Food Systems and Nutrition Analyst CST I

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 diversity and gender balance

Job Title: Food Systems and Nutrition Analyst

Type of Contract: Regular Consultant

Division: Nutrition Division

Duty Station (City, Country): HQ, Rome Italy

Duration: 11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The Nutrition Division leads WFP’s efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal target 2.2: ending all forms of malnutrition by 2030. This is an ambitious goal as malnutrition remains a universal and enormous global challenge, with significant health and economic consequences to individuals, communities and entire countries. WFP is therefore advancing its efforts to both prevent and treat malnutrition and has developed a situational assessment to support decision-making for the prevention of all forms of malnutrition: Fill the Nutrient Gap (FNG).

Improved nutrition situation analysis can increase the understanding of the likely magnitude and main causes of the nutrient gap among a particular target group, e.g. children aged 6-23 months or pregnant and lactating women (PLW) and adolescent girls, in a specific context. It can also inform where transformative change needs to happen in the food system to improve diets. The 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. Starting in 2015, WFP, with technical input from key research institutes (University of California Davis, IFPRI, Epicentre, Mahidol, Harvard) and Save the Children and UNICEF, developed the FNG assessment, which aims to strengthen analysis, build consensus and support decision-making for improving nutrient intake and preventing malnutrition, including during the critical period of the first 1,000 days.

The FNG uses nutrition modelling (enhanced Cost of Diet analysis) combined with a review of secondary data on food systems, local dietary practices and malnutrition to identify options that enable people to access and choose a more nutritious diet. The analysis is designed to contribute to national policy and programming planning cycles by highlighting potential entry points for nutrition-related action by different sectors and actors. Key stakeholders are engaged throughout the processed as needed, particularly in analysis and utilization of the findings, to facilitate multi-stakeholder discussions on the identification of context-specific policy and programme options and prioritisation of actions.

The FNG process and the data analysis are facilitated, and in parts led, by the Systems Analysis for Nutrition team at WFP Headquarters, in collaboration with WFP Country Offices and Regional Bureaux.

By 2022, the FNG assessment’s concept and methods are well established and the analysis has been conducted in more than 40 countries, including in fragile settings. WFP is working closely with World Bank, IFPRI, UC Davis, Johns Hopkins Centre for a Liveable Future, Tilburg University, Capgemini and others on further developments of the FNG including capacity strengthening, costing of options and aligning FNG with other initiatives such as estimating the cost of a healthy diet, assessing environmental impact of diets as well as impact of climate change on diets, and characterizing sub-national food environments using market-based food price data collection.

The Nutrition Division is seeking a consultant to join the multidisciplinary Systems Analysis for Nutrition (SAN) team to provide technical assistance to countries to undertake FNG analyses and to further strengthen the analytical toolbox and processes of the Analytics & Science for Food & Nutrition unit (AS4FN, which the SAN team is part of) and apply them in collaboration with other teams in the Nutrition Division and WFP more broadly. The role includes frequent travel (up to 25% of the time, including some weekend travel) in varied contexts, including fragile and emergency settings. Given good chances of renewal, an intent to work with the team for 3-4 years is requested.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. FNG analysis and nutrition analytics

1. Support the identification, review and analyse secondary data sources relevant to nutrition, dietary intake, food security, food prices, household income/food expenditure and socio-economic indicators.
2. Support trainings of enumerators for primary data collection of food prices as needed
3. Coordinate with WFP Regional Bureaux and key stakeholders, to support the FNG design and analysis, including affordability analysis, the cost of healthy and nutritious diets, and intervention modelling
4. Support WFP Country Offices in technical discussions with key government counterparts and other stakeholders with regard to the FNG analysis
5. Support WFP Country Offices and key national stakeholders to identify intervention modelling options of different types of strategies, transfers and delivery modalities
6. Contribute to prepare and facilitate country meetings for FNG inception, validation of findings with stakeholders, dissemination and formulation of recommendations by stakeholders as required
7. Support WFP Country Offices in the development of advocacy material with key messages derived from the FNG analysis and the recommendation of context-specific strategies to fill nutrient gaps in key target groups.
8. Contribute to development slide deck of main findings and the write-up of the FNG findings in the summary and the report
9. Support the write up of topic briefs and additional nutrition analytics upon demand

1. Contribute to strengthen the application and dissemination of the nutrition analytics

1. Support updates to the FNG and nutrition analytics toolbox, as required.
2. Support the conceptualization and development of articles, presentations, webinars, learning and training materials on FNG and nutrition analytic, as required.
3. Represent WFP in international conferences, meetings and other events in relation to FNG and nutrition analytics, as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

Related to FNG analyses

• Full final report, summary, and slide deck for each FNG country the consultant worked on.
• If required, ad hoc thematic papers or other publications on results of FNG and other nutrition analytics.
• Draft advocacy material summarizing the key messages derived from the FNG and nutrition analytics, to be used by WFP Country Offices and Regional Bureaux to inform their programming and for further policy discussions with their government counterparts.

Related to thought leadership on systems analysis for nutrition

• Relevant input to the development and strengthening of analytical tools as needed.
• Peer reviewed articles, reports and contributions submitted for publication as applicable.
• Presentations in international conferences, fora, technical meetings as needed.
• Collaboration with WFP colleagues on nutrition integration, particularly by providing analytical inputs and identifying entry points across sectors and programming platforms.
• Strengthened collaboration with key partner organisations.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Graduate level (Masters or above) in Public Health (Epidemiology or biostatistics), Nutrition, Economics (or Econometrics), Sustainable food systems, Agronomy, Statistics or other socio-economic disciplines with a strong quantitative data analysis component.

Experience:

• Between 3-5 years of relevant professional experience, including research and data analysis
• Experience with dietary assessment, linear programming-based such as Cost of the Diet, Optifood or other Nutrition Modelling tools, GIS and/or mapping software.
• Previous experience of working in low-middle income countries, experience in fragile contexts considered an asset.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Proficient in conducting quantitative and qualitative data analysis based on secondary data required
• Ability to use statistical software packages such as R, STATA or others.
• Solid knowledge of nutrition and food systems required.
• Knowledge of different types of programmes such as social protection, health, school feeding, livelihoods and resilience and emergency programmes is considered an asset.
• Good interpersonal skills and understanding of multicultural settings, including of different stakeholders (government, NGOs, academia, others).
• Flexibility in thinking, ability to adapt to different situations quickly and with ease.
• Capacity building and facilitation skills appreciated.
• Ability to work independently in a timely and organised manner and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Excellent written and oral communication skills required
• Flexibility in thinking and ability to adapt to different situations quickly and with ease.

Languages:

• Professional level of written and spoken English, and aptitude to writing different types of communications.
• Professional knowledge of a second UN language an asset, preferably French, Spanish or Arabic.

Terms and Conditions

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Deadline for applications: 4 September 2022

Ref.: VA No. 171483

Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status

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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