Nutritionist Sensitive Officer SC NOC

Area of expertise : Programme & policy

Country : Mozambique

Type of contract : Short term opportunities

Closing date : 07 January 2020, 22:59 GMT

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: University degree in Nutrition / Agriculture / Gender related field, with an emphasis on community nutrition, public health nutrition, Social Behavior Change and Communication (SBCC), gender, food security or other relevant sub-specialty

Experience: At least 3 years relevant work experience in Mozambique, working within nutrition and/or food security fields. Experience working with WFP in nutrition and/or FFA and/or FHL is preferable.

Languages:

  Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (level C). Ability to work in Portuguese is preferred.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

WFP’s country strategic plan (2017–2021) draws on the findings from the zero hunger strategic review, lessons learned and consultations with stakeholders. It focuses on WFP’s areas of strength that add value to the national zero hunger agenda and prioritizes support for government programmes and institutions, even when WFP plays an operational role. WFP will maintain its humanitarian assistance capacity while supporting long-term resilience and work to address the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition. A gender and nutrition lens will be applied throughout the portfolio. In this sense, WFP CO has designed an integrated nutrition-sensitive programme to address both structural and economic barriers to accessing and affording a nutritious diet, integrating FFA, PHL, SRH, basic childhood health services, and SBCC into a complementary package of services.  This programme is community-based and builds upon existing structures, including provincial government (SETSAN-P, DPASA, DPS) to provide strategic guidance, local authorities (SDAE, SDS-MAS) to provide technical assistance, and the extensive network of Community Health Activists (CHA) and Agricultural Extension Agents (TEA) to support programme implementation. The gender-transformative, nutrition-sensitive project “Reaching the furthest behind first – Gender transformative and nutrition sensitive programming to increase food and nutrition security for women, adolescent girls, and children in Chemba, Sofala – a contribution to the WFP Mozambique Country Strategic Plan 2017 – 2021” will contribute to Sustainable Development Goals and support the Government’s 5 Year Programme, WFP Country Strategic Plan, and multiple other national strategies in Mozambique. This project includes a position of project coordinator, that is currently being occupied by the consultant who is also supporting the FSN information system activities. Nonetheless, as the project is starting its implementation, there is a need to recruit a full-time officer as a project coordinator, who will also support other nutrition-sensitive programs.

JOB PURPOSE

WFP seeks a Nutrition Sensitive Officer to support ongoing nutrition-sensitive programs and perform as a project coordinator of the Gender Transformative and Nutrition-sensitive project.

The programme coordinator will play a lead role to ensure programme components are well coordinated and implemented with desired quality, in close collaboration with central, provincial and district level WFP staff, government authorities and cooperating partners.

The Nutrition Sensitive Officer will be reporting to the CO Nutrition Officer, while debriefing regularly the CO Nutrition Activity Manger.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Develops and schedules program work plan, oversees daily operations, coordinates activities of program components and cooperating partners and determines priorities.

2. Coordinate and support programme units and cooperating partners and ensure that programme activities are implemented with quality and timely.

3. Responsible for supervising the project activities, including monitoring and evaluation activities and data reporting, and reporting back to all stakeholders on program progress, including the teams involved from SO Beira and SO Quelimane.

4. Responsible for coordinating with counterparts (cooperating partners, government, etc) at central level and for supporting the program associate in a similar task at provincial level.

5. Support the Evaluation Manager and provide reviews/inputs throughout the process of the Decentralized Evaluation.

6. Provide technical and administrative support to the programme associate in Quelimane.

7. Supervise programme activities, including direct supervision of the programme associate in Quelimane.

8. Prepare implementation progress reports to the country office following the country office guidance.

9. Provide training (whenever needed) to provincial and district programme team members on nutrition and other relevant nutrition sensitive-programme topics.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Utilizes understanding of WFP’s Strategic Objectives to communicate linkages to team objectives and work.

•  Be a force for positive change: Proactively identifies and develops new methods or improvements for self and immediate team to address work challenges within own work area.

•  Make the mission inspiring to our team: Identifies opportunities to further align individual contributions with WFP’s mission of making an impact on local communities.

•  Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Helps colleagues to see the link between their individual tasks and the contributions of their unit’s goals to the broader context of WFP’s mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people’s skills: Is able to identify, support and encourage focused on-the-job learning opportunities to address gaps between current skillsets and needed future skillsets for WFP.

•  Create an inclusive culture: Recognizes the contributions of teammates, and encourages contributions from culturally different team mates to recognise the value of diversity above and beyond just including it in programming for beneficiaries.

•  Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Provides and solicits ongoing constructive feedback on strengths and development opportunities to help develop individual skills, whilst also helping others identify areas for improvement.

•  Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Sets clear targets for self and others to focus team efforts in ambiguous situations (e.g., unprecedented issues and/or scenarios)

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Thinks beyond team’s conventional approaches to formulate creative methods for delivering food aid and assistance to beneficiaries.

•  Focus on getting results: Maintains focus on achieving individual results in the face of obstacles such as volatile or fragile environments and/or organizational roadblocks.

•  Make commitments and make good on commitments: Takes personal accountability for upholding and delivering upon team’s commitments and provides assurance to stakeholders.

•  Be Decisive: Demonstrates ability to adjust to team’s plans and priorities to optimize outcomes in light of evolving directives, while also responding quickly in high-pressure environments, such as in emergency settings.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Demonstrates an understanding of when and how to tactfully engage other units in conversations on impact, timing, or planning

•  Build strong external partnerships: Networks regularly with key external partners using formal and informal opportunities to understand each partner’s unique value proposition, and to build and strengthen relationships

•  Be politically agile & adaptable: Demonstrates ability to adapt engagement approach in the context of evolving partner circumstances and expectations

•  Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Demonstrates ability to articulate to internal and external audiences the value that individual contributions and immediate teams bring to partnerships.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Capability Name Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level

Knowledge of Nutrients Has strong understanding of key nutrients requirements, food sources, food science and food technology related to vitamins and minerals to present evidence on nutrition effectively to WFP staff and partners.

Situation Analysis and Evidence Assessment Leverages new evidence and applies that to provide technical advice, identify and prioritise country nutrition gaps, design programmes and train staff and partners on the new evidence.

Knowledge of Public Health Ability to analyze data to determine overall health status, determining factors relating to nutrition, and possible areas of intervention for health and nutrition.

Knowledge of Food System Expert knowledge of emerging trends and developments in food systems and value chain transformations, as well as innovative programming, policies and interventions achieving good nutrition-promoting food systems.

Applying Programme  & Policy Standards Leverages nutrition knowledge to provide technical advice to governments to design and implement country nutrition programmes that follow international and WFP agency standards and guidance.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Successful track record with nutrition sensitive programme implementation and M&E. Strong understanding of the food security and nutrition context and infrastructure in Mozambique.

• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills.

• Demonstrated significant expertise providing technical support to country and field programme teams, government staff working on nutrition, gender, agriculture and SBCC activities.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide range of partners with varying interests and priorities.

• Strong understanding of the food security and nutrition context and infrastructure in Mozambique.

• Prior experience in the Mozambique on food security and/or nutrition sector, preferably including experience at the community, district, sub-national and national levels.

• Excellent inter-personal, communication and facilitation skills.

• Ability to work independently and as part of team;

• Exhibited cross-cultural competence.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Experience working with governments on developing nutrition policies and/or implementing a nutrition programme (within food security or health).

• Experience conducting nutritional assessments, analysed data and drafted recommendations for programme.

• Experience working in multiple countries.

• Experience working in both emergencies and development context.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

12 months with possiblity of renewal.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Interested applicants must apply not later than 7th January 2020

.

Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.