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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. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

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In sub-Saharan Africa, three in four children under 5 years (139 million) live in child food poverty, and one in three children (57 million) live in severe child food poverty, surviving on extremely poor diets that include at most two food groups. Child food poverty is the main driver of the persistently high rates of child undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa which affect more than one-third of children under 5 years of age. The three major drivers of child food poverty are poor food environments, poor feeding practices and income poverty.

To address child food poverty and reduce malnutrition UNICEF has launched First Foods Africa. This initiative aims to change production priorities, policy frameworks, and consumption practices so that every child receives the nutritious diets children need to grow and develop to their full potential.

The initiative is structured across three main pillars:

• Incentivizing local production of nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable first foods.
• Shaping policy environments to promote and support children’s access to nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable first foods.
• Stimulating adequate consumption of nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable first foods through social marketing and social behaviour change.

First Foods Africa builds on UNICEF’s expertise and experience with local production of ready-to-use therapeutic foods; it is guided by the UNICEF Nutrition Strategy 2020–2030 and UNICEF’s vision on Food Systems for Children.

For every child, a hope….

Join us in shaping a healthier future for children! As Programme Specialist - First Foods for Children, you will coordinate UNICEF’s efforts under the First Foods Africa initiative to promote the local production of nutritious, safe, affordable, and sustainable foods for young children. Working closely with UNICEF teams, national authorities, technical experts, and investment partners, you will support Africa-based companies to develop high-quality first foods and help expand this transformative initiative globally. This role offers the chance to drive innovation, generate knowledge, and make a lasting impact on child nutrition worldwide.

How can you make a difference?

Programme Coordination and Implementation

• Coordinate with UNICEF Programme Group and Supply Division and provide technical support to UNICEF Regional and Country Offices to plan, implement, and monitor interventions focused on strengthening local production of nutritious first foods.
• Collaborate with national and regional authorities, technical experts, and private sector actors to incentivize production of nutritious and safe first foods that meet dietary needs of young children and the highest quality and safety standards.
• Develop and implement adequate systems to monitor progress and results in the implementation of First Foods Africa and ensure alignment with UNICEF’s vision, principles, and strategies for food systems at all times.

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

• Provide tailored technical support to selected Africa-owned companies, helping strengthen their business models for the production of nutritious, high-quality, and safe first foods, in alignment with latest WHO guidelines on complementary feeding.
• Facilitate capacity-building to selected Africa-owned companies to ensure compliance with quality and safety standards, including product fortification, sustainable production, and affordability;
• Provide capacity building and support to selected Africa-owned companies to ensure compliance with WHO guidance on ending inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children, in accordance with highest existing standards and evidence.

Partnership Management

• Work closely with development partners, investment partners, and private sector stakeholders to mobilize expertise, funding and technology for local production of nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable first foods for young children.
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with governments, academia, civil society organizations and technical agencies for efficient collaboration that adds value to the implementation of First Foods Africa.
• Foster collaboration with research institutions and innovation hubs to develop and scale up new technologies and solutions for improving food production systems.

Knowledge Management and Innovation

• Contribute to knowledge generation by documenting programmatic experiences, innovations, and lessons learned related to local food production.
• Develop and share technical tools, case studies, and guidance documents to support the expansion of First Foods Africa.
• Provide technical input to regional and global teams to scale the First Foods model beyond Africa, adapting it to diverse contexts.

Resource Mobilization and Advocacy

• Support resource mobilization efforts by developing proposals, technical briefs, and donor reports.
• Advocate for increased investment and policies to support local production of nutritious, sustainable first foods for children.
• Represent UNICEF in global, regional, and national fora to promote the First Foods Africa initiative and share results.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education

• Advanced university degree (master’s or above) in Food Technology, Food and Nutrition Science, or a related field is required.
• Degrees and experience with a focus on food production, food quality, food safety and/or food systems and food fortification are highly desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in nutrition, food systems, business development, or a related field, with a focus on improving food availability and quality.

Language Requirements

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

Desirables/Assets:

• Proven experience working with private sector actors, particularly in food production, quality control, and supply chains.
• Demonstrated expertise in program design, implementation, and monitoring in nutrition or food systems.
• Experience in capacity building, policy development, and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• Demonstrated analytical and persuasive writing skills experience, including ability to convey complex information in a clear manner to a diverse audience.

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…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 | 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.

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.