Nutrition Program Specialist
- Abuja, FCT
- Permanent
- Full-time
government. UNICEF promotes the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop, and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias, or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic, and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. UNICEF strives towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.In Nigeria, children are the most deprived of a range of rights, including the right to good nutrition, resulting in all forms of malnutrition. The latter is a consequence of complex interactions between individuals, households, and broader social and economic conditions. The First 1,000 Days of Life, from conception to two years of age, have been identified as a critical window for nutrition and child development, and deprivations during this critical period result in irreversible consequences. Some of the factors responsible for the high rates of malnutrition in Nigeria include poor coverage and quality of nutrition services as well as persistent negative social norms and practices that lead to poor dietary practices for women and children. Consequently, Nigeria has the highest number of malnourished children in Africa and the second highest in the world.Ensuring that women and children have access to optimal diets, services, and practices is the focus of UNICEF Nigeria’s Country Programme Strategy (2023-2027). The strategy is focused on ensuring that Nigeria, currently off-track to attain the Sustainable Development Goal Nutrition Targets by 2030, is supported to change the current trajectory.
As part of UNICEF’s 2023–2027 Country Programme, the Nutrition Programme Specialist will contribute to strengthening national and subnational nutrition systems including processes, technology, and institutional coordination. Embedded within the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Specialist will provide technical assistance in programme management, operational efficiency, and cross-sectoral coordination to ensure that nutrition priorities are embedded in development plans, adequately financed, and effectively monitored. This role ensures that processes, coordination, systems and evidence not only remain at the technical level but are translated into concrete action for children and women across Nigeria.Task description:Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of a designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Nutrition Program Specialist will:Programme Management & Coordination
-Support FMBEP in planning, implementing, and coordinating multi-sectoral nutrition programmes.
-Ensure integration of nutrition into annual work plans, operational frameworks, and national/sub-national planning cycles.
-Facilitate effective coordination between FMBEP and line ministries (Health, Agriculture, Education, Social Protection, Women’s Affairs) to deliver on nutrition commitments.
-Track progress on implementation of government nutrition policies, strategies, and development plans.Operations & Implementation Support
-Provide operational support to ensure smooth execution of nutrition-related activities, including procurement, logistics, and financial processes in line with government and UNICEF standards.
-Support strengthening of the nutrition supply chain and logistics information systems to improve the availability of essential nutrition commodities.
-Assist in resource mobilization, grant management, and donor reporting related to nutrition financing.Monitoring & Reporting
-Support FMBEP in preparing periodic progress reports, implementation updates, and performance reviews on nutrition programmes.
-Contribute to mid-term and annual review processes, ensuring timely reporting against set indicators and results frameworks.
-Participate in joint monitoring missions, field visits, and supportive supervision to ensure accountability for programme delivery.Capacity Building & Technical Support
-Build operational capacity of government counterparts on programme planning, financial tracking, and logistics management.
-Support training and workshops for FMBEP and other MDAs on programme management and results-based operations.
-Provide technical input in the preparation of guidelines, manuals, and operational tools for nutrition programme delivery.Partnerships & Advocacy
-Strengthen partnerships with UN agencies, development partners, civil society, and private sector to leverage resources for nutrition.
-Provide operational briefs, advocacy notes, and inputs to inform high-level decision-making and dialogue on nutrition.
-Facilitate donor coordination and ensure alignment of partner support to government nutrition priorities.
-Perform other tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:-Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day).-Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.-Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.-Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.-Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers.-Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.Requirements:Strong knowledge of nutrition programme design and evaluation.
- Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
- Innovates and embraces change (I)
- Manages ambiguity and complexity (I)
- Thinks and acts strategically (I)
- Works collaboratively with others (I)
- Health
- Development programmes
- Logistics and Inventory