National Nutrition Specialist

The UNICEF Nutrition Programme in Southern and Central Somalia is strengthening its field-level capacity to coordinate and oversee the scale-up of emergency nutrition interventions in response to anticipated drought conditions and heightened humanitarian needs associated with the projected El Niño weather pattern.

Baidoa is one of Somalia’s most vulnerable humanitarian hubs, hosting large populations of internally displaced persons and communities affected by recurrent climate shocks, food insecurity, disease outbreaks and high levels of acute malnutrition. Increased humanitarian needs are expected to place additional pressure on programme resources and implementation capacity, requiring stronger field presence and operational oversight.

The UN Volunteer will be part of UNICEF Somalia’s Nutrition Programme and based in the Baidoa Field Office. The assignment will support the planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring and reporting of drought response activities in alignment with government priorities and humanitarian response frameworks. It will also strengthen field monitoring, partner capacity, verification of results and resolution of implementation bottlenecks, including for First Foods and other priority nutrition interventions focused on preventing malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life.

Under the supervision of the designated UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, the UN Volunteer will:

• Support the planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring and reporting of emergency and preventive nutrition interventions in South West State.
• Coordinate with relevant government authorities, NGO implementing partners, UN agencies and other stakeholders to support timely decisions and delivery.
• Monitor programme implementation through field visits, partner engagement and review of programme data; verify results and identify bottlenecks, gaps and corrective actions.
• Support the scale-up and quality assurance of drought-response nutrition services, including referral pathways and continuity of lifesaving services for children and women.
• Contribute to implementation and acceleration of First Foods and other priority interventions to prevent malnutrition among infants and young children during the first 1,000 days of life.
• Strengthen partner capacity in programme planning, monitoring, documentation, accountability and results reporting.
• Prepare timely situation updates, monitoring reports, analyses and inputs to UNICEF planning and reporting processes.
• Support coordination and information sharing within UNICEF and with government and humanitarian coordination mechanisms.
• Promote accountability to affected populations, safeguarding, inclusion and gender-responsive programming across supported activities.
• Undertake other related duties within the scope of the assignment, as requested by the supervisor.