Full-time consultancy with up to 70% travel to countries (remaining 30% home-based): “Nutrition Information Management Specialist (Rapid Response Team)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
The purpose of this consultancy is to support the Global Nutrition Cluster in effectively strengthening the capacity for country-level Cluster/Sectoral Information Management (IM). The recruited candidate will be expected to travel up to 70% of the time to support cluster responsibilities for UNICEF. Each deployment will last up to 8 weeks. When not deployed the consultant will be working from home.
When deployed to countries, under the overall direction and guidance of the Nutrition (Senior) Manager Cluster/ Sector Coordinator, the Nutrition Information Management Specialist will provide leadership for the IM function of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group. They are responsible for ensuring IM processes effectively contribute to a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective response by participants in the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group that is accountable to those who are affected by the emergency. In their effort to enable an efficient and effective response to the humanitarian crisis, the Nutrition Information Management Specialist is responsible for leading and managing the collection, analysis and sharing of information that is essential for the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group participants to make informed, evidence-based, strategic decisions..

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:
While deployed to a country (up to 70%):
The consultant is responsible for managing and coordinating the information management function to enable the effective functioning of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group, and the achievement of the core cluster functions, throughout the Humanitarian Programme Cycle in order to facilitate a timely and effective Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group response.

The individual consultant main tasks and responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

Coordination and representation
• As a member of the coordination team, contribute to the effective roll out and monitoring of the core cluster functions (as outlined by the IASC Reference Module) and to the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HNO, HRP and CCPM),
• Act on behalf of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group IM function at all levels and coordinate with others within the function to ensure effective communication, reporting and engagement,
• Actively engage with other IMs through relevant IMWGs, including leading or participating in the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group IMWG and representing the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group on the inter-cluster IMWG,
• Promote harmonized and coordinated approaches to IM across partners, AoRs/ Clusters/ Sectors/ Working Groups and OCHA.

IM function management
• Create and implement of an IM strategy and data collection and analysis plan that take into account the information needs of stakeholders and that are compliant with standards and protocols for ethical data and information management,
• Implement regular secondary data reviews and primary data collection including designing questionnaires using appropriate tools,
• Conduct data processing including organizing, cleaning, triangulating, evaluating and validating the data,
• Analyse data to meet identified information needs of Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group members and other stakeholders,
• Create accurate, quality and timely information products that are in line with agreed style guides,
• Disseminate information and information products through appropriate channels,
• Maintain and ensure the accessibility of a common and shared secure storage system,
• Gather feedback on IM products and use to make improvements.

Needs assessment and analysis
• Working collaboratively with other members of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group, contribute to the planning and implementation of needs assessment and analysis, including joint assessments and analysis, at national and subnational levels,
• Collect information on economic needs, markets and price monitoring to support the equal consideration and use of all programme delivery modalities (in-kind, cash, voucher and services),
• Work with Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group participants to identify information gaps at national and sub-national levels, agree and implement ways to bridge those gaps by providing technical advice and support to partners,
• Analyse needs assessment data to provide required information for the HNO including estimating People in Need (PIN),
• Compare and align joint needs analysis findings with other AoRs/ Clusters/ Sectors/ Working Groups and participate in developing reports.

Strategic response planning
• Design and implement partner presence mapping,
• Contribute to strategic planning, response prioritization and the development of the HRP or other response plans as relevant, including the formulation of objectives, indicators and targets, prioritizing response modalities and activities, identifying and quantifying inputs and the curation of data.

Resource mobilization
• Monitor and analyse the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group’s financial situation and support financial tracking,
• Support and advocate with AoR/ Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group partners for financial reporting on the Financial Tracking Service (FTS),
• Support evidence-based advocacy and resource mobilization by providing accurate, relevant and timely data, information and information products.

Implementation and monitoring
• Develop, implement and maintain a Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group monitoring plan and associated databases, including a response monitoring (3/4/5Ws) database,
• Ensure the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group monitoring plan, and 3/4/5Ws include programme delivery modalities (in-kind, cash, voucher and services),
• Support Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group members to contribute timely and quality periodic monitoring reports on Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group and OCHA platforms,
• Support monitoring in the areas of information flows, dissemination, processing, analysis and dissemination,
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative gap and coverage analysis to identify spatial and temporal gaps, overlaps and coverage of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group humanitarian response,
• Monitor adherence to relevant sector quality standards, regulations and codes.

Operational peer review and evaluation
• Lead the annual cluster coordination performance monitoring (CCPM) exercise and annual review,
• Contribute to sectoral and broader humanitarian evaluations.

Accountability to affected people
• Be accountable to affected populations by ensuring the meaningful participation of affected people, maintaining an effective feedback mechanism and handling complaints appropriately, by ensuring data about the most vulnerable is systematically collected and analysed, and by encouraging partners to work accountably,
• Ensure the inclusion of cross cutting issues (age, child protection, disability, gender, gender-based violence (GBV) mitigation and response and HIV & AIDS) in Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group data collection, analysis and dissemination,
• Adhere to child safeguarding and PSEA policies including procedures for challenging and reporting incidents and ensure other members of the IM team comply.

Strengthen national and local capacity
• Take steps to strengthen local and national leadership and capacity by encouraging participation of local and national actors in the IM activities of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group and providing support to partners to overcome technical and operational challenges in participating in IM activities,
• Design and implement an IM capacity assessment and capacity development plan for Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group partners.

During non-deployment time (up tp 30%), the consultant will contribute to the Global Nutrition Cluster operational support work which may include any/all of the following :
• Provide technical support to on-going responses and preparedness activities for National Nutrition Clusters/Sectors in area of IM;
• Participation in training of Nutrition Cluster staff in countries on IM;
• Contribute to a review, refinement and promotion of procedures, tools and approaches adopted by GNC Partners;
• Collaborating with the other RRT members within GNC and other UNICEF-led Clusters to ensure a complementary and standardized approach and to share learning in order to enhance the effectiveness of the emergency deployments.
• Any other specific roles and tasks allocated by the GNC Operational Support Team Lead.
If situation allows, the consultant is expected to spend an average of one week per quarter at the GNC in Geneva between deployments to enhance team building within the Cluster and to promote greater coherence of cluster approach. The individual contractor will have accumulating leave of 1.5 days per month.

Work Assignment Overview

Duration of the contract: 11,5 months from 1 January to 15 December 2022.

Task/Milestone	Deliverables/Outputs	Timeline
Lead the cluster/sector coordination mechanism at country level during deployment	Up to 160 day in country support to country coordination mechanism	December 15, 2022
At least three deployments to countries with the tasks identified by the country office fulfilled	Improved or established sectorial coordination, as confirmed by deployment Performance Evaluation	December 15, 2022
Mentor less experienced and new NCCs	2 mentees	December 15, 2022
Support countries in the HNO/HRP process	10 countries supported	December 15, 2022
Remotely support country coordination mechanisms on sectoral coordination	90% of request for support responded within 48 hours	December 15, 2022

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

• An university degree in one of the following fields is required: Information Management or Information Systems, GIS Information Technologies, Computer Science, Statistics, Social Sciences or another subject area relevant to Information Management or to the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group

• Formal training in Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group Information Management is considered an advantage.

• Extensive work experience relevant to this post may be considered as a replacement for formal qualifications.

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in information management, data management, geographical information systems, assessments, situation analysis and/or PM&E with the UN and/or NGO is required.

• Experience of demonstrating very strong information management skills in a professional context is essential for this post.

• Experience in a humanitarian context is required, with experience of working in the humanitarian coordination system considered an asset.

• Extensive work experience outside the humanitarian sector which is relevant to this post may be considered as a replacement for humanitarian experience.

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other French and/or Spanish is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

 

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.