Consultancy: Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) Technical Alliance Operations Consultant – Req. #574557

The GNC Operations Consultant will be responsible for supporting the effective functioning of the GNC Operations Team and its various activities in delivering technical support to countries affected by crisis. The Operations Consultant will report to the GNC Operations Team Technical Lead.

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.

Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) Operations Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Nutrition and Child Development Section, Programme Group, New York HQ

Duration: 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ/ Home-based 

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: 

The Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) is a holistic platform of support for nutrition preparedness, response, and recovery for humanitarian emergencies.  This common global mechanism endorsed by over 40 GNC partners provides systematic, predictable, timely, and coordinated nutrition assistance to meet the nutrition rights and needs of people affected by emergencies.

The GNC is a global resource for NiE programme and coordination / information management support and constitutes a platform for learning and development. With a strong focus on localization, collectively with its network of partners, the GNC provides comprehensive support to nutrition practitioners especially to local and national actors who are working close to communities negatively impacted by the consequences of conflict and climate induced shocks.

As part of the evolution in ways of working, a new GNC Operations Team has been created composed of global and country facing operation functions to support the overall operations of the GNC, which includes coordination, information management and NiE programmes. The GNC Operations Consultant will be responsible for supporting the effective functioning of the GNC Operations Team and its various activities in delivering technical support to countries affected by crisis.  The Operations Consultant will report to the GNC Operations Team Technical Lead.

Scope of Work:

The main purpose of this consultancy is to provide support to the efficient functioning of the GNC Operations Team.

The following expected results include:

•     Information and knowledge management and administration support to the GNC Operations Team.

•     Support to planning, monitoring and evaluation, including metrics for quality of services delivered.

•     Development of key reports for different stakeholder groups, and presentations for advocacy and reporting purposes.

•     Administrative support of knowledge management and learning and other GNC events.

•     Support for resource management, including developing donor reports and coordinating report writing processes.

•     Support financial planning and budgeting. 

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

1. Information Management and Administrative support to the GNC Operations Team    

– Planning of 24 Operations Team meetings.

Specific output:

•   24 agendas developed, documentation of action points, and supporting follow up.      

30 Dec 24, 31 March 25, 30 June 25, 30 Sept 25

– Planning of 24 Programme Leadership Team meetings.

Specific output:

•   24 agendas developed, documentation of action points, and supporting follow up.       

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25      

– Coordination of Working Groups through quarterly cross-chair calls

Specific outputs:

•   Development of 6 agendas, 6 minutes, and monitoring follow up actions from 6 meetings,

•   Develop guidance (max 4 pages) to support Working Groups to enhance partner engagement, including Community of Practice. 

•   One Working Group translation process guidance developed (1 pager) and shared with Working Group Chairs with follow through in facilitating translation with service providers

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25       18,000

– Coordinate input of Operations Team into GNC strategy development process

Specific output:

•   Document Operations team input (max three pages) for GNC strategy.

 30 April 25     

– Develop plan for enhancing integration of PT with CT within the Operations Team

Specific outputs:

•   1 plan developed (max 4 pages) and feedback from operation team members solicited before finalisation.        

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25  

2. Planning, monitoring and reporting   

– Development of annual workplan for the GNC Operations Team

Specific output:

•   1 workplan developed (excel, following existing format)       

31 Jan 25        

– Development of expanded Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework for the GNC Operations Team

Specific output:

•   1 framework developed (max 3 pages)         

31 Jan 25        

– Implement GNC Operations Team reporting plan against timelines, donor requirements and formats.

Specific outputs:

•   12 1-pager monthly performance reports

•   4 quarterly report

•   1 annual report        

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25      

– Manage and update GNC Operations Stakeholders mapping and email distribution list.

Specific output:

•   1 email distribution list created and updated each month.

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25      

3. Resource Management         

– Provide management for donor reporting and proposal development processes

Specific outputs:

•   Development of RACI table (excel) for each of the nine donor reports and proposals  

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25      

– Develop inputs for 6 donor reports.

Specific output:

•   Six donor reports completed. 30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25      

     Develop inputs for 3 donor proposals.

Specific output:

•   Three donor proposals completed.

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25

4. Knowledge Management and Learning         

– Implementation of KM & L processes.

Specific outputs:

•   Develop Operations Team KM & L priorities and action plan (max 4 pages) in collaboration with relevant stakeholders (GNC Communication Team, WG on Capacity Strengthening and GNC Partner, ENN) and provide follow-up for implementation.

•   Incorporate Operations Team KM & L priorities into four relevant workplans with GNC Communication Team and ENN.          

30 Dec 24       

– Provide updates to GNC Communication Team for the GNC website maintenance and updating.

Specific outputs:

•   12 GNC website updates are completed.

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25      

– Planning and administration of 14 webinars and other learning events

Specific outputs:

•   Fourteen webinars and learning events planned with administrative support to the organisers.

•   Fourteen webinars hosted with simultaneous translation provided.

•   One GNC Webinar planning process guideline updated to reflect learning      

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25      

– Develop plan for communication on the GNC Consultant Roster to increase awareness and utilisation of the roster.

Specific outputs:

•   One plan developed to enhance the awareness and utilisation of the GNC Consultant Roster (max 4 pages)      

28 Feb 25      

5. Budget        

– Development of 2025 GNC integrated budget between the GNC Coordination Management Team and UNICEF PG, in coordination with GNC Programme Leadership

Specific outputs:

•   One integrated budget for 2025 reflecting entire GNC approved funding        

31 Jan 25        

– Facilitate quarterly monitoring meetings of the GNC integrated budget.

Specific outputs:

•   Four budget monitoring meetings planned, with four agendas, 4 minutes and monitoring of action items.

30 Dec 24, 31 Mar 25, 30 Jun 25, 30 Sep 25    

 Qualifications

(1) Education

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in administration, finance or other related field.

(2) Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

•      A minimum of five years’ experience in administration required.

•      Demonstrable experience in Monitoring and Evaluation required.

•      Organizational, planning, and prioritizing skills and abilities required.

•      Demonstrable experience in financial management an asset

•      Knowledge of UNICEF financial systems an asset

•      Excellent writing and formatting skills required.

•      High sense of confidentiality, initiative, and good judgment required.

•      Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders required.

•      Ability to work in a team environment to achieve common goals required.

•      A high level of competence MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other software such as SharePoint an asset.

Requirements: 

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.