SSRRE 2025-2026: NYHQ, Programme Group, Director, D-2, Child Nutrition and Development , UNICEF – United States
JOB DETAIL
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 fulfil 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, nutrition and development
Under the guidance and supervision of the Director, Programme Group, the Director, Child Nutrition and Development provides global thought leadership, strategic vision and technical guidance to UNICEF’s programming for child nutrition and development, in support of UNICEF’s SDG commitments.
The Director leads the Child Nutrition and Development section which also anchors the early childhood development team. The Director continuously enhances UNICEF’s position as a global technical leader for child nutrition and development through intellectual, strategic, technical, managerial, advocacy and knowledge leadership for the formulation, implementation and monitoring of the UNICEF Global Nutrition Strategy 2030, in both humanitarian and fragile settings as well as provides guidance and support to the Deputy Director Early Childhood Development for the Early Childhood Development 2030 vision. The Director contributes to enhancing programme excellence for child nutrition and development, champions collaboration across sectors, maintains strategic relations with global partners and coalitions and advises the senior managers across the organization on policy, strategy and programme matters related to child nutrition and development.
The Director, leads and supervises the Child Nutrition and Development section staff and has a strong regular working relationship with the Regional Advisors and Global Cluster Coordinator as senior members of the Global Technical Team (GTT) for Child Nutrition and Development. The Director also works in close collaboration with directors and global leads in the Programme Group, with other divisions, counterparts in UN Agencies, governments, bi-lateral development and humanitarian partners, NGOs and CSOs, media, subject matter experts, and private sector stakeholders to support delivery on the child nutrition and development outcomes and outputs to which UNICEF has committed. The Director represents UNICEF in high-level advocacy and decision-making fora, and strategic engagements with critical partners.
How can you make a difference?
The key functional accountabilities of the Director, Child Nutrition and Development include:
Policy and Programme Leadership
- Formulate institutional policies, strategies, and programmes; shape and influence policies, identify programme priorities and programmatic strategies, and delineate recommended actions to deliver on UNICEF Strategic Plan outputs in the Child Nutrition and Development outcome area.
- Conceptualize, develop and disseminate programmatic guidelines and technical tools and oversee the application of these guidelines and tools in headquarters, regional offices and country offices in order to implement and scale up strategic policies, programmes and practices.
- Provide thought and intellectual leadership, champion evidence generation, data analysis, and knowledge management, and conceptualize evaluations on innovative policy and programmatic approaches to support successful scale up on strategic policies and programmes.
- Keep up to date on evidence, innovations, trends, analyses, guidelines, protocols, better practices and results and in the child nutrition and development sector; and use state-of-the-art evidence, knowledge and data to enhance UNICEF-supported policies, strategies and programmes.
Institutional Capacity Strengthening
- Conceptualize strategies that strengthen the capacity of national institutions and stakeholders to deliver improved diets, essential services and positive practices across the food, health, education, and social protection systems, supporting that children grow and develop to their full potential.
- Develop and support the implementation of capacity strengthening programmes and career development opportunities for UNICEF staff working to scale up policies, strategies and programmes for child nutrition and development, both in development and humanitarian settings.
- Ensure state-of-the-art capacity by the Global Technical Team for Child Nutrition and Development in order to ensure timely and quality support to UNICEF country offices in their role as providers of technical support for national polices, strategies and programmes.
- Strengthen, jointly with regional offices, country level capacity for sector/cluster coordination among development and humanitarian partners in the preparation, implementation and review of action plans, investment cases, advocacy strategies and resource mobilization proposals.
Advocacy and Partnerships Building
- Advocate for children’s right to good nutrition and development in development, fragile and humanitarian settings, including by representing UNICEF in global, regional and country level advocacy/technical avenues, often serving as the spokesperson of the Executive Director.
- Foster UNICEF’s leadership role as a global advocate for child nutrition and development in development and humanitarian settings by using principle- and evidence-based strategies and approaches that build on HHRR/CRC and state of the art evidence, data, and analyses.
- Establish strategic and quality partnerships with UN agencies, particularly FAO, WFP and WHO, bilateral and multilateral donors, including the WBG, national and international NGOs and CSOs, foundations, academia, professional associations, media and selected private sector stakeholders.
- Identify, develop, pursue and secure funding opportunities for UNICEF’s child nutrition and development programmes with bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies, private philanthropic foundations, non-governmental organizations, and other emerging financial partners.
Team Leadership and Management
- Lead UNICEF Global Technical Team (GTT) for Child Nutrition and Development, comprising HQ-Senior Advisors, Regional Advisors, and Global Cluster Coordinator as the core global technical team leading UNICEF’s policy, programme and advocacy for child nutrition and development.
- Establish and maintain the highest quality standards for efficient and effective operation of the Child Nutrition and Development section in UNICEF New York Headquarters, including recruitment, orientation, mentoring, supervision and performance motivation and management.
- Conceptualize and monitor annual workplans for the Child Nutrition and Development section; oversee management of budgets, including globally managed multi-country grants, and supervise reporting to ensure timely and quality fulfillment of donor reporting requirements.
- Contribute to PG management as a member of the PG Directors’ Group and support the Deputy Executive Directors for Programmes, Emergencies and Partnerships as needed.
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To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…
Qualifications
- Advanced degree in Maternal and Child Nutrition, Public Health Nutrition, Nutritional Epidemiology, or relevant bio-social sciences is required.
- A minimum of 15 years professional experience, including in developing countries and with at least 10 years at the international level, including in senior leadership and management positions.
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is considered as an important asset.
Person Profile
- Excellent intellectual, policy, programmatic and advocacy skills.
- Wide recognition in the field of Maternal and Child Nutrition globally, including publishing record.
- Proven policy, programme, advocacy and strategic skills at global and national levels.
- Excellent leadership and managerial skills.
- Strong networking and partnerships building skills with partners and governments.
- Proven successful record in partnerships building and resource mobilization.
- Ability to work with diverse teams and stakeholders to deliver results.
- Ability to communicate complex ideas and concepts to diverse audiences.
For every child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
For every child, you demonstrate…
Core Values
- Commitment
- Respect
- Integrity
- Trust
- Accountability
- Sustainability
Competencies
- Builds and maintains partnerships (level III)
- Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (level III)
- Drive to achieve results for impact (level III)
- Innovates and embraces change (level III)
- Manages ambiguity and complexity (level III)
- Thinks and acts strategically (level III)
- Works collaboratively with others (level III)
- Nurtures, leads and manages people (level III)
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
Remarks
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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
