools, mechanisms and other methods to support the scale up of functional community level service delivery.

•  Support the development and preparation of nutrition programs and projects related to nutrition-specific interventions (e.g. Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition, micronutrient supplementation, infant and young child feeding, adolescent and maternal nutrition, integration of nutrition within the health system strengthening, integration of nutrition supplies within governmental systems) in development and humanitarian contexts.
• Be responsible for managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting of progress of the nutrition programmes and projects within the country program.
•  Provide technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of concrete and sustainable results in maternal, infant and child nutrition programmes/projects according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM) and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.
•  Plan and/or collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, and UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements, to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector (e.g. health) in nutrition programmes.
•  Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action and interventions to achieve results.
•  Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and/or weaknesses in programme management. Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
• Takes primary responsibility for the development of the nutrition component of the health sectoral work plan and technical decisions as well as for project monitoring and evaluation of assigned projects/programs and sectoral activities, with a focus on nutrition-specific interventions, in compliance with the defined project strategies and approaches, and with an emphasis on promoting a shared understanding and approach to reducing gender inequalities and achieving gender mainstreaming.
•  Actively monitors programmes and projects through field visits, surveys and/or exchange of information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress. Identify bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
• Monitor and verify the optimum and appropriate use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets) confirming compliance with organisational rules, regulations, procedures, donor commitments, and standards of accountability. Ensure timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
•  Ensure project, sectoral or inter-sectoral efficiency and delivery through a rigorous and transparent approach to evaluation. Participate in major evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sector review meetings with government counterparts, ensuring that quantitative and qualitative lessons learned in gender equality in nutrition are included as a standard feature. Ensure the preparation of annual Nutrition sector status reports.
• Prepare regular and mandated programme/project reports for the Chief of Field Office and Chief Nutrition UNICEF management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.
•  Support the decentralisation of decision-making through strengthening community administrative structures at sub-national level, ensuring that the roll out of CHVs is equitable across the country and that poor, vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations have care in their communities.
• Work with other sections in UNICEF to integrate key services into the community health platform, such as nutrition, WASH, child protection, HIV, etc., to ensure that mothers and children have access to lifesaving care.
• Strengthen capacities of local governments, communities and other entities such as village health committees to promote community engagement and social accountability.
• Establish or enhance civil society organisations and grassroots community involvement in health plan and budget, including service delivery, performance accountability and progress tracking.
• Assess gaps in financial resources to support CBHP and work together with development partners, donors and others to identify and secure additional funding.

• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, best practices, and approaches on nutrition and related issues to support programme development planning, management, implementation, and delivery of results.
•  Assists government authorities in planning and organising training programs. Identifies training needs and objectives for the purpose of capacity building and program sustainability.
•  Participate in discussions with national partners, clients and stakeholders to promote nutrition and development issues especially in the areas of emergency preparedness and maternal, newborn and child survival and development.
•  Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use, information and/or consideration.
• Participate in emergency preparedness initiatives for programme development, contingency planning and/or to respond to emergencies in country or where designated.

•  Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with nutrition sector government counterparts (with special focus on Health Sector), national stakeholders and global partners/allies/donors/academia through active networking, advocacy and effective communication to build capacity and exchange knowledge/expertise to facilitate the achievement of program goals and social justice and equity for the rights of mothers, new-born and children.
• Facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve programme goals on maternal and child rights as well as social justice and equity.
• Prepare communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for nutrition programmes (maternal, newborn and child survival and development).
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in inter-agency discussions, ensuring that UNICEF’s position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNSDCF development planning and agenda setting.
•  While the vision of the CHV program was national-led by the Ministry of Health, UNICEF supported a widely consultative process in the Task Force to ensure it evolved and was adapted to both global evidence and standards and local needs. The Specialist will need to continue to work collaboratively to strengthen the program.
• Public-private partnerships (PPP) are a key goal of the government’s CBHP program, and therefore the Specialist will need to assess local options for PPP and assist the government and other partners to adapt them for CBHP.

• Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders, and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best and cutting edge practices in nutrition management and information systems. Assess, institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
•  Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders to promote sustainable results on nutrition related programmes and projects.

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

• An advanced degree in Nutrition, Epidemiology and Public Health or related fields;
• At least 5 years’ experience in nutrition epidemiology and/or Public Health Nutrition;
• Prior experience of working in nutrition sector preferably in both, Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of survey methods and survey implementation is essential.
•  Strong interpersonal skills and ability to negotiate with programme counterparts.
• Strong communication skills, including writing and public speaking
• Strong planning, organisation and strategic thinking skills

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are ,Builds and maintains partnerships ,Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness,Innovates and embraces change,Drive to achieve results for impact,Manages ambiguity and complexity,Thinks and acts strategically,Works collaboratively with others

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organisation.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.