Food System and Nutrition Analyst P3 LFT

🚩 Vacancy Announcement n°: 171529

📢 Job Title: Food System and Nutrition Analyst, P3

📌Type of Contract: Limited Fixed-Term (LFT)

➡️ Unit / Division: Nutrition Unit / Regional Bureau for Western Africa

📍 Duty Station: Dakar, Senegal

➡️ Duration: 12 months (renewable)

⏰ Closing date: Thursday 01 September 2022, midnight (Dakar Time)

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

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What will you do in this position?

You will generate and contribute to the evidence base that supports food system and nutrition policies and programmes with the objective to facilitate Nutrition Integration in a variety of existing programmes and initiatives (e.g., School health and Nutrition, Social Protection, Integrated Resilience Package, Nexus approach, needs assessment and situation analyses, programme design, targeting, cost effectiveness, and operational efficiency). This also includes food security, and nutrition information system strengthening of national and regional information systems with regards to collection, analysis and reporting on Affordability of Safe Nutritious diets.

Context of the role

Improved nutrition situation analysis can increase the understanding of the likely magnitude and main causes of the nutrient gap among different target groups, e.g. children aged 6-23 months or Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW), in a specific context. It can also inform where transformative change needs to happen in the food system to improve diets. The ‘Fill the Nutrient Gap’ (FNG) analysis is based on a better and more in-depth analysis of existing nutrition, dietary intake, food security, food prices, household food expenditure and socio-economic data. This tool has been instrumental to assist WFP in engaging with national stakeholders on ways to meet nutrient requirements for all with specific focus on the most vulnerable, such as women and young children and people in remote and/or conflict affected areas. It strengthens national food security and nutrition action plans, as well as social protection programmes and school health and nutrition initiatives. It therefore helps to ensure SDG 2 will be met. It links internally to the WFP’s strategic planning processes, including Country Strategic Plan (2G CSP) formulation, and enhances WFP’s broader situational analysis work managed by the Research, Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) team. Under the new WFP strategic plan (2022 – 2027), with an important focus on Nutrition Integration, further roll-out of FNG and its use to design of nutritious transfers is essential. Such a design process would include determining the cost, affordability and availability of safe nutritious diets that include local climate sensitive (resilient) nutritious foods and how these can be integrated into food- and cash-assistance transfers to contribute towards safe nutritious diets. It is important that the WFP Regional Bureau for Western Africa and WFP Country Offices in Western Africa have the capacity to use the appropriate analytical tools and correctly apply when designing nutritious transfers. As such, building on achievements so far and Nutrition Integration-opportunities identified, this position will facilitate corporate roll-out of Fill the Nutrient Gap toolbox in the Western Africa region in support of the Nutrition Integration agenda, as outlined in the WFP Strategic Plan (2022 – 2027).

Why work with us?

This position is based in our Regional Bureau for Western Africa, in Dakar, Senegal. This Regional Bureau covers a broad and very diverse set of countries in Western Africa, and provides strategic guidance, policy/technical support and direction to WFP operations and activities in 19 countries in the region which is an amazing mix of cultures, people and diversity.

This is an opportunity for an exciting and challenging position in a multi-cultural and interdisciplinary team, based in a unique location, on a topic with high relevance. In addition, we offer:

➡️ Meaningful and impactful careers:

Our day-to-day work makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve

➡️ Continuous learning and training:

We provide learning tools for our staff to continually develop their careers

➡️ Multicultural and stimulating work environment:

We encourage gender and cultural diversity to make our teams stronger

Join us to make a difference, watch this video to know more about us!!

How can you make a difference?

In this position, you will have to:

• Provide technical advice and support to WFP and its partners on matters pertaining to food system and nutrition analyses and related strategies, policies, programmes, and facilitate the timely and productive use of related outputs in a manner that complies with WFP standards and processes and contributes to improved affordability of a safe nutritious diet for all in the Western Africa region.
• Manage and/or conduct food systems and nutrition analysis, such as, but not limited to, Fill the Nutrient Gap analysis, and prepare timely reports on nutrition needs in line with wider Nutrition policies, processes and guidance to enable effective decision-making on the development of country strategy, policies and programmes with focus on Nutrition Integration.
• Pro-actively support regional institutions in rolling out FNG analytical concepts into regional Food security- and nutrition situation analytical frameworks, such as Cadre Harmonisé, in close collaboration with relevant colleagues in the Regional Bureau, such as RAM, and the Nutrition Division in Headquarters.
• Support the development of advocacy material with key messages derived from the food systems and nutrition analysis and the recommendation of context-specific strategies for food, social protection and education system actions to improve affordability of safe nutritious diets in key target groups in the Western Africa region.
• Lead the development of assessments, systems and tools for the design, monitoring and assessment of all types of food assistance, using different transfer modalities, through integration of the FNG analytical concepts into analytical frameworks such as, but not limited to, the Essential Needs Analysis (ENA), the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB), Market Functionality Index (MFI), Retail Onboarding and Contracting (ROC), Optimus, and into relevant programme support interventions such as Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) and others.
• Ensure full understanding and use of food systems and nutrition analyses by WFP colleagues and partners at regional and national levels. Contribute to the development of related programme activities, providing nutrition-related technical analysis, interpretation and recommendations to facilitate all types of food assistance needs to be met effectively and contribute to improving affordability of a safe nutritious diet for all.
• Build capacity of WFP staff, partners, regional and national institutions to conduct, report on and use food system and nutrition analysis to effectively inform policies and programmes with a specific focus on strengthening Nutrition Integration in the WFP Western Africa Nexus agenda (resilience, social protection, school health and nutrition, etc.)
• Keep up to date with and advise on food systems and nutrition analysis developments and the potential impact upon WFP activity to enable timely and appropriate programme evolution and intervention.
• Support nutrition situation analysis, in close collaboration with the Regional Bureau, RAM, particularly on SMART-, JANSFA- and other similar food security-and nutrition survey approaches
• Contribute to regional and country specific nutrition situation analysis in close collaboration with the RAM unit in the Regional Bureau, including in areas such as Nutrition, Food Security and Integrated Hotspot analysis.
• Provide support to relevant partners that are focusing on food system and nutrition analysis to enable sharing of experience, lessons learned and best practice, in close collaboration with the RAM unit in the Regional Bureau and the Nutrition Division in Headquarters.
• Support the monitoring and evaluation of WFP nutrition-related activities, providing technical analysis, interpretation and information as required to support the assessment of impact towards improving affordability of safe nutritious diets for all.
• Direct WFP Western Africa Nutrition Evidence Generation and Learning agenda with all relevant stakeholders in and outside of Regional Bureau, and in line with Country Offices, the Regional Bureau and corporate needs for nutrition related learning.
• Provide coaching and guidance to direct reports as required to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance
• Represent WFP during technical meetings with partners, as required.
• Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency nutrition assistance needs.
• Other as required.

This position reports to the Senior Regional Nutrition Advisor and will be part of the Nutrition Unit. Close collaboration with the RAM-unit in the Regional Bureau is essential. Travel within the Western Africa region may be required up to 30% of working time.

To join us in saving lives, changing lives, you will have for…

Education: Advanced University degree in Public Health/Nutrition, Statistics, Epidemiology, Economics, Food Security, or other related field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses.

Experience: Minimum of five years of experience working with governments on developing nutrition policies and/or implementing a nutrition programme (within food security or health). Experience working as part of a multicultural and diverse team, and/or leading one.

Knowledge & Skills: We are looking for a dynamic, agile and enthusiastic nutrition-/food security professional who is passionate about data. Specifically, we are looking for:

• Has participated in design and implementation of programmes, including General Food Distributions and Cash-Based Transfer programmes.
• Experience working in multiple countries.
• Experience working in both emergencies and development context.
• Experience conducting nutrition surveys, analyzed data and drafted recommendations for programme.
• Gained valuable experience in collecting socioeconomic food security and/or nutrition data, such as, not limited to, analysis of Household Consumption and Expenditures Surveys (HCES), in conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, and reporting findings to senior leaders.
• Has led surveys, such as FNG, MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys) and other, multiple assessments in countries, including the design, data collection and analysis.
• Experience with different software and tools to facilitate statistical analysis for food systems and nutrition (such as, not limited to, SPSS, DATA, Excel, Epi-info, ENA, Cost of Diet, etc.)
• Is familiar with assessments and use of tools such as Fill the Nutrient Gap analysis, Minimum Expenditure Basket, Market Functionality Index (MFI), Retail Onboarding and Contracting (ROC) and other.
• Familiar with West and Central African Cadre Harmonisé methodology
• Proven negotiation and networking skills, ideally in West Africa at country and regional institutional levels

Language: Fluency (level C) in French and in English.

WFP Leadership Framework

These are the common standards of behaviour that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Different expectations of behaviour are defined depending on your grade and role/responsibilities within WFP.

Before you apply…

Limited Fixed-Term Appointment (LFT) position is a non-mobile staff appointment in the international professional category for a limited period for up to 4 years and is open to all nationalities (for HQ and RBs) or candidates must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment (for Country Offices). The position is based in Dakar, Senegal and the selected candidate will be expected to relocate. Incumbents of LFT positions are not eligible to apply for other mobile positions advertised internally through the Reassignment.

WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards (http://icsc.un.org) including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance.

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting an inclusive work environment in which diversity is valued and where no form of discrimination is tolerated. We aim to achieve parity in our teams in Western Africa. Qualified female applicants are especially encouraged to apply.

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.

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