UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.   Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.   And we never give up. 

For every child, nutrition is a must!

How can you make a difference? 

I. Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF Liberia Country Office is looking for an international consultant to serve as technical lead in providing overall coordination and technical guidance for implementation of the planned Comprehensive Food Security and Nutrition Survey. The consultant will work directly with the government and in close collaboration with the WFP, FAO, and UNICEF Liberia coordination team. The consultant will work within the country for a few months and from home intermittently throughout the period of the consultancy.

Objectives and Targets of the Assignment:

The consultant will serve as technical lead in providing overall coordination and technical guidance for implementation of the planned Comprehensive Food Security and Nutrition Survey.

Specific activities to be completed to achieve the Objective:

• Oversee and support coordination process with national authorities and partners to undertake the planned CFSNS during all stages (including the organization of and participation in consultative stakeholder groups meetings).
• Oversee and support the national survey coordination team to conduct literature review, analysis of secondary data and validate the survey sampling methodology.
• Review and refine data collection tools for households and community surveys, focus groups, and provide technical advice to the national survey coordination team in pilot testing of the questionnaire and final adjustments, as necessary.
• Lead the training for survey enumerators personnel and liaise with the Ministry of Health technical person for the analysis and development of nutrition modules.
• Facilitate/oversee the supervision of data collection teams and ensure implementation of quality control measures during data collection, digitize data collection tools, and oversee data entry processing including ensuring data quality checks are adhered to.
• Oversee and support the report-writing process ensuring cross-cutting issues, such as gender and market analysis, are properly presented or mainstreamed (including executive brief), incorporating all the three major components of the survey (Food Security, Agriculture and Nutrition).
• Guide a response analysis workshop, documents key outcomes and provide guidance on report writing and peer review of draft report.
• Ensure training of government personnel involved in data analysis to understand the analytical steps necessary for CFSNS.
• Ensure proper and timely publication and dissemination of the final report.

II:  Scope of Work:

The survey is a countrywide assessment whose results will be representative at the county level, and appropriate weights will be assigned to extrapolate findings to the whole country. The Survey (CFSNS) will serve as a baseline assessment offering detailed insights into food security, household vulnerability, and nutrition. Aligned with the National Food Security and Nutrition Strategy, it emphasizes the importance of consistent monitoring of food security and nutrition conditions. The CFSNS specifically aims to:

• Determine the prevalence and severity of malnutrition among children 0-59 months and their mothers (normal, wasting, stunting, underweight, and overweight). and the current, infant, and young child feeding and caring practices for children 0-23 months (early initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, continued breastfeeding, complementary feeding – MDD, meal frequency, MAD).
• Determine the current maternal and adolescent food consumption (adolescent MDD and women-MDD).and the prevalence and severity of malnutrition among adolescents 10-19 years old (underweight, overweight, short stature).
• Assess to nutrition education at the community /health facility level to inform programs that support good nutrition practices and the availability and access to clean water sources, sanitation facilities, and hygiene facilities for disease prevention and their impact on nutritional status. 
• Update on the profiles of food insecure, vulnerable people and their livelihoods, including data on household socioeconomic status and income sources, which can influence access and dietary quality and estimate the number of people food insecure or vulnerable and where they are.
• Assess the status of food security dimensions (availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability), including nutritious food for children, particularly 6 to 23 months (5 to 8 food groups) and food consumption patterns to understand dietary habits and potential areas of improvement in nutritional intake at the household level.
• Understand coping mechanisms employed by households and communities in response to shock and identify prevailing agriculture livelihood shocks or stressors leading to food and nutrition insecurity.
• Identify the underlying factors or drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition and their potential impact on the most vulnerable.

III:  Work Assignment Overview:

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

IV:  Qualification/Experience/Competencies/Skills Required:

Education:

• Advanced university degree (at least Master) in social science, agricultural economics, demography, economics, nutrition, agriculture, public health, or related field.

 Work Experience:

• Minimum of five years working experience and expertise in the following areas: Nutrition, food security & livelihoods and statistics.
• Extensive experience in food security and nutrition data analysis and linkages with program decision-making.
• Extensive experience in carrying out SMART nutritional surveys at the field level.

Other skills and competencies required:

• Progressively responsible experience in public sector management, development projects, or emergency assistance.
• Excellent skills in STATA, R, SPSS, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience, CS-Pro, GIS, EpiInfo, NutriSurvey, SAS, STATA.
• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
• Extensive knowledge of food security and agricultural surveys.
• Knowledge of Sphere Standards in nutritional assessments

Language Proficiency:

• The consultant is expected to have the following qualities:
  • Excellent writing and communication skills in English.

V:  Working Conditions:

•  Home Based           Office Based       Hybrid (3 months on site & 3 months home-base)

The necessary computer equipment for the consultation will be provided by the consultant or the consultant is expected to use his/her own ICT equipment.

VI:  Supervision:

• The consultant will be supervised by the Chief, Child Survival and Development (CSD).

VII:  Technical & Financial Proposals:

Applicants are invited to submit with their online application:

• A technical proposal that outlines their understanding of the task and proposed methodology or a cover letter explaining why they are well placed to undertake this assignment.
• A recently updated CV.
• A financial proposal which must be an all-inclusive cost (consultancy fees, daily subsistence allowance, travels, etc.).

Applicants are invited to submit their financial proposals in USD using the template below:

Selection criteria will be based on qualifications, skills, expertise and experience in the required field, and quality of the technical and financial offer. Each application will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price.

Evaluation Criteria (This will be used for the Selection Report)

A) Technical Evaluation (e.g. maximum 75 Points)        B) Financial Proposal (e.g. maximum of 25 Points)

VIII:  Recourse:

UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the contract and/or withhold all or a portion of payment if the rules and the regulations regarding confidentiality, ethics and procedures of UNICEF and the partners are not followed, the performance is unsatisfactory, or work/deliverables are incomplete, not delivered or fail to meet the deadlines. The deliverables will remain the copyright of UNICEF.

The consultant must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

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.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely.