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For every child, the right to support

In Lao PDR, UNICEF works in partnership with the Government of Lao PDR and partners to promote and protect the rights of children and women in Lao PDR. With over 50 years of service, we are one of the longest-serving international organisations in the country.

Visit unicef.org/Laos to learn more about what we do at UNICEF in Lao PDR.

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF in Vientiane, Lao PDR is looking for a National Consultant to support capacity building of stakeholders in delivering preventive nutrition interventions. The duration of this assignment is 12 months, starting as soon as possible and the consultant shall be office based in UNICEF.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

The purpose of assignment is to support and build the capacity of Ministry of Health in planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of preventive nutrition interventions implemented through health system. The consultant will work closely with the Ministry of Health especially with relevant departments to improve the delivery of preventive nutrition intervention through the health system.  This will include:

(a)Development and roll out of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women

Global evidence consistently demonstrates that Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) during pregnancy provides greater benefits than iron-folic acid alone, particularly in reducing risks of low birth weight, stillbirth, and reducing stunting while improving overall maternal and neonatal health outcomes. In this context, the consultant will play a pivotal role in advancing the national agenda for the adoption and scale-up of MMS. Key responsibilities will include facilitating coordination support for policy dialogue with government counterparts and technical partners to build consensus on the transition, while ensuring adaptation of global recommendations to the local context. The consultant will also contribute to the development of training packages, job aids, and implementation tools that are practical and user-friendly for health workers at all levels. Additionally, support will be extended for integrating MMS into existing maternal health service delivery platforms, with a phased and systematic roll-out that ensures equity in access. A strong focus will be placed on aligning the intervention with national supply chain systems, forecasting needs, and strengthening logistics to guarantee uninterrupted availability of MMS. This comprehensive approach will not only institutionalize MMS within maternal health services but also contribute to improving the survival, growth, and development outcomes of future generations.

(b)Strengthening the monitoring of Breast-milk Substitute (BMS) decree and related enforcement measures

LSIS-III data reveal persistent challenges in breastfeeding practices in Lao PDR, with only half of all children breastfed within the first hour of birth and a similar percentage receiving exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months. One of the major contributor to these sub-optimal practices is the widespread use of breast-milk substitutes (BMS), particularly in urban areas where aggressive formula marketing undermines breastfeeding. About 40.1% of children aged 0–23 months are bottle-fed, highlighting the scale of the issue. In response, significant progress has been made to strengthen monitoring and enforcement of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The Government of Laos, in collaboration with development partners, is monitoring the implementation of decree at national and sub-national levels to ensure systematic reporting of violations at retail sales point and health facilities. UNICEF has supported the government in developing AI-based monitoring tools and mobile applications to detect BMS violations on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and websites. While these initiatives represent an important step, they are still in the early stages, and further efforts are required to enhance inter-departmental coordination, strengthen technical and regulatory capacity, provide technological support, and ensure adherence to the BMS decree, as are considered critical to improve breastfeeding practices and protecting children from inappropriate marketing of BMS promotion.

(c)Capacity building of Health Workers on Nutrition-Specific Interventions

Despite the existence of national policies and programs especially on promoting infant and young child feeding (IYCF), micronutrient supplementation programmes, and management of severe acute malnutrition, LSIS-III and DHIS-2 data indicate low coverage of key nutrition specific interventions. These include counseling on breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, micronutrient supplementation, minimum dietary diversity, and early detection and management of acute malnutrition. These gaps point to both limited technical skills and inconsistent knowledge among health workers at facility and community levels. To address this, targeted capacity development trainings are needed for both community and health facility workers. However, ongoing staff transfer, retirements, and limited capacities of health workers has remained a huge challenge to delivery quality health and nutrition services.

More specifically, in consultation with the UNICEF Nutrition Team, the consultant shall:

•  Support in organizing training of Central Level Trainers and cascade trainings of provincial and district level stakeholders on MMS.

•  Technical support in coordination and preparation of Technical and Task Force Meeting of BMS committee under the National Committee on Food and Drug Control.

•  Technical support in the implementation and utilization of new AI based monitoring tools to report violations of unethical promotion and marketing of BMS products in social media and other platforms.

•  Provide technical support including developing guidance on growth monitoring and providing strategic recommendations to improve IYCF counselling services in target 11 priority provinces.

•   Support in the development and adaptation process of MIYCN training package to be used for Village Health Volunteers (VHVs).

•  Provide technical support in organizing Training of Trainers (ToTs) on new MIYCN training package and support cascade trainings for frontline workers and Village Health Volunteers in targeted districts.

•   Provide technical support to review DHIS-2 data (quarterly), analyzing and providing strategic recommendations

•   Facilitate coordination with the Technical Working Group (TWG) to finalize the minimum core standards of nutrition components in pre-service curricula for doctors, nurses, and midwives.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  TOR for VA National Consutlant NUtrition Preventive Intervention.pdf

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

Education:

• Medical doctor with preferably Public Health background or similar qualification.

Work Experience and skill:

• At least 10 years of proven experience of working with government health system and good understanding of nutrition specific interventions in the Lao context
• Good understanding of nutrition specific preventive programmes like Infant & Young Child Feeding & Micronutrient supplementation programmes. 
• In-depth understanding and knowledge of the government internal process and administrative procedures related to the nutrition programme
• Past experience of implementation and monitoring of Breast Milk Substitute (BMS) code would be added advantage.
• Familiar with innovative and technology-based applications to monitor nutrition programmes

Language Requirements:

• Strong Lao language skills
• Excellent written and spoken English, an advantage.

Submission of applications:

Interested candidates are kindly requested to apply and upload the following documents:

• Letter of Interest (cover letter)
• CV or Resume
• Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including medical insurance with medivac, travel and accommodation cost for this assignment as per work assignment

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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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.

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Remarks:  

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.

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