UN Jobs – Associate Nutrition & Food Security Officer – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Job Title: Associate Nutrition & Food Security Officer
Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Position No.: UNOPS-LICA-Nutrition
Vacancy Notice No.: 016/2018
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
Position Grade: NOB
About UNHCR:
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR’s mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
Job Summary: The Associate Nutrition & Food Security Officer supports UNHCR efforts in responding to the ongoing refugee emergency in Uganda and the care and maintenance of the protracted refugee operation with the view to ensures that international standards are met to protect and correct nutritional status and to minimize avoidable morbidity and mortality and among emergency affected populations of concern.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Ensure effective collaboration and coordinate with other UN agencies, NGOs and other actors in the overall nutrition and food security response
- Assess the nutrition and food security situation for the populations of concern and propose technical solutions to address identified needs
- Plan, supervise and monitor nutrition and food security related activities in accordance with international standards and protocols
- Assess the capacity of potential implementing partners and provide adequate technical support and training.
- The Associate Nutrition and Food Security Officer plays a key role in the coordination of nutrition and food security needs assessments, activities and monitoring in the emergency with other humanitarian actors and UN agencies in particular with WFP and UNICEF.
- Assess the nutrition and food security needs and map resources and capacities, together with Governments and partners in order to propose technical solutions and strategies, priorities needs and provide the most appropriate and timely response to refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR in the emergency and post-crisis phase.
- Ensure close coordination with other humanitarian actors involved in nutrition, food security and related areas
- Act as a focal point on nutrition and food security issues within UNHCR and liaise with humanitarian counterparts actors (UN and governmental and non-governmental).
- Support the establishment of refugee Nutrition and Food Security committees to enable active participation in the process of nutrition and food security planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
- Promote inter-sectoral coordination outside and within UNHCR in all matters related to nutrition and food security
- Alert the Country Office, Regional Office and Headquarters in case there is a need for additional technical requirement in nutrition and food security
- Coordinate, consolidate and provide technical guidance and support to Ministry of Health, Implementing partners, Operational Partners on all nutrition and food security related activities in relation with the needs and in accordance with UNHCR policies and priorities
- Ensure, in close co-ordination that nutritional and food security services provided to persons of concern are based on Ministry of Health, UNHCR and/or internationally recognised and most up-to-date standards and policies
- Identify gaps and overlaps in programming, address unmet needs, and orient existing activities to address priority nutrition and food security issues.
- Formulate project submissions including budget to respond to the assessed and prioritized needs in collaboration with appropriate authorities, implementing partners and UNHCR programme and technical sectors at all levels
- Contribute to the budgeting process and input to financial management of the programme on technical areas
- Advise programme staff and managers on the strategic development of nutrition and food security aspects of the programme
- Establish and/or adapt UNHCR internal guidelines and procedures to streamline inputs and improve efficiency of programme activities through integrated public health response also taking into account crucial services such as public health and water and sanitation
- Ensure that national and/or internationally accepted and relevant standards and policies are applied and adapted in close coordination with the host country and relevant UN agencies and partners in order to guide the provision of essential nutrition and food security services.
- Support capacity building initiatives so that refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR, and its partners acquire the needed knowledge, skills, and sense of responsibility and ownership of programmes
- Conduct an assessment on the technical capacity of each Implementing Partner and recommend areas for improvement
- Support nutrition and food security focal points and coordinators to develop training plan, organize and act as resource persons in workshops and training both in service (formal) and on the job (coaching)
- Share relevant guidelines and information materials on refugee nutrition and food security with local and international partners
- Advocate, inform, and communicate amongst stakeholders to ensure that refugee nutrition and food security issues are addressed and that the needs and status of refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR are appropriately documented and disseminated
Key Performance Indicators:
- Reduce prevalence of malnutrition and other micronutrient deficiencies
- Food security and nutrition surveys conducted and results disseminated
- Joint Assessment Mission coordinated and resulted disseminated
- Nutrition and Food security programme adequately coordinated, capacity to the partners for nutrition and food security built
- Nutrition and food security activities monitored and evaluated.
- Support aspects of the UNHCR Public Health Programme cycle for – assessment, resource mobilization, monitoring, reporting and evaluation in coordination with other actors in the country
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNHCR Associate Nutrition & Food Security Officer job placement should hold a Masters-level qualification in public health, nutrition food security or related field
- Five years of international emergency nutrition or food security field based experience in progressively responsible functions with either a UN organisation or NGO
- Two years of experience of assessment and response to the initial phases of an emergency
- Demonstrated experience of the latest developments and technology in Nutrition and food security (e.g. Use of Food supplementation products, SMART methodology, CMAM, Voucher or cash transfer programmes, small scale agriculture, IYCF)
- Demonstrated ability to deal with multiple tasks in a courteous and service-oriented manner in a demanding working condition that often has short deadlines
- Demonstrated experiences in organising and conducting nutrition and food security related training activities
- Proven technical expertise in the area of nutrition and food security assessments including surveys, rapid screenings and rapid assessments
- Confirmed experience in nutrition and food security programme implementation, monitoring and coordination
- Knowledge and experience of working with local partner agencies with a capacity to provide formal and informal training
- Proven technical and managerial skills in emergency nutrition and food security programming
- Ability to promote good working relationships among colleagues, supervisors and those persons s/he supervises
- Excellent communicator with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills to interact with persons of different cultural and educational backgrounds
- Ability to coordinate a range of diverse actors and activities to achieve a common objective in the area of nutrition and food security
- Strive to live up to high ethical and professional standards
- Ability towards analytical and creative thinking for rapid solutions
- A team player with service oriented attitudes
- Proficiency in computer software such as excel, word, powerpoint, ENA, NutVal, EpiInfo.
- Core Values (Required): Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Integrity
- Core Competencies (Required): Communication, Working with People, Drive for Results
- Functional Competencies (Required): Leading and Supervising, Formulating Strategies and Concepts, Relating and Networking, Persuading and Influencing, Applying Technical Expertise, Entrepreneurial Thinking
How to Apply:
All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions after reviewing the job details.
Deadline: 20th March 2018
: List of Current Job Vacancies / Opportunities in Uganda
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