Fixed-Term Appointment: Nutrition Officer, Post # 00011548, NO-2 Level, UNICEF Ha Noi, Viet Nam (for Vietnamese Nationals)

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

Please click the link for further information about UNICEF Viet Nam: https://www.unicef.org/vietnam/

For every child, Nutrition

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does – in programmes, in advocacy and in 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. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, nutrition, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens – addressing inequity – not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress 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.

Job organizational context:

Good nutrition is essential for child survival and development, enabling children to grow, learn, and engage in their communities. However, many children in Viet Nam, particularly the poorest and ethnic minorities, lack adequate nutrition.

While child stunting has declined nationally from 29.3% in 2010 to 19.4% in 2020, it remains high among ethnic minority children at 32%, compared to 12.4% in urban and 14.9% in rural areas. In addition, all three types of malnutrition persist, including undernutrition (child stunting and wasting, maternal underweight, short adult statute) micronutrient deficiencies, and rising rates of overweight and obesity.

Moreover, at least a third of Vietnam’s 63 provinces suffer from El Niño-induced drought, impacting around 2 million people annually, particularly in the South Central, Central Highlands, and Mekong Delta regions. This exacerbates the risk of water shortages, poor dietary intake, and rising malnutrition rates among women and young children.

In this context, UNICEF is seeking a qualified National Nutrition Officer to help implement its country program in alignment with the national nutrition strategy.

How can you make a difference? 

The Nutrition Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the nutrition programmes/projects within the Country Programme, from development planning to delivery of results. In doing so, the incumbent implements a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of results.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support to programme development and planning

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

4. Networking and partnership building

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Nutrition Officer Level 2.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education:

  A university degree in one of the following fields is required:  nutrition, public health, nutritional epidemiology, global/international health and nutrition, health/nutrition research, policy and/or management, health sciences, nutritional epidemiology, or another health-related science field.

• Work Experience:

  A minimum of two years of professional experience in a developing country in one or more of the following areas is required: nutrition, public health, nutrition planning and management, or maternal, infant and child health/nutrition care. Experience in integrated management of acute malnutrition, food fortification, school nutrition, nutrition in emergency response, micronutrient deficiencies control for women and children, sustaining and scaling up nutrition high impact interventions using government’s budget is considered an asset.

  Experience in health/nutrition programme/project development within a UN system agency or organization is preferred.

• Language Requirements:

  Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

+ Builds and maintains partnerships (1)

+ Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (1)

+ Drive to achieve results for impact (1)

+ Innovates and embraces change (1)

+ Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

+ Thinks and acts strategically (1)

+ Works collaboratively with others (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

Life at UNICEF

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff. Our contracts, wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as:

Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.

Pension benefits: You will become a participant in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (https://www.unjspf.org).

Health insurance scheme: You and your eligible dependents will be covered by the UN Medical Insurance Plan (https://www.un.org/insurance/plans/medical-insurance-plan-mip).

Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, family support, policies & initiatives, security, reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

Professional Development: The encouragement of professional development for all staff is one of UNICEF’s core values and we put this into practice through various services and initiatives. You will have different learning opportunities to strengthen your skills and competencies.

Be part of the United Nations: As an International organization that is part of the United Nations system, you will be considered an International Civil Servant and you will have career opportunities inside and outside the country.

Quality working conditions:

The workplace and working conditions are a huge asset for all UNICEF employees. Our staff are working in the Green One UN House – the first building in Viet Nam to be awarded gold LOTUS certification from the Viet Nam Green Building Council for efficient and environmentally sustainable use of resources and operations.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. 

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

https://vietnam.un.org/en/86207-announcement-time-hire-un-agencies-viet-nam-national-positions