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, Safety...                                                                                                                                 

 1.  Introduction

Malnutrition remains a major public health challenge, particularly among children and women, with significant implications for health, economic development, and overall well-being. Agriculture plays a critical role in improving nutrition outcomes by ensuring the availability, accessibility, and consumption of diverse, safe, and nutrient-rich foods. However, despite its potential, the agriculture sector is not always explicitly aligned with nutrition objectives, leading to missed opportunities for improving dietary quality and addressing malnutrition. To bridge this gap, a Minimum Package of Nutrition Actions in Agriculture is being developed. This package will provide a set of evidence-based, high-impact interventions that enhance agriculture’s contribution to improved nutrition, particularly for vulnerable populations such as women and children. The package will align with national policies, global frameworks (such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the FAO-WHO Decade of Action on Nutrition, and UNICEF’s Food Systems for Children and Adolescents), and best practices in nutrition- sensitive agriculture.

2.  Rationale

The agriculture sector has a unique role in addressing malnutrition by influencing:

• • Food availability and diversity: Promoting the production of nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, pulses, and animal-source foods.
  • Food access and affordability: Strengthening market linkages and reducing barriers to accessing nutritious foods.
  • Food safety and quality: Enhancing post-harvest handling, storage, and food safety measures.
  • Nutrition behaviour change: Integrating nutrition education into agricultural extension services.
  • Resilience and sustainability: Addressing climate adaptation, biodiversity, and gender-sensitive approaches in food systems.

How can you make a difference? 

Objectives: 

1️. Conduct a Desk Review 

• • Analyze existing policies, strategies, and programs on nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
  • Identify best practices, evidence-based interventions, and implementation gaps.
  • Map key stakeholders and their roles in agriculture-nutrition linkages.

2. Define and Prioritize Nutrition Actions in Agriculture

• • Identify a set of high-impact, nutrition-sensitive interventions that can be mainstreamed into agricultural programs.
  • Facilitate stakeholder consultations and prioritization workshops to validate the proposed interventions.
  • Ensure alignment with national policies, global frameworks, and ongoing initiatives.

3️. Develop the Minimum Package of Nutrition Actions in Agriculture

• • Define the core interventions, their implementation modalities, and expected outcomes.
  • Develop operational guidance for integration into agriculture and food systems programs.
  • Outline key enablers, such as policy support, institutional arrangements, and capacity-building needs.

4️. Cost the Minimum Package for Scale-Up

• • Estimate the financial requirements for implementing the package at different levels (community, district, national).
  • Propose scalable and sustainable financing mechanisms, including government, donor, and private sector contributions.

5️. Develop a costed Implementation and Monitoring Framework

 

• • Provide recommendations for effective implementation, coordination, and accountability.
  • Propose key indicators and monitoring mechanisms to track progress and impact.
  • Identify capacity-building needs and institutional arrangements for sustainability.

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

Work experience:

• • At least 5 years of professional experience in nutrition-sensitive agriculture, food security, or public health nutrition is required.
  • Proven experience in developing or implementing food and nutrition policies, programs, or strategies at the national or international level required.
  • Experience in conducting desk reviews, policy analysis, and program evaluations in agriculture and nutrition required.
  • Experience in costing and financial modeling for nutrition-sensitive interventions is an asset.
  • Experience in multi-stakeholder coordination, including working with governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and the private sector required.

Technical skills, knowledge and strength areas:

Required Research & Analytical Skills     

• • Strong skills in qualitative and quantitative research, including literature reviews and data analysis.
  • Familiarity with global and national nutrition frameworks (e.g., UNICEF’s Food Systems for Children, SDGs, FAO-WHO Decade of Action on Nutrition, SUN Movement).

• • Strong understanding of agriculture-nutrition linkages, food systems, and multi-sectoral nutrition approaches.

Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation 

• • Proven ability to facilitate consultative workshops, focus group discussions, and technical meetings.

Languages:

Excellent command of spoken English is required, with strong verbal communication skills to engage effectively in professional settings.

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference  Terms of Reference Support minimum package for nutrition interventions.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

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.

HOW TO APPLY...

Interested consultants should provide the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment
3. Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees, travel, living cost, visa and other costs).  ANNEX I - Financial Proposal.xlsx Complete the attached form.
4. References details

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

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. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.