About US:
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is mandated by the UN general assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
Job Summary: The Nutrition Specialist will support the UNICEF Field Office in the formulation, design, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of Nutrition project(s) to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of the project management, delivery and accomplishment of project goals and objectives. The Nutrition Specialist will also be in charge of ensuring that all aspects of the Nutrition project/programme promote gender equality, and for collaborating to mainstream key features across all related sectors of the country programme.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Project Planning, Development and Management. Enhance effective multisectoral coordination, planning, development and management of the Nutrition Programme including the Enhanced Resilience Karamoja component that is funded by DFID by contributing timely and effective technical advice, guidance and inputs to situational analysis and its periodic update through accurate and complete monitoring and analysis, addressing gender inequality and determinants of gender equality; ensure the timely preparation or finalization of sectoral input.
Knowledge Management:
· Further promote knowledge management by ensuring that challenges, lessons learned, and best practices from the Nutrition Programme including those from the Enhanced Resilience Karamoja component funded by DFID by are documented and reports such as the Country Programme Recommendation and Plans of Action are disseminated at all levels as well as through orientation and training programmes targeted to Government authorities of the programme.
· Ensure exchange of knowledge, information, experience or lessons learned; provides solid technical recommendations on major programme directions and on introduction of new initiatives in the country.
Rights-Based Projects through Results-Based Approach.
· Actively promote the quality of rights-based Nutrition projects and programmes through participation in the formulation of programme/project goals, strategies and approaches, especially those that increase gender equality.
· Bring coherence, synergy and added value to sectoral or project management processes using a gender-sensitive, results-based management approach to planning and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
Sectoral Work Plan Development, Implementation, and Monitoring:
· Takes primary responsibility for the development of the sectoral work plan and technical decisions as well as for project management, implementation and monitoring of assigned project/sectoral activity, in compliance with the defined project strategies and approaches, with an emphasis on promoting a shared understanding and approach to reducing gender inequalities and achieving gender mainstreaming.
· Ensure the appropriateness of financial, administrative and supply documentation; verify that Nutrition project expenditures are within allotments and that data is consistent with the project information and database (e.g., FLS, VISSION). Follow up on queries or initiate corrective action on discrepancies.
Project Delivery, Evaluation and Reporting:
· Ensure multi-sectoral or inter-sectoral efficiency and delivery of all components of the multisectoral Nutrition Programme through a rigorous and transparent approach to evaluation.
· Take part in major evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sector review meetings with government counterparts and UN counterparts,, ensuring that identified problems and remedial proposed actions are implemented, 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.
Promotion of UNICEF’s Global Goals: Promote the organization goals of UNICEF through advocacy and policy dialogue through active engagement in communication, networking and participation at every opportunity inside and outside UNICEF, leveraging the strength of UNICEF mission, goals and programmes and focusing on the contributions of gender equality in achieving these goals.
UNICEF and Government Accountability.
· Works closely with Operations and Supply staff on supply and non-supply assistance activities ensuring proper and timely UNICEF and Government accountability.
· Certifies disbursements of funds, monitors and submits financial status reports to management in compliance with the regulations and guidelines.
Communication, Collaboration, Networking and Partnership:
· Ensure exchange of information, experience, identify new strategies and courses of action to accelerate/improve delivery of services and achieve Nutrition programme requirements and objectives.
· Conduct field visits to monitor programmes and conduct periodic programme reviews with Government counterparts and other partners, employing qualitative as well as quantitative gender sensitive monitoring methods as useful.
· Work closely with Communication and Programme Communication groups to ensure development of effective communication materials and strategies to support advocacy and social mobilization efforts.
· Work in liaison with Regional Advisers and HQ Officers. Collaborate with other Project or Programme Officers to ensure the integration of the project/sectoral programme with other sectors, ensuring that interventions to reduce gender inequalities are mainstreamed across the sectors.
· Collaborate with the Operations and Supply Sections and Government authorities to establish and maintain sound internal controls supportive of Nutrition project or sectoral planning and implementation, to coordinate financial and supply management requirements as well as to ensure accountability.
· Interact with Government and other partners, NGOs, UN and bilateral agencies in the different stages of Health programme/project implementation to follow up on agreements and recommendations.
· Offer technical support and direction on appropriate technical, financial and institutional capacity building measures to achieve Nutrition programme goals.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
· The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNICEF Nutrition Specialist must hol an advanced university degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Public Health & Nutrition, Health Sciences, International Health & Nutrition, Family Health & Nutrition, Nutritional Epidemiology, Health & Nutrition Education, Health & Nutrition Promotion and Disease Prevention, Public Health, Health Emergency Preparedness, or other relevant discipline(s).
· Additional training in gender and in nutrition programmes that promote gender equality an asset.
· At least five years of relevant professional field work experience and background/familiarity with Emergency.
· Prior experience in monitoring gender inequalities and in programming interventions that reduce these inequalities an asset.
· Fluency in English is required and strong written and verbal communications skill therein strongly desirable.
Core Values (Required): Commitment; Diversity and Inclusion; Integrity
Core Competencies (Required): Communication; Working with People; Drive for Results
Functional Competencies (Required): Leading and Supervising; Formulating Strategies and Concepts; Analyzing; Relating and Networking; Deciding and Initiating Action; Applying Technical Expertise.
NB: UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff; qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. UNICEF is a smoke free environment.
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested Ugandan Nationals who wish to join the United Nations UNICEF must send their applications accompanied by an updated CV and P11 form, download here, as well as two of the most recent performance evaluation report.
The Email applications should be sent in this format to name your file attachments: Firstname_Lastname followed by document e.g. Gold_MukasaP11 or Gold_MukasaCV or Gold_MukasaApplication.
The applications should be addressed to:
Human Resource Manager,
UNICEF Kampala, Uganda,
Plot 9, George Street,
P.O. Box 7047, Kampala Uganda
Via Email to: ugderecruit@unicef.org
Deadline: 22nd October, 2015