Nutrition Officer, NO-2, Fixed Term Position, Lilongwe, Malawi, #00137618 (Open to Malawian Nationals Only)

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 Safety

How can you make a difference?

In this role, you will play a vital part in advancing UNICEF Malawi’s mission to improve the lives of children, adolescents, and women, especially those most vulnerable and affected by emergencies. You will help shape and deliver high-impact nutrition programmes, ensuring that lifesaving interventions reach those who need them most.

You will support delivery of quality maternal, infant, young child and adolescent nutrition (MIYCAN) services across communities and health facilities, support humanitarian preparedness and response and strengthen systems for early detection and treatment of wasting. Working closely with government and partners, you will contribute to integrated, multisectoral solutions that address the root causes of malnutrition.

Through your work in monitoring, analysis, and reporting, you will help generate evidence that drives better decisions, strengthens accountability, and delivers measurable results, making a meaningful difference for every child. This position is matrixed to a specialist in the health section.

UNICEF is seeking a dynamic and committed professional to join its team as a Nutrition Officer, supporting the delivery of maternal, infant, young child and adolescent nutrition (MIYCAN) services, including wasting management, and robust monitoring systems to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations in targeted districts.

You will play a critical part in providing technical assistance, and supporting programme planning, implementation, and monitoring of nutrition interventions, enabling services to reach those most in need. You will work closely with government counterparts, civil society, and development partners to support systems strengthening, evidence-based approaches, and scalable solutions.

Your role will be instrumental in supporting efficient utilization of resources to deliver high-quality nutrition services, which will enable improvements in the survival, growth, and well-being of children and women in Malawi.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD Nutrition Officer L2.pdf

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in Public Health, nutrition, public health, epidemiology, global health, health policy, health management, health sciences, health research, or another related field.
• Work Experience: At least 2 years of relevant work experience in public health, nutrition planning, nutrition management, maternal health, child health, child nutrition, adolescent nutrition, effective collaboration with other partners to accelerate achievement of nutrition results for women, adolescents and children, supply chain management including forecasting of Vitamin A, MMS and RUTF and end user monitoring, resource mobilization and grant management, particularly with EU. Integration of nutrition services into other sectoral programming.
• Skills: Advocacy and stakeholder coordination, knowledge of MIYCAN, experience in CMAM, nutrition system strengthening, nutrition responses in emergencies.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language.
• Desired experience includes providing technical assistance to strengthen nutrition programmes at national or field level in development, Fragile or humanitarian settings.
• Supporting emergency preparedness, Rapid needs assessments and humanitarian response coordination.
• Contributing to resource mobilization and grant management, and working effectively with UN agencies, NGOs, government counterparts and international development partners.
• 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

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.

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 may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

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 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.

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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.