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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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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For every child, the right to nutrition

UNICEF’s Nutrition and Child Development Section in Lebanon is working to address the growing triple burden of malnutrition among children and adolescents, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. Recent evidence indicates that poor dietary patterns are widespread, with increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, alongside inadequate intake of nutritious foods. Notably, approximately one in three adolescent girls in Lebanon is affected by overweight or obesity, reflecting a broader shift towards unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles. These trends are occurring within increasingly obesogenic food environments, where unhealthy food options are widely available, affordable, and aggressively marketed to children and adolescents, while access to healthier alternatives remains limited. Schools, communities, and retail environments play a critical role in shaping dietary behaviours, underscoring the need for comprehensive, multi-sectoral action.

In this context, UNICEF is prioritizing a systems-based approach to improve the diets and nutritional outcomes of school-age children and adolescents by leveraging key platforms, including education, food systems, health, and social and behaviour change. Output 1.6 of the section’s rolling workplan focuses on ensuring that school-age children and adolescents have access to and demand for adequate diets, services, and practices aimed at preventing all forms of malnutrition. This is achieved through strengthening food systems, enhancing school-based interventions, generating evidence, and supporting policy and regulatory reforms.

The Nutrition and Child Development Section plays a central role in advancing this agenda through technical leadership, cross-sectoral coordination, and the design and implementation of innovative, evidence-based interventions and programmes.

The ICA will provide technical expertise and coordination support to design, implement, and scale up interventions aimed at improving the food environments, dietary practices, and nutritional status of school-age children and adolescents in Lebanon. The role focuses on strengthening food systems, supporting the development and advancement of policy and regulatory frameworks, advancing school-based nutrition programming, and leading evidence generation and advocacy efforts. The ICA will also coordinate multi-sectoral partnerships and contribute to national-level initiatives aimed at preventing childhood overweight and obesity.

How can you make a difference? 

1. Generate insights to improve the understanding of school-age children’s and adolescents’ food environments and diets
2. Implement, and scale-up programs that aim to improve the nutritional status of school-age children and adolescents especially girls
3. Policy Coordination and Technical Support for Improving Food Environments for Children and Adolescents
4. Coordination, Partnerships, and Programme Support

To view the detailed job description, open the attached document:  2026, NUT, Senior Nutrition Associate, ToR.docx

Minimum requirements:

• Education:  University Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, or a related field is required. Secondary School +2 years of additional experience replaces University Degree.
• Work Experience:

  • Minimum 5 years of experience in nutrition, public health, food systems, or related fields.

  • Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing nutrition programmes targeting school-age children and adolescents is required.

  • Experience in food systems, policy development, or regulatory frameworks related to nutrition is highly desirable.

  • Proven experience in research, data analysis, and evidence generation is an asset

  • Experience in coordinating multi-sectoral partnerships and working with government stakeholders is an asset.

  • Relevant experience in supporting nutrition programme/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.

• Language Requirements: Fluency in Arabic and English is required. Knowledge of French or any other UN language is considered an asset.

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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.