TA Nutrition Specialist Emergency PCA Liason Officer , NOC at UNICEF

Job Number: 521199
Location: Abuja
Work Type: Temporary Appointment

Background

• The protracted conflict in North East (NE) Nigeria has increased population vulnerability to displacement, disruption & loss of livelihood, malnutrition, food insecurity, inadequate health services and poor sanitation.
• As part of the integrated humanitarian response for conflict affected states. As the lead agency for nutrition sector UNICEF is providing support to the nutrition response to humanitarian crisis in North.
• UNICEF operation through direct supports government health structure and partnership with members of local and international civil society for nutrition preventive and curative service delivery. In 2018 a total of 17 partnership has been established with 4 local and 13 national NGOs.  Furthermore, there are several other NGOs who are considering staring partnership with UNICEF.
• The establishment and daily management of these partnership were done at Abuja level in liaising with the budget units by a Nutrition specialist.
• The Specialist serving as interface between the HACT and budget units in Abuja and the nutrition staff in the Borno office. The absence of the specialist has created a gap that the nutrition section tried to fill by redistributing and relocating the roles and responsibilities for the management of partnership agreements to the nutrition staff in the Boron field office.
• The lack of interface at Abuja level combined with recent changes introduced in the partnership process has led to significant delays in the PCA process and management. If prolonged these delays may result in under- achievement of the Nutrition targets at the operational level as well as represent a reputational risk for UNICEF in its capacity of the nutrition as sector lead. The main role of this position is to engage with various nutrition partners to develop partnership agreements and develop programme documents to help avoid compromising results for the nutrition sector and affect UNICEF reputation.

Purpose of Assignment

• The Nutrition Specialist Emergency PCA Liason Officer is responsible for managing and monitoring nutrition partnerships and monitor supply chain including program planning, monitoring, and evaluation and partner's reporting for UNICEF supplies.

Key Functions, Accountabilities And Related Duties/Tasks
She/ He will be responsible for the delivery of the core functions below:

Partnership Building:

• Contributes to strategies for engagement and the development of partnership documents with other organizations implementing nutrition
• Ensuring that nutrition partners submit required documents for partnership
• Certify disbursements of funds, monitor utilisation and preparation of financial status reports.
• Working closely with other units to ensure approved funds are released to other partners
• Monitoring the partners to ensure partnership compliance are maintained.

Managing Nutrition Supply chain:

• Coordinate with operations staff on provision of supply and non-supply assistance to partners, ensuring proper and timely accountability in accordance with UNICEF policies and procedures.
• Develop and maintain a ‘supply chains for health system strengthening learning collaborative with Programme Division, Immunization and Community Health teams. Work closely with the GAVI Alliance develop a workplan; collaborate with child health and development partners; utilize existing learning platforms; and monitor and report on progress.
• Enhance UNICEF's visibility and influence with existing and prospective partners and key supply chain stakeholders by providing analysis of the current supply trends and formulating recommendations for strategy approaches.
• Develop and implement a communication strategy: Produce a National Supply Chain Strengthening communication strategy and associated work plan with the aim of increasing awareness and action on national supply chain strengthening, strengthen political will in support of UNICEF's mission and objectives, and enhance the organization's credibility and brand among key partners

Fund raising and Donor reporting:

• Contribute to nutrition proposal writing and grant management.
• Donor Reporting: Provide leadership on meeting UNICEF Supply Division's donor reporting accountabilities, working closely with Program and Public Partnership Divisions on the reporting on immunization supply chain (GAVI); WHO/UNICEF Immunization Hub (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation); Food for Peace (USAID); other donors; and input to UNICEF annual reports and other relevant internal and external reporting.
• Acts as focal point for identification and pursuit of opportunities for fund raising

Information Management:

• Support complete, quality and timely reporting of nutrition programs/CBT based on partnership agreements and agreed monitoring frameworks.
• Provide support in reviewing documents, developing project proposal, preparing survey protocols and adopting standardized approaches and tools for nutrition/CBT programming
• Maintain information databases and general project IM tools including consolidation, analysis and report/disseminate of data collected throughout various assessments
• Compile, clean and analyse nutrition/CBT data including Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Vitamin A supplementation, Infant and Young Child Feeding Practice (IYCFP), Micronutrients etc.
• Assess trends and measures outcomes relating to achievement of project targets to support evidence-based programming.
• For high level official meetings, represent all partners of the consortium in matters relating to the project implementation and impact in focus states.
• When needed, coordinate Document minutes and action points; as and when needed coordinate and plan for minutes, develop agenda, document minutes and share action points with all relevant persons.

Situation Monitoring and Assessment:

• Takes lead in preparing SitRep inputs with emphasis on Sector plans, targets and achievements.
• Prepare briefs and presentations as and when needed for decision making and prioritization of nutrition interventions.
• Assess and monitor trends in the nutrition situation of children, women and vulnerable populations, and identify core advocacy concerns.
• Ensure that a nutritional surveillance mechanism as well as nutrition rapid assessments and surveys among all Implementing Partners are well established.
• Review routine and survey data on nutrition interventions and ensure appropriate programme actions and responses are taken.

Program Performance Monitoring:

• Regularly update and share with implementing agencies in both state the collated overall, and state specific nutrition/CBT statistics against agreed performance indicators in all information exchange channels.
• Conduct field visits to programs in both states to monitor the quality of data collection and reporting; also provides supportive supervision as and when needed.
• In partnership with the nutrition sector coordinator attend joint monitoring exercises
• Provide any other relevant support as requested by the consortium coordinator

Purpose of assignment:

• The Nutrition Specialist Emergency PCA Liason Officer is responsible for managing and monitoring nutrition partnerships and monitor supply chain including program planning, monitoring, and evaluation and partner's reporting for UNICEF supplies.

Education

• An advance University degree in one of the following fields in required: Human Nutrition, preferably with corresponding degree in Public Health, Nutritional Epidemiology, Global/Iinternational Health and Nutrition, Food Security, Medicine or other related field.

Work Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in developing country in one or more of the following areas is required: public health, nutrition planning and management, or maternal, infant and child health/ nutrition care.
• Experience in health/nutrition programme/ project development and management in a UN system agency or organisation is an asset.
• Knowledge of UNICEF programme Cooperative partnership procedure
• Recent experience in Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition and Moderate Acute Malnutrition, including Therapeutic Feeding Programmes (TFP) and Supplementary Feeding Programmes (SFP).
• Versed experience with CMAM and SAM treatment protocols
• Experience in Malnutrition Programme communications (C4D).
• Proficient on Advocacy, partnership and fund raising.

Language Proficiency:

• Fluency in English (verbal and written).
• Good written and spoken skills in the language of the partnership operation and knowledge of another UN language an asset.

Technical Competencies:

• Professional technical knowledge in Data Collection
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft office (MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint etc.)
• Experience in survey methodologies, nutrition assessment and skills to use different software to manage data properly such as EpiData, EpiInfo, STATA, ENA, SPSS
• Current knowledge of the latest developments and technology in the field.
• Detail-oriented ability to work at a fast pace and meet deadlines
• Ability to plan, coordinate and manage multiple tasks and adjust to changing priorities.
• Leadership and ability to work with people.
• Strong drive for result.
• Strong and effective communication and writing skill

Core Values:

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies:

• Communication (II)
• Working with people (II)
• Drive for results (II)

Functional Competencies:

• Leading and Supervising
• Formulating strategies and Concepts
• Relating and Networking
• Persuading and Influencing
• Applying Technical Expertise
• Entrepreneurial Thinking