Long Term Agreement: National Individual Consultant to Support the Implementation of Nutrition Emergency Response and Recovery in the Context of Disasters in Viet Nam

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For every child, an opportunity...

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Background:

Globally, Viet Nam is among the most affected countries by climate change. Each year, increasingly intense and unpredictable weather events cause fatalities and extensive damage to infrastructure, such as schools and health centers, and impact on the livelihoods of already disadvantaged communities in urban and rural areas. Children nutrition is especially affected by these natural disasters. Access to food, water, education and healthcare is threatened and the pressure on communities – resulting from loss of income and assets – increases children’s exposure to nutrition vulnerabilities. Women also tend to be disproportionately impacted, further increasing negative effects on children, as they may be less able to provide sufficient nutrition or care.

Due to the unpredictable timing, scale, and geographic spread of disasters, nutrition support in emergencies is required on an ad‑hoc and surge basis and cannot be absorbed within the regular functions of UNICEF staff. UNICEF therefore seeks to establish a Long‑Term Agreement (LTA) with qualified consultant(s) to provide on‑demand technical support on Nutrition in Emergency response and early recovery, enabling timely, consistent, and high‑quality responses.

At the heart of UNICEF response are the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs). The CCCs form the core UNICEF policy and framework for humanitarian action and are mandatory for all UNICEF personnel. Grounded in global humanitarian norms and standards, the CCCs set organizational, programmatic and operational commitments and benchmarks against which UNICEF holds itself accountable for the coverage, quality and equity of its humanitarian action and advocacy. The Nutrition in Emergency Consultant is expected to bring in critical inputs to the emergency and recovery component of Nutrition programming to meet to the UNICEF's CCC in emergency.

Purpose of the assignment:

UNICEF would like to engage the services of an individual consultant for rapid deployment to enhance our capacity to provide life-saving nutrition supports to affected communities, as well as support recovery, preparedness and resilience measures.

Objective:

The overall objective is to set up a Long-Term Agreement to facilitate and expedite the process by which UNICEF in Vietnam will hire consultant as required for specific projects to work in close collaboration with UNICEF Country Office and external partners to provide support in planning, early actions, response and recovery.

Responsibilities of the Consultant:

Under the overall guidance of UNICEF and in close coordination with relevant government counterparts and partners, the consultant(s) will provide on-demand technical support for Nutrition responses in disaster-affected provinces. Tasks include, but may not be limited to:

Task 1: Provide technical support to UNICEF, implementing partners, and national/provincial counterparts in taking early actions, planning and need assessment:

1.1. Work closely with national and local authorities, humanitarian organizations, and other stakeholders to review data and key indicators, ensure an accurate assessment of the situation of children, families and communities and their immediate, mid-term and long terms needs, develop emergency response plans, and recommend proactive measures to minimize the impacts of emergencies.

1.2. Participate in Nutrition sector and multisectoral coordination meetings as required.

1.3. Support in planning and implementing rapid assessment missions, including field data collection, analysis, and reporting, to inform humanitarian response planning, identify immediate needs and service delivery gaps, and support response interventions for affected populations in consultation and agreement with relevant Government counterparts.

Task 2: Coordinate with partners, supply division, and service providers to ensure timely delivery of supplies and services, ensure accountability and feedback mechanisms are in place, support recovery efforts and resilient building activities:

2.1. Support UNICEF, partners and local authorities in procuring and delivering nutrition supplies, and in monitoring supply utilization to ensure proper distribution and follow-ups.

2.2. Support partners and local authorities in implementing nutrition services, including providing technical support/capacity strengthening, monitoring, and facilitating effective communication among different response entities.

2.3. Collaborate with finance service providers and local authorities to carry out Nutrition Cash Plus intervention as required.

2.4. Timely reports and updates contributed to situation reports or internal briefs.

2.4. Support knowledge management, including via assessing the mid-term and long-term impacts of the emergency on children, their families and communities, consolidating results of response and recovery activities, providing insights and documenting lessons learned and recommendations.

Task 3: Support coordination efforts, communication and resource mobilization:

3.1. Assist the preparation of data, information and relevant figures, as well as provide inputs, for the development of donor proposals and donor reports.

3.2. Ensure proper UNICEF visibility and support the preparation of events, including donors’ visits.

3.3. Support and facilitate communication and advocacy activities, such as the collection and documentation of human-interest stories from the field.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete TOR TOR for Individual LTA on Nutrition in Emergency.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

A minimum of Master’s degree in human nutrition, public health, medicine or related health discipline. A diploma in a relevant field with experience can be considered in lieu of the degree.

Work Experience and Skills:

+ Minimum 5 years of experience with nutrition in emergencies and familiar with nutrition field monitoring.

+ Demonstrated experience as a consultant in an advisory role is required.

+ Strong mixed quantitative and qualitative skills set in terms of risk assessment and data analysis.

+ Excellent interpersonal skills and familiarity with the Viet Nam emergency response system and health care system at province and community level. Able to facilitate and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences and contribute to an interdisciplinary team.

+ Demonstrated ability to take initiative, work independently, and make sound, informed decisions.

+ Proven ability in building and mentoring capacity of government counterparts, with experience working closely with potential beneficiaries; experience working with the UN and/or an NGO is an asset.

+ Availability for rapid deployment on short notice.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in Vietnamese and English (verbal and written) is a must. Proven experience of high-quality report writing and documentation.

Evaluation Criteria:

Technical Evaluation Criteria (80 points):

+ A minimum of Master’s degree in human nutrition, public health, medicine or related health discipline. A Diploma in a relevant field with experience can be considered in lieu of the degree, 15 points.

+ Minimum 5 years of experience with nutrition in emergencies and familiar with nutrition field monitoring, 10 points.

+ Strong mixed quantitative and qualitative skills set in terms of risk assessment and data analysis, 10 points.

+ Demonstrated ability to take initiative, work independently, and make sound, informed decisions; Demonstrated experience as a consultant in an advisory role; Excellent interpersonal skills and familiarity with the Viet Nam emergency response system and health care system at province and community level; Able to facilitate and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences and contribute to an interdisciplinary team, 20 points.

+ Proven ability in building and mentoring capacity of government counterparts, with experience working closely with potential beneficiaries; experience working with the UN and/or an NGO is an asset, 15 points.

+ Fluency in Vietnamese and English, 10 points.

Financial evaluation (20 points):

- The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened /evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum 45 points score in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

- The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview if needed.

Submission of applications:

- A cover letter and updated Curriculum Vitae (CV), including 3 names of people who can be contacted for recommendations.

- Relevant course certificates, including BSAFE as a mandatory course requirement (on https://agora.unicef.org/?autologin=unicef)

- A financial proposal indicating professional fee, travel and other costs for the assignment as per the template indicated in the TOR. Please do not forget to specify your name in the file while saving.

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

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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