UNICEF Nutrition Specialist (Coordination) Job in Kenya

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
 

Kenya Country Office

Vacancy Announcement “KCO/NUTR/2014-079”

Nutrition Specialist (Coordination) - NOC  
 

Fixed Term Appointment

Date of Issue: 18 November 2014                                    

Applications are hereby invited from suitably-qualified candidates who are Kenyan Nationals to fill the above position on a Fixed Term Appointment in the Nutrition Section of UNICEF Kenya Country Office.

Purpose of Post: Under the general supervision of the Chief of Nutrition, and with technical support of the Global Nutrition Cluster, the Country Nutrition Sector Coordinator will be responsible for leading the Nutrition Coordination at National and Sub National level in Kenya.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Establishment and maintenance of appropriate coordination mechanisms at national and county level:

• Ensure that cluster participants are aware of relevant policy guidelines, technical standards and relevant commitments that the Government/concerned authorities have undertaken under international human rights law;
• Ensure that responses are in line with existing policy guidance, technical standards, and relevant Government human rights legal obligations.

Planning and strategy development:

• Ensure appropriate coordination between all Nutrition humanitarian partners (including national and international NGOs, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, IOM and other international organizations active in the sector) as well as national authorities and local structures
• Ensure the establishment/maintenance of appropriate sector coordination mechanisms including working groups at the national, and if necessary, local level;
• Ensure full integration of the IACS’s agreed priority cross-cutting issues, namely human rights, HIV/AIDS, age, gender and environment, utilization participatory and community-based approaches.  In line with this, promote gender equality by ensuring that the needs, contributions and capacities of women and girls as well as men and boys are addressed;
• Secure commitments from cluster participants in responding to needs and filling gaps, ensuring an appropriate distribution of responsibilities within the cluster, with clearly defined focal points for specific issues where necessary;
• Ensure that participants work collectively, ensuring the complementarities of the various stake holder’s actions;
• Promote emergency response actions while at the same time considering the need for early recovery planning as well as prevention and risk reduction concerns;
• Ensure effective links with other clusters (with OCHA support), especially Health & Nutrition, Agriculture and Livelihoods and Education;
• Represent the interests of the cluster in discussions with the Humanitarian Coordinator on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy;
• Act as focal point for inquiries on the cluster’s response plans and operations.

Application of standards:

• Ensure predictable action within the cluster for the following;
• Needs assessment and analysis; development of standard assessment formats for use within the sector;
• Identification of gaps;
• Developing/updating agreed response strategies and action plans for the cluster and ensuring that these are adequately reflected in the overall country strategies, such as the Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) an integral component of the CAP process.
• Drawing lessons learned from past activities and revising strategies and action plans accordingly;
• Developing an exit, or transition, strategy for the cluster.

Monitoring and reporting:

• Specifically needs to include an analytical interpretation of best available information in order to benchmark progress of the emergency response over time.  That is - monitoring indicators (quantity, quality, coverage, continuity and cost) of service delivery which are derived from working towards meeting standards (mentioned in point 4).
• Ensure regular reporting against cluster indicators of service delivery (quantity, quality, coverage, continuity and cost) supports analysis of cluster in closing gaps and measuring impact of interventions.

Advocacy and resource mobilization:

• Identify core advocacy concerns, including resource requirements, and contribute key messages to broader advocacy initiatives of the Humanitarian Coordinators and other actors;
• Advocate for donors to fund cluster participants to carry out priority activities in the sector concerned, while at the same time encouraging cluster participants to mobilize resources for their activities through the usual channels.

Identification of key partners

• Identify key humanitarian partners for the cluster, respecting their respective mandates and program priorities
• Identify other key partners including local and national authorities, peacekeeping forces, etc.
• Carryout capacity mapping of all current and potential actors – government, national and international humanitarian organizations as well as national institutions, the private sector and market assess to materials and services

Training and capacity building of national/local authorities and civil society:

• Promote and support training of humanitarian personnel and capacity building of humanitarian partners, based on the mapping and understanding of available capacity;
• Support efforts to strengthen the capacity of the national/local authorities and civil society.

Required Qualifications: 

• Advanced university degree in Nutrition, or related technical field.

Experience:

• Five to Eight years with significant experience working in coordination and emergency contexts preferably UN or NGO experience at a programme management level.

Language(s):

• Fluency in English and another UN working language required.  
• Knowledge of Kiswahili would be an asset.

Interested and suitable candidates should ensure that they forward their applications along with their curricula vitae (internal candidates should attach copies of their last two Performance Evaluation Reports), to:

The Human Resources Manager
UNICEF Kenya Country Office
Email address: kenyahrvacancies@unicef.org 

Closing Date: 01 December 2014

Please indicate Reference No. “KCO/NUTR/2014-079”in the email subject.

“Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply”
 

Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse
 

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