Country Action Specialist – Nairobi
JOB DETAIL
Background Information – SUN Movement Secretariat
Since 2010, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUMovement has inspired a new way of working collaboratively to end malnutrition, in all its forms. With the governments of SUN Countries in the lead, it unites people—from civil society, the United Nations, donors, businesses and researchers—in a collective effort to improve nutrition. The SUN Strategy 2021–2025 (SUN 0) prioritises country leadership and focuses on supporting systemic change at the country level. It seeks to capture the ambition of SUN countries and guide the work of all actors at all levels aligning concerted action behind and responding to commonly agreed national priorities set out by governments in SUN countries.
SUN 0 is committed to fundamental, nonnegotiable aspects of effective nutrition action, including equity and the principle of leaving no one behind. For its third phase, the SUN Movement will drive forward gender equality and enshrine youth leadership across the Movement. SUN 0 will strengthen partnerships to achieve greater impact on nutrition through food systems, health systems, social protection systems, actions by the private sector and humanitarian and development actors, and through education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASand climate change adaptation.
The SUN Movement Secretariat plays a central role in enabling the multiple members and structures of the Movement to work together to advance progress on countrylevel priorities and the global positioning of nutrition.
The SUN Movement Secretariat comprises personnel, based in Geneva and in various regions globally. All parts of the Movement – member governments, the SUN Global Support Systemthe GSS, consisting of four SUN networks (Civil Society, United Nations, Business, Donorand the SUN Movement Secretariat, together with the SUN Movement Coordinator, work together to align and focus efforts on priorities within countries.
The SUN Movement Secretariat is hosted by UNOPS.
Role of the Country Action Specialist
The Country Action Specialist, (Convergence Hureports to the Regional Representative. The SUN Country Action team is critical in supporting the SUN Movement to achieve the objectives set out in SUN 0, and provides the capacity to ensure SUN Countries are at the centre of everything the Movement does, empowering SUN Country Focal Points and/or Country Coordinators to act. The team is currently organised into five Hubs, and the Country Action Specialist supports the Convergence Hub countries, focusing particularly on the French speaking countries.
The Country Action Specialist, Convergence Hub is based in Nairobi and is part of a small team established to support the development of National Nutrition Plans, facilitate information sharing and knowledge exchange, and identify advocacy opportunities across the countries within the defined portfolio. The Specialist will work closely with national counterparts and other stakeholders, including representatives of the SUN Networks, to strengthen the institutional capacity for nutrition by identifying, creating and strengthening opportunities to accelerate progress in countries; identifying successful interventions and moving quickly to scale up results and ensuring effective peer learning and knowledge exchange across the Movement.
The role supports the Regional Representative to build and maintain effective understanding, communication and technical support across the broad national and international community of stakeholders to understand risks and challenges so that resources may be mobilised and technical assistance provided as necessary.
Facilitation
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Coordination
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Innovation and knowledge management
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| Contribute to strategic planning and data analysis Advertisement
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| Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization. |
| Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion. |
| Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. |
| Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the rol. |
| Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. |
| Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. |
| Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problemsolving. |
| Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground. |
Education
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalenin nutrition, public health, international development, public policy or related field.
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- A bachelor’s degree with a combination of two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree.
Experience
- A minimum of five (5) years of experience in international development, public health, nutrition or related field is required.
- Demonstrated professional work experience in an international setting, with at least three (3) years in a field setting is required.
- Experience working in humanitarian contexts, preferably in the nutrition sphere, is highly desirable
- Experience working in the Africa region is desirable (especially Francophone Africa as the Country action Specialist will also cover French speaking countrie.
Languages
- Full working knowledge of English and French is essential.
- Knowledge of another official UN language, particularly Arabic , is an asset.
Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (IC
Contract level: ICS10 / IICA 2
Contract duration: Openended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.
For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/jobopportunities/whatweoffer/Pages/IndividualContractorAgreements.aspx
As per UNOPS policy, in duty stations where the NPO (National Professional Officecategory has been established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSa Local ICA Specialist contract wil be issued where a national of Kenya is selected
- Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
- Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
- UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
- Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
- We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.
- Nairobi, Kenya is a UN family duty station.
Terms and Conditions
- For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
- For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to completin your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
- All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGin a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
- It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.
