Chief Nutrition, P-4, Fixed Term Position, Lilongwe, Malawi, #00052247

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a future.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF seeks an experienced Chief of Nutrition to lead UNICEF Malawi’s comprehensive nutrition portfolio, providing strategic direction, technical leadership and partnership coordination to strengthen nutrition systems and deliver sustainable results for
children, adolescents and women across development and humanitarian contexts.

In this role, and under the overall leadership of the Deputy Representative, you will provide strategic leadership for the nutrition programme and guide a multidisciplinary team in the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of results for women, children and adolescents. Drawing on your technical expertise, you will oversee the development and delivery of evidence-based nutrition programmes, strengthen national nutrition systems, and ensure sustainable improvements in maternal, infant, young child and adolescent nutrition (MIYCAN), with a particular focus on the most vulnerable populations.

You will engage with internal and external partners, including government counterparts, development partners, civil society, academia and donors, to coordinate and strengthen programme implementation, leverage investments and mobilize resources for nutrition priorities. You will lead high-level policy dialogue, and champion evidence-based advocacy to advance nutrition as a national development priority.

You will also promote innovation, knowledge management, evidence generation and capacity development to strengthen programme effectiveness and sustainability. Through strong leadership, strategic coordination and a focus on results, you will enhance programme quality, scale successful interventions, strengthen accountability and ensure that UNICEF delivers meaningful and lasting improvements in nutrition outcomes for children, adolescents and women across both development and humanitarian contexts.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD - P4 Chief Nutrition.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced 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.
• Work Experience: At least 8 years of relevant work experience in Nutrition, Public Health, Nutrition Program Management, Maternal and Child Health, Monitoring and Evaluation, Policy Development, Partnership Building, Capacity Building, Emergency Preparedness, Strategic Planning, Advocacy, and any other related fields. Experience in leading the design, implementation and management of large-scale nutrition programmes, using a risk-informed lens, and with a focus on maternal, infant, young child and adolescent nutrition, at an international level. Proven experience leading nutrition policy development, strategy formulation, and national coordination mechanisms. Experience in strengthening national nutrition systems. Experience in engaging with senior government counterparts, development partners, donors and civil society organizations. Proven experience in effectively leading and managing a team to deliver results. Demonstrated experience leading nutrition responses in humanitarian and emergency contexts, including preparedness planning, coordination and resilience-building initiatives.
• Skills: Demonstrated experience generating and utilizing evidence, including nutrition assessments, surveys, programme evaluations, research, and situation analyses, to inform policy dialogue and programme decision-making. Proven experience advocating for increased investment in nutrition and integrating nutrition priorities within national development, health, food systems and social protection agendas. Proven experience strengthening national nutrition information systems and promoting the use of data and evidence for policy, planning and programme management.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• Experience in health/nutrition programme/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Experience managing EU, Irish and KfW grants, as well as private sector engagement, are assets.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children's data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable male candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.