Current vacancies

Contract Duration: 9 months

Working arrangement: Remote

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.

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

Scope of work:

The assignment aims to ensure that evidence generated through the Improving IMAN initiative and related maternal nutrition research is systematically synthesized, scientifically rigorous, clearly articulated, and successfully published to inform policy, program design, and national and global learning on maternal nutrition.

Under the overall supervision of UNICEF, and in close collaboration with TFNC, the Ministry of Health, and project consortium partners, the consultant will be responsible for the following: 

Key Responsibilities

 Journal supplement conceptualization

•   Lead the development of a comprehensive journal supplement concept note, including:

o        Background and rationale for the supplement

o        Purpose and relevance to the intended target audience

o        Inventory of published papers and manuscripts currently under development

o        Identification of additional manuscripts to be developed to address key evidence gaps

o        Proposed authorship structure (lead authors, senior authors, and co‑authors), including

recommendations for guest editors

Coordination of authors and stakeholders

•   Coordinate a multidisciplinary group of authors from government, UNICEF, academia, research institutions, and implementing partners.

•   Provide expert technical advisory support to authors in the development of manuscripts related to maternal nutrition and the IMAN initiative.

•   Support authors to conduct comprehensive literature reviews on maternal nutrition, ANC‑based nutrition interventions, MMS, and other topics relevant to this assignment.

•   Work closely with consortium members, authors, and research teams to gather inputs, validate content, and ensure coherence and consistency across manuscripts.

•   Facilitate virtual coordination meetings, technical discussions, and progress review sessions, with provision for one in‑person meeting if required.

•   Facilitate effective engagement and communication between authors, guest editors, UNICEF, TFNC, and the journal publisher to ensure alignment with submission requirements and timelines.

Quality assurance and scientific accuracy

•   Provide substantive technical review, editing, and proofreading of all manuscripts to ensure clarity, coherence, consistency, and adherence to academic and journal style standards.

•   Ensure all manuscripts meet ethical, methodological, and reporting standards required for peer‑reviewed publication.

•   Ensure consistency across manuscripts in methodological quality, ethical considerations, use of data, and interpretation of findings.

•     Coordinate and support timely incorporation of peer‑reviewer and editorial feedback in collaboration with authors.

Peer‑review and journal engagement

•     Liaise with the selected open‑access peer‑reviewed journal, including guest editors and editorial board members.

•     Support the final submission of all manuscripts to the selected journal.

•     Coordinate submission processes, peer‑review responses, and revisions.

•     Oversee finalization of manuscripts through acceptance and publication, ensuring adherence to agreed timelines.

•     Develop and complete journal supplement, including: an introductory overview article, individual peer reviewed manuscripts, concluding synthesis and policy implications paper

• Develop a concise final brief report summarizing activities undertaken, deliverables achieved, challenges encountered, and key lessons learned throughout the process.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy on the detailed deliverables and expected outcomes, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  TMC0002412 ToR_ext Maternal Nutrition Journal Supplement International Consultant.pdf

Minimum requirements:

• Advanced university degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Epidemiology, Maternal and Child Health, or a closely related field

• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in nutrition and/or public health.

• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required.

• Solid experience of nutrition research and programming in low- and middle-income countries, preferably in East Africa.

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

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities 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 promoting 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 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal  TMC0002412 Financial proposal template.docx
• Technical proposal: A sample journal supplement demonstrating the candidate’s excellent scientific writing and publication experience

Remarks:   If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.