Consultants at World Food Programme (WFP)

The Nutrition, HIV and SBP unit within the Regional Bureau in Nairobi (RBN) is engaged in the provision of strategic and technical assistance for the implementation of nutrition interventions in response to national and regional food security and nutrition crises and in the development of national nutrition capacities. Support to country office is frequently requested in line with the need to increase coverage and efficiency of nutrition programmes, especially prevention and treatment of wasting. Short-period TDY are sometime necessary to fill-in staffing gaps as food and nutrition situation

The purpose of the assignment is to provide technical support for nutrition and emergency interventions to the nine country offices under WFP Regional Bureau in Nairobi. Nutrition integration (including HIV/TB components) is also high in the regional agenda where cross functional support and collaboration are envisaged to contribute to better delivery of services and implementation outcomes.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the supervision of the Senior Regional Nutrition Advisor and in close coordination with other colleagues in the RBN, the Consultant will be responsible to provide technical advice and situation analysis to ensure integrated nutrition programme responses. The Consultant is also expected to deploy to humanitarian emergencies on short notice in support of RB/CO. Close coordination with relevant technical and operational colleagues in RBN and COs is expected along with the following:

• Take a lead role in coordinating the nutrition emergency response in support to the Regional Emergency Coordinator and to the RBN Emergency and Preparedness Unit.
• Provide technical support to ensure nutrition in emergencies interventions are aligned with WFP and global standards. Support CO engagements in cluster and/or working group meetings and discussions for vulnerability assessment, monitoring visits, missions, and other operational activities.
• Provide advice to Country Offices (COs) on the operationalization and integration of multi-dimensional approach to humanitarian access across their Concepts of Operations, access strategies, workplans and project/resource mobilization proposals.
• Monitor emerging humanitarian and food security trends and potential socio-economic and political instability to identify risks and strategies for preparedness and risk reduction before crisis occurs as basis for decision-making as well as requests for external support by the CO/RB/HQ.
• Proactively provide advice and support on mobilization of WFP resources and capabilities for an effective and sustainable emergency response.
• Provide inputs to the review of CSPs or budget revisions, ACRs, national protocols and SOPs, project proposals, guidance and policy documents to ensure technical integrity. This will include technical engagement in the CSP development process including collaboration with M&E to ensure appropriate nutrition indicators are selected and are in line with corporate standards.
• Develop and/or update key knowledge management tools on key components of nutrition in emergencies for better advocacy and programme implementation to form part of country offices’ capacity strengthening efforts.
• Perform other duties as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Education:  Advanced University degree preferably in social sciences, public health, nutrition, food technology, medicine or other relevant field of study, or First University degree with additional years of relevant work experience and/or advanced training/courses.
• Experience: At least five (5) years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in public health, nutrition, food technology, medicine or other relevant field. 
• Languages: Fluency in oral and written in English, a second UN language (especially French) would be an advantage.

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KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the supervision of the Senior Regional Nutrition Advisor, the Consultant will be responsible to support acceleration of school feeding programme implementation in the region along with the following duties:

• Support the establishment of East Africa Sub-Regional Network for School Meals Coalition, which is a recent initiative aimed at achieving government commitments toward universal school health and nutrition programs.
• Identify potential entry points – the different countries present themselves with different contexts and typologies, what might be the best system and approach in addition to school, food, health, and possibly social protection to strengthen the linkages
• Recommend operational focus, retrofitting where necessary within the ‘architect’ of the country strategic plan to ensure value addition to current programs in terms of quality and scale, including incorporation of HIV/TB objectives and activities
• Support development of impact pathways to enhance multisectoral implementation of the proposed linkages
• Provide technical support to country offices on HIV-sensitive social protection and HIV in emergency and ensure that key global guidance is contextualized at country office level and are informing national as well as WFP strategies and programming.
• Develop and/or update key knowledge management tools on school feeding (including School Meal Plus, School Connect, Optimus Lite among others) to enable scale of use within countries and as part of south-to-south corporation within member states in African Union to form part of country capacity strengthening efforts.
• Review CSPs, WFP project documents, ACRs as well as national protocols, guidance and policy documents to ensure technical integrity. This will include strategic and technical engagement in the CSP process including collaboration with M&E to ensure appropriate school feeding and HIV/TB indicators are selected and are in line with corporate standards.
• Perform other related duties as may be required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience: At least five (5) years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in program management related and working with governments stakeholders; proven capacity to conduct policy analysis and engage in policy dialogue.
• Education:  Advanced University degree preferably International Affairs, Food Security, Public Health/Nutrition, Agriculture, Social Science or other fields relevant to International Development Assistance or other related fields of study, or First University degree with additional years of relevant work experience and/or advanced training/courses.
• Languages: Fluency in oral and written in English, a second UN language (especially French) would be an advantage.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Proven experience in building synergies among stakeholders, coordination with humanitarian and development partners on food security, education, nutrition, value chain development, knowledge management and advocacy.
• Demonstrates ability to incorporate technical information into policy and strategy formulation and into program design and implementation, and to appropriately communicate it internally and externally.
• Maturity of judgement, good analytical skills, resourcefulness, initiative, negotiating skills.
• Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• High capacity for organization and coordination, as well as an ability to work with a high degree of independence in a team environment