Nutrition Officer (Systems Strengthening) at UNICEF

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, leaving no one behind. In partnership with the government and other stakeholders, UNICEF aims to deliver high-quality nutrition services at scale to build resilience and protect the most vulnerable, particularly during the First 1000 Days of Life, from pregnancy to when a child is two years old. Currently, Nigeria is off track to achieving the nutrition targets of the World Health Assembly 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The focus, in keeping with UNICEF Nigeria's new Country Programme Strategy (2023-2027), is to (i) strengthen the enabling environment, including data, to inform policy and programming; (ii) strengthen systems, especially the health, food and social protection system to deliver high-quality services; and (iii) address social and behavioural practices that influence diets and practices.

The Child Nutrition and Development programme supports the government in implementing high-impact nutrition interventions through the health, food, and social protection systems in an integrated and at scale in both emergency and development contexts. Over the years, coverage and scale of interventions such as micronutrient supplementation for children and pregnant women, treatment of acute malnutrition, and nutrition counselling have increased significantly. Currently, UNICEF is supporting the government in rolling out the Nigeria Health Logistics Management Information System (NHLMIS) and the District Health Information Management System (DHIS 2) for routine data collection.

To support the implementation of the planned systems-strengthening interventions for nutrition under the Country Programme Document (2023-2027), the UNICEF Nigeria Country Office is seeking to hire a Nutrition Officer (NOB) to be based in Abuja, Nigeria.

How can you make a difference?

Under the overall guidance of the Nutrition Manager - System Strengthening Abuja, the candidate will,


Provide sound technical support for the integration and delivery of high-impact nutrition interventions (prevention and treatment services) at the national and sub-national levels and across sectors.
Provide support to the nutrition programme by efficiently managing organizational resources and monitoring results.
Track and manage the utilization of grants, ensuring compliance with results-based principles and standards, UNICEF guidelines, and donor conditionalities.
Initiate and track the procurement of essential life-saving nutrition commodities in partnership with UNICEF's Supply Team and Supply Division.


Key functions/accountabilities:

Support nutrition programme development, planning and implementation


Assist government counterparts and other partners in the design, planning, implementation and monitoring of the nutrition programmes/interventions
Provide technical assistance in the integration of the nutrition programme with other sectors and programmes.
Contribute to establishing partnerships to promote innovative approaches to address immediate and underlying determinants of maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition.
Support the improvement of programme delivery, with an emphasis on the sustainability of interventions, community participation, and the Human Rights Based Approach to Programming.


Technical support and coordination for the efficient and effective implementation of nutrition programmes and results.


Assist in the development of evidence-based nutrition work plans and provide technical support for the implementation and monitoring of planned activities.
Monitor programme implementation to ensure objectives and targets are met and achieved in a timely manner through effective coordination and collaboration with the government and other partners.
Ensure the efficient and effective use of UNICEF resources---funds, supplies, and other assistance.
Assists in the implementation of emergency preparedness plans and programmes relating to nutrition in line with the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) in humanitarian action.


Nutrition programme management, monitoring and quality assurance


Conducts accurate, timely monitoring of system-strengthening programmes and interventions.
Support the field offices in implementation, monitoring of results and reporting.
Coordinate with Operations and Supply colleagues on the timely procurement, management and distribution of nutrition supplies.
Ensure the timely and efficient use of grants within established plans and in line with nutrition programme priorities.


Effective partnership and networking, advocacy and information sharing for resource mobilization and implementation of nutrition programmes


Exchange nutrition information and knowledge with other programmes and partners to contribute to achieving the overall country programme objectives.
Contribute to the development of communication materials and strategies to support nutrition advocacy and community participation.
Establish and maintain partnerships with all nutrition stakeholders, and the private sector to mobilize resources and accelerate the achievement of nutrition outcomes.
Assist in identifying capacity development needs and facilitate the learning/development activities for government and implementing partners, for effective programme delivery.


Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building


Introduce innovation and best practices to ensure the nutrition programme's efficiency and effectiveness.
Keep abreast of and share new evidence on best practices in nutrition programming, especially on systems strengthening.


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

Education:

A university degree in one of the following fields is required: nutrition, public health, nutritional epidemiology, global/ international health and nutrition, health/nutrition research, policy and/or management, health sciences, nutritional epidemiology, or another health-related science field. An advanced university degree in any of the above programmes is an asset.

Experience:


A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience in health and nutrition programmes
Experience in implementing health or nutrition systems strengthening programmes
Working experience for the UN or other international development organization would be an asset.