Health and Nutrition Officer, NOB, Temporary Appointment (6 months), Atbara, Sudan

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 Health and Nutrition

UNICEF works around the world, including in some of the hardest-to-reach places, to help children grow up healthy and happy. UNICEF supports primary health care, especially at the community level, to help achieve universal health coverage. UNICEF helps countries develop resilient health systems that can withstand crises, and provide frontline support in places affected by conflicts, natural disasters, migration, urbanization, and political and economic instability. As the conflict in Sudan continues, children are bearing the biggest brunt. Millions have fled their homes and are displaced in the country and across the borders. Currently, 50 per cent of the total population - more than 24.7 million people, almost 14 million of whom are children, need humanitarian assistance. Children have endured months of uncertainty, trauma and violence. The current situation in Sudan is a deepening children’s crisis, severely putting at risk the future of the country and heavily affecting the wider region. UNICEF as a key partner to the Federal Ministry of Health is implementing a Sudan Health Assistance and Response to Emergencies (SHARE) project funded by World Bank International Development Assistance (IDA). SHARE is a joint project implemented by UNICEF and WHO to ensure provision of health and nutrition services in Sudan. SOMOUD is also a World Bank-funded project in which the incumbent will have a shared responsibility.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the direct supervision of the Health and Nutrition Specialist with reporting line to Chiefs of (Health & Nutrition), the incumbent will provide professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the World Bank funded programmes (Thabat and SHARE) from development planning to delivery of results, by preparing, executing, managing, and implementing a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, and evaluating and reporting of results.   Key function, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks Summary of key functions/accountabilities: 1. Support to programme development and planning. 2. Programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results. 3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation 4. Networking and partnership building 5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building   1. Support to programme development and planning. ▪ Conduct and update the situation analysis for the development, design and management of health-related programmes. Research and report on development trends (e.g. political social, economic, health) for higher management use to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery of results. ▪ Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through analysis of health needs and areas for intervention and submission of recommendations for priority and goal setting. ▪ Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results-based planning (RBM), and monitoring and evaluation of results. ▪ Prepare required documentation and materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.   2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results. ▪ Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations, and/or to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and decisions. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and to capture and institutionalize lessons learned. ▪ Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programmes and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management. ▪ Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.   3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation ▪ Coordinate with field offices and conduct regular programme field visits and surveys and share information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results. ▪ Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on health-related issues to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results   4. Networking and partnership building ▪ Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts, implementing partners and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to enhance programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to deliver concrete and sustainable results. ▪ Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes. ▪ Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) on health programmes to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on operational planning and preparation of health programmes/projects. ▪ Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.   5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building ▪ Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders. ▪ Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results. ▪ Assist with oversight of research and ensure results are available for use in knowledge products. ▪ Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: A university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition, pediatric health, family health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, socio-medical, health education, epidemiology, or another relevant technical field.   Experience: • A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: public health/nutrition planning and management, maternal and neonatal health care, or health emergency/humanitarian preparedness. • Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset. • Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.   Language Requirements: • Fluency in English and Arabic are required. • Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

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 females 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.

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.

Eligible staff members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to IP TA positions in a duty station designated as L2/L3, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements, subject to approval by their Head of Office. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.