What we do
Since 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has worked to preserve human dignity and relieve suffering caused by war and armed violence.
In collaboration with our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners around the world, we do everything we can to deliver life-saving aid, reconnect families and locate missing people – helping those who need it most, regardless of who they are and what side of the front line they are on.
We engage with authorities and armed forces on all sides, often confidentially, pressing for access to detainees to improve their living conditions and urging compliance with international humanitarian law to protect non-combatants, including from digital threats.
Context of the Position
The ICRC’s Persons Deprived of Liberty (Detention) Unit aspires to be a trusted humanitarian leader in detention settings during conflicts and other situations of violence, while also influencing policies and practices beyond these contexts. Its aims to ensure humane treatment of detainees, protecting their dignity, and safeguarding their physical and mental well-being and integrity. The multidisciplinary unit provides integrated strategic guidance and tools to field teams, and operational support to ensure consistent and effective detention actions that achieve protection outcomes. The Unit brings together multiple specialties (métiers), working collaboratively to contribute to the protection and provision of essential services efforts within a framework that maximizes their collective impact. This structure ensures shared responsibility and accountability between the Persons Deprived of Liberty Unit and the respective métiers.
The ICRC’s Economic Security (EcoSec) Unit works to protect and restore people’s ability to meet their essential needs with dignity in situations of conflict and violence, combining emergency relief, livelihood support and nutrition programming, including for people deprived of their liberty.
Purpose of the Position
The EcoSec in Detention Advisor represents the EcoSec Unit at headquarters within the Person Deprived of Liberty Unit and for matters related to Detention (global remit). Develops technical and institutional guidance, policies, tools, guidelines, and training modules on EcoSec activities in Detention, with a particular focus on nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific programming. This work is carried out in close collaboration with other members of the PDL Unit and the EcoSec Nutritionist at HQ, The Advisor provides strategic, technical, and institutional support for the assessment, planning, implementation and monitoring of EcoSec in Detention programmes in delegations.
Recruited with a nutritionist profile, the Advisor brings expertise in nutrition and food systems in detention, particularly in supporting the prevention and treatment of malnutrition among detainees. Works in alignment with other EcoSec specialists to ensure a comprehensive EcoSec approach to Detention-related work. In line with the ICRC’s Institutional Strategy and the EcoSec and PDL unit priorities, contributes to programme development, as well as to humanitarian and operational diplomacy, and engaging in humanitarian fora.
Reports to (role)
- Head of People Deprived of Liberty Unit
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Global thematic issues and operational support
- Responsible for the global coherence of EcoSec in Detention interventions in the ICRC, with a particular focus on nutrition. Is responsible for leading global strategy, processes and protocols in relation to EcoSec in Detention interventions in the ICRC.
- Contributes to the adaptation and adoption of Detention and EcoSec global strategies and policies.
- Proposes and develops specific institutional files of interest to the Detention and EcoSec Units, devising a roadmap for action, writing briefs, articles, and policy papers
- Capitalises on best practices from the field and shares guidelines, frameworks, tools, and information related to economic security/food security/nutrition/public health issues in detention.
- Leads research and development on technical and institutional guidelines and tools related to economic security/food security/nutrition/public health issues in detention.
- Responsible for editing, revising, and updating ICRC guidance, frameworks, and policies related to EcoSec in Detention and develops specialized toolboxes.
- Aligns approaches with the Institutional Strategy and with Detention and EcoSec priorities and objectives.
- Ensures Regions/Delegations apply institutional technical tools and provides guidance to adapt and operationalise them.
- Documents and actively participates in reflections operationalising issues of institutional importance, including contributing to Detention and EcoSec reflections on how to improve and operationalise multi-disciplinary work within Detention activities, and more broadly within Ops/Programs.
- Maintains an overview of approaches and programs in their area of expertise to ensure exchange of experiences and lessons learnt between regions.
- Carries out short-term support assignments to ICRC delegations to provide expert EcoSec in Detention advice, including in nutrition, in case of need.
- Coordinates with the Detention unit, EcoSec Program Partners, EcoSec Specialists, regional advisors/specialists and coordinators and other heads of units; participates in multidisciplinary assessments and supports strategies for delegations when related to EcoSec in Detention.
- Supports EcoSec teams in representing the ICRC for Detention context internally or with relevant authorities in case of challenging negotiations.
Representation and Networking
- Collects and shares information to improve the ICRC’s understanding of the environment, humanitarian trends, and responses.
- Develops and maintains a global network of external contacts (private, public, non-governmental) in nutrition and thematic topics on which the Advisor (co)leads, and represents the ICRC in relevant working groups, clusters/sectors, regional meetings, and fora.
- Engages actively with the relevant communities of practice to continuously review and share knowledge, literature, and information relevant for the Nutritionist (in Detention) community globally and regionally.
- Exchanges expertise and experiences with relevant networks and interlocutors as necessary and ensures dissemination of global issues, and recent literature/developments/techniques/tools amongst EcoSec staff working in Detention, and the wider Detention and EcoSec Units.
- Actively supports the organisation of national and regional seminars - in close coordination with EcoSec staff working in Detention in the field, Detention team, and other relevant units in the HQ.
People management and Coaching
- Is the functional manager of Delegation Nutritionists working primarily in detention, for cases where they don’t have a functional manager in the delegation.
- Coaches Regional and Delegation EcoSec staff working in Detention, including specifically Regional Nutritionists (and Delegation senior Nutritionists when necessary) in developing relevant strategies, plans of action, thematic files, methodologies, guidance and programme adjustments.
- Designs and delivers nutrition-programme workshops and training modules in coordination with relevant colleagues and units. Works with regional nutritionists to ensure training content is relevant, topical, and updated. Provides coaching to specialist staff as required.
- Provides specific Region or Delegation level capacity building as requested and required.
- Coordinates and supports the employees under their supervision in their personal development by coaching and advising them on internal and external training and development possibilities.
- Supports the EcoSec Nutritionist and Talent Manager to maintain the Nutritionist pool (including recruitment, competency validation, deployment planning, development/career planning, etc.).
- Understands and supervises the Performance Management & Development (PMD) activities for employees under their supervision, contributing to the PMD for all relevant staff members. Makes sure that deadlines for the PMD cycle are met.
- Engages in ongoing and continuous feedback and support, particularly for employees under their supervision, but also other staff members.
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- Ensures that job descriptions for employees under their supervision are up to date; seeks feedback and support from the HR Department if needed.
- Plans and coordinates the annual leave of the employees under their supervision ensuring continuity of the operations throughout the year and making sure that there are no outstanding holiday balances at the end of the year.
- Coordinates and supports the employees under their supervision in their personal development by coaching and advising them on internal and external training and development possibilities
- Takes responsibility of own professional learning and development.
Scope and Impact
- Geographical remit: Global, with direct technical support for Americas, Asia, NAME and Europe
- The position is in Geneva, with significant travel
Relationships
Internally
1. Works closely with all members of the Persons Deprived of Liberty Unit under the supervision of the PDL Head of Unit (line manager) and maintains a close working relationship with the Head of the EcoSec Unit as functional manager.
2. Works closely with all members of the EcoSec Unit to ensure coherence of the EcoSec activities in detention worldwide and with other activities of the EcoSec Unit.
3. Leads the global network of expertise of EcoSec staff working in Detention.
4. Contributes where relevant to the performance appraisals of Regional and Delegation EcoSec staff working in Detention.
5. Has the lead advisory role on matters related to Detention for Regional and Delegation senior Nutritionists working in detention. Where relevant, engages with the EcoSec Senior Nutritionist on matters related to functional management of nutrition staff.
Externally
1. Represents the EcoSec and Persons Deprived of Liberty team to a wide variety of interlocutors related to Detention.
2. Represents the ICRC in relation to the area of expertise of Nutrition and Detention to a wide range of stakeholders including government, technical authorities, academia/research organisations, humanitarian and development actors, Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners, private sector stakeholders, and other organisations.
Education Required
- Master's degree in nutrition, public health, global/international health, or another relevant field
- Verbal and written fluency in French and English is required; other ICRC operational languages is an asset (Arabic, Spanish, Russian)
- Computer proficiency; familiarity with nutrition assessment and surveillance software and data management.
Experience Required
- Overall 12 to 15 years of professional experience
- 7+ years' international humanitarian experience is required
- Confirmed experience working in places of detention and/or engaging with penitentiary authorities in complex environments is required.
- Proven experience in nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific programming, including prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition is required.
- Strong track record developing technical guidance, tools, training modules, and policy or strategy papers is required
- Experience in people/functional management, coaching and capacity-building of technical staff is required
- Familiarity with detention-specific protection approaches and with ICRC Economic Security approaches a strong asset.
- Experience in monitoring and evaluation, surveillance system, and multistage evaluation is an asset
- RC/RC Movement experience is highly valued.
- Experience engaging with technical authorities, academia/research institutions or other external stakeholders is an asset.
Additional Information
- Type of Mobility: Required Rotation
- Working rate: 100%
- Starting date: 1st Jan 2027
- Location: Geneva
- Job level: C2
- Length of assignment: until 31st Dec 2030
- Application deadline: Monday, 7th Sept 2026
The ICRC values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.
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Our values
- At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this page.
