DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

15 November 2024-23:59-GMT+02:00 Central Africa Time (Juba)

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP’s values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE:

NUTRITIONIST (NUTRITION OPERATIONS)

TYPE OF CONTRACT:

CONSULTANT CST 2

UNIT/DIVISION:

NUTRITION

DUTY STATION (City, Country):

COUNTRY OFFICE, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN

DURATION:

11 MONTHS (Maternity Cover)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

South Sudan is grappling with severe humanitarian challenges. In 2024, approximately 9.4 million people—over two-thirds of the country’s population—require humanitarian aid, including 5 million children and 1.3 million individuals with disabilities. This crisis is fueled by ongoing conflict and insecurity, recurrent climatic shocks like consecutive years of flooding and localized droughts, and soaring inflation driven by global and regional events, such as the Ukraine conflict and the war in neighboring Sudan, which has resulted in significant displacement. 

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projections, around 7.1 million people—56 percent of the population—are expected to face severe food insecurity during the lean season (IPC Phase 3 or higher). Among them, 79,000 individuals may reach IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe), while about 2.34 million are projected to be in IPC Phase 4. The most vulnerable communities are located in areas heavily impacted by climate-related disasters, economic instability (including currency devaluation and high food prices), and ongoing violence. Additionally, the spillover effects from the conflict in Sudan have led to increased displacement, reduced agricultural output, and diminished humanitarian support, further deepening the crisis in the world’s youngest nation. 

WFP South Sudan implements a large-scale, comprehensive nutrition programme (curative and preventative) covering all 10 states and 3 administrative areas, working with 40 implementing partners, the Ministry of Health and key sister UN agencies on delivering nutrition services to the population in need.

This role will oversee the nutrition operations for WFP South Sudan. Under the supervision of the Head of Human Capital Development (Nutrition & School Feeding) and working closely with the nutrition team, the Nutritionist (Nutrition Operations) will be responsible for the following:

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Lead the nutrition operations through:

Provision of nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive activities guidance to all Field Office (FOs) nutritionists on technical, programmatic and operational issues arising at the field level.

Working with the Treatment Coordinator on the roll out of the WHO new approach to addressing wasting in South Sudan, ensuring that activities are progressing according to plan, funds are being utilised in a timely manner and global and regional updates are provided when required.

Lead on monthly coordination meetings with the FO Nutritionists and Nutrition Focal Points to discuss emerging implementation issues.

Coordination with Logistics on ensuring timely pipeline management with particular focus on pre-positioning for rains season, commodity deliveries for the two WHO New Approach states (NBeG and Lakes)

Undertake 2 field missions per quarter to high priority Field Offices (FOs) for provision of oversight and supervision.

Strengthen all nutrition partnerships through:

Leading the 2025 partner FLA review, track progress ensuring operational plan, FCS and budgets are in line with approved financial/tonnage and beneficiary thresholds and complement both HSTP and UNICEF PDs.

Ensuring FLA are of a high quality and follow national standard guidelines and are signed within 2024.

Leading a CP kick-off meeting with all partners at the start of 2025 in coordination with the FO Nutritionists.

Ensuring all addendums are processed within 2 weeks of receipt in coordination with the Senior Programme Associate and CPM.

Scheduling quarterly partner touch base meeting together with the Cooperating Partner Management (CPM) team to discuss pertinent partnership and implementation issues.

Prepare accurate and timely reporting and learning, contributing to a knowledge base that informs decision making of WFP and other stakeholders. These include:

Working closely with the Data Analyst and Information and Evidence Generation Officer on all inputs to the Partnership Unit on proposals and reports (narrative and data) for key donors (BHA, FCDO, EU/ECHO) as well as specific donors (KSA) and specific projects (KfW).

Weekly updates for Management

Bi-weekly updates for key donors

Monthly Executive Brief Inputs

Any other reporting/updates as required.

Provide overall technical oversight to the nutrition component of the Sudan Crisis response including:

Contributing to the review of the Sudan crisis emergency response including the Protection Ration, in Renk, South Sudan.

Providing regular updates to the Head of HCD and to the Bi-weekly Sudan Crisis Coordination meeting.

Coordination with the Emergency Response Unit on ensuring availability of nutrition commodities and resources for the Sudan Crisis response component under URT 1.

Participate in coordination meetings, including WHO New Approach Taskforce, CMAM TWG, National Nutrition Cluster, Prevention of Acute Malnutrition TWG and others. Guide and support in the analysis, input, review and development of bulletin briefs, factsheets, and end of year reports- including operational plan. Support in the development of a capacity assessment and monitoring plan. Ensure national and WFP nutrition policies, standards and guidelines are applied in WFP-supported nutrition projects to ensure quality programmes. Support the strengthening of national nutrition initiatives, including the development of national government policies related to nutrition as well as nutrition strategies, action plans, protocols and guidelines in line with the SUN Movement and international guidance and current evidence. Work with staff in procurement, logistics, finance, other programme units and other divisions to ensure effective design and delivery of WFP nutrition programming.  Provide support for operational partnerships, including inter-agency collaboration, to ensure a strong multi-sectorial response to nutrition in both emergency and non-emergency settings. Build capacity of WFP staff, partners and national governments to prepare for and respond to nutrition problems. Guide and supervise more staff under this role, acting as a point of referral and supporting them on more complex analysis and queries. Contribute to emergency preparedness actions, providing technical recommendations on contingency planning, risk analysis and early warning related to nutrition risks. Be flexible to accommodate additional tasks as required including stepping in to lead the Human Capital Development Unit when required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Advanced University degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Food Technology, Medicine or another relevant field

Experience:

At least 8 years of postgraduate progressive experience in a related field

Experience in implementation of emergency nutrition programmes in complex emergencies is critical.

Experience managing team and inter-agency implementation planning and coordination will be advantageous.

Experience in a hard ship duty station or emergency operation is required.

Experience in working in public health and nutrition related activities in field-based settings is required.

Knowledge & Skills:

Strong analytical skills and ability to conceptualize complex nutrition issues, analyse data, produce thorough reports and policy recommendations.

Strong initiative, coordination skills and ability to effectively lead nutrition programmes in deep field locations.

Ability to work under pressure, take quick decisions and possess the judgement to escalate issues to management’s attention is critical.

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English, working knowledge of Arabic is an added advantage

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.