Chief Nutrition

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Job Description

Under the guidance of the Deputy Representative, the Chief of Nutrition will lead the nutrition team in Lao PDR, driving the strategic direction of and implementing comprehensive national nutrition programmes. This role is pivotal in enhancing nutrition outcomes for infants, children, adolescents, and women in Lao PDR through multi-sectoral action involving key stakeholders from health, education, food, WASH, and social protection systems and across levels. The Chief will oversee a diverse team, manage significant donor-funded investments, and ensure effective programme delivery and sustainable impact. The Chief will also spearhead resource mobilization efforts for nutrition and related cross-sectoral results, including by developing and strengthening relationships with a wide range of partners.

Key Functions:

. Managerial Leadership:

Establish annual work plans, set priorities and targets, monitor progress, and establish clear individual performance objectives, goals, and timelines.
Provide timely guidance to ensure the team performs their duties responsibly and efficiently, ensuring effective and efficient team performance.
Supervise team members by providing them with clear objectives, goals, direction, and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently. Foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment, encouraging professional growth and development.

Programme Development and Planning:

Provide technical guidance and operational support for the preparation, design, and updating of situation analyses to ensure comprehensive and current data on maternal and child nutrition.
Prepare, coordinate, and supervise the formulation and design of nutrition programmes/projects, establishing clear goals, objectives, strategies, and results based on results-based planning methodologies.
Ensure that programmes are aligned with the overall UNICEF Strategic Plan, Country Programme, the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, strategies, national policies and international standards, and are responsive to the needs of the target populations.
Monitor and evaluate programme effectiveness, making adjustments as necessary to achieve desired outcomes.
Ensure close collaboration with other UNICEF teams at all stages of the programme life cycle to foster synergies and coherent country programme implementation in line with the mid-term review of the country programme. This also includes specific multi-sectoral initiatives, such as the focus on the “first 1000 days of life” with the Health, WASH and Social & Behavior Change teams, and cross-sectoral areas, such as digital transformation or gender.

. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results:

Plan and/or collaborate with colleagues and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results in nutrition programmes.
Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises and regular programme reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and/or weaknesses in programme management.
Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
Actively monitor programmes and projects to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems; and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
Plan, monitor and certify disbursements and control the optimum and appropriate use of programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), confirming compliance with organizational rules, regulations, procedures, standards of accountability and integrity and donor commitments. Ensure timely reporting and liquidation of resources.

Prepare mandated and key programme/project reports for donors and other partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

Resource Mobilization:

In close coordination with management and other teams, implement the resource mobilization plan by establishing clear offerings to partners, strengthening existing relationships, and developing new ones.
Engage in discussions and presentations to potential partners, showcasing the impact and importance of nutrition programmes.

Advocacy, Networking, and Partnerships:

Build strategic partnerships and advocate for nutrition and relevant multi-sectoral initiatives among key stakeholders, securing support for a common agenda through active networking, advocacy, and effective communication. This includes close engagement with the government, development partners, international financial institutions, academia, civil society, among others.
Build capacity, exchange knowledge and expertise, and promote cooperation and alliances to achieve programme goals, including co-chairing the development partners group for food security and nutrition in Lao PDR.
Provide advice to key government officials, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on policies, strategies, best practices and approaches on nutrition-related issues to support programme development planning, management, implementation, and delivery of results.
Represent UNICEF in high-level forums and meetings, advocating for policies and programs that support improved nutrition outcomes.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

Promote innovative approaches, share best practices, and enhance stakeholder competencies.
Institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.
Lead efforts to develop and implement cutting-edge practices and capacity-building initiatives, ensuring UNICEF Lao PDR remains a thought leader in nutrition.
Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches, and good practices for sustainable nutrition and child development programmes through advocacy and technical advisory services.
Explore and integrate new technologies and methodologies to enhance programme delivery and impact.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: An advanced university degree in nutrition, public health, nutritional epidemiology, global/international health and nutrition, health/nutrition research, policy and/or management, health sciences, nutritional epidemiology, or another health-related science field required.
Work Experience: At least eight years of relevant professional work experience in a developing country in nutrition, public health, nutrition planning and management, or maternal, infant and child health/nutrition care is required.

Language Requirements: