Nutrition and Physical Activity Officer at World Health Organization (WHO)

World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Nutrition and Physical Activity Officer

Ref No: 2304723
Location: Abuja
Schedule: Full-time
Grade: NO-B
Contractual Arrangement: Temporary appointment under Staff Rule 420.4
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 12 Months

Objectives of the Programme

• The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme is to support and build the national capacity of the States to manage health emergency risks and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to the affected population.
• The aim of the WHO’s emergency nutrition response is to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with under nutrition and to lower the prevalence of under-nutrition to an aThe objectives of the WHO’s nutrition response is to improve equitable access to quality lifesaving services for management of severe acute malnutrition specially with medical complications for children (girls and boys 0-59 months) through systematic identification, referral and treatment.
• WHO also aim to support and strengthen the capacity of health staff in effectively treating severe acute malnutrition with complications at the health facilities as well as promoting nutrition education to prevent undernutrition among vulnerable communities with a specific focus on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E). cceptable level

Description of Duties
The incumbent is expected to support in the following specific tasks:

• Build and sustain close working partnership with the relevant health agencies including State Ministry of Health (SMOH), Hospital Management Board (HMB), State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) and Nutrition department to facilitate the achievement of WHO’s nutrition program goal and objectives.
• Provide technical guidance and operational support in program planning, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nutrition programme and activities to the state health authorities, nutrition sector partners and the team members.
• Capacity building of MoH and partner NGOs staff at state and LGAs level to effectively manage the treatment of SAM cases with medical complications. Support scaling up of nutrition screening and activities for children 0-59 months in geographic locations with a high burden of SAM or GAM.
• Conduct monthly monitoring visits to the nutrition sites specially the stabilization centers to assess service delivery, identify gaps and provide on the job training and support to the SC staff.
• Ensure and facilitate that the SCs have the required drugs and supplies for the treatment of SAM cases.
• Manage regular data collection, analysis and reporting to the relevant partners. Support strengthening nutrition surveillance and contribute to nutrition situation analysis. Identify core advocacy concerns in nutrition and contribute to develop key messages and strategies to address the issues.
• Prepare communication and information materials when needed to promote nutrition messages in close coordination with the WHO communication colleagues.
• Actively represent WHO at relevant platforms specially the nutrition sector coordination mechanism and the nutrition sector task force meetings.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of interagency SMART surveys and other assessment tools.
• Participate in program planning, monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Develop monitoring reports with recommendations to improve WHO response in nutrition.
• Prepare program reports where needed, assist in drafting concept papers and proposals for fund raising in nutrition and assist supervisor on other program tasks when requested

Required Qualifications
Education:

• Essential: Advanced University Degree (Master’s level) in Nutrition, Public Health or a Degree in Medicine.
• Desirable: Specialized training in emergency response/ humanitarian response or disaster management in the context of nutrition and public health.

Experience:

• Essential: A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in nutrition program specially in emergency settings
• Desirable:Experience in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Inpatient management of SAM with medical complications, Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E), Health and Nutrition education program Knowledge and understanding of public health problems with a focus on under-nutrition.Experience in developing and promoting collaborative actions with national authorities and partner organizations.–> Experience in project planning, management, monitoring and evaluationExperience in capacity building of national authorities and nutrition sector partners

Skills:

• Demonstrated knowledge of surveillance and monitoring systems as related to emergency response relief operations, complemented by skills in the field of epidemiological or statistical data collection, assessment, analysis and the evaluation and monitoring in a public health context.
• Proven ability to multitask across various planning and implementation processes within a highly demanding environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge, competency and professional skills on the public health aspects of infectious disease control, epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response with particular attention to application of an all hazard approach in the context of the International Health Regulations and the use of event based and indicator based surveillance, as well as descriptive epidemiology and principles of public health in communicable disease surveillance and response.

WHO Competencies:

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Ensuring the effective use of resources

Use of Language Skills:

• Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
• Desirable:

Remuneration

• Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at NGN22,071,635 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

Deadline: 8th June, 2023 (10:59:00 PM).

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• According to 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. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs.
• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int
• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.
• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.
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