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.

For every child, the right to Empowerment

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance of the Chief, Nutrition, you will contribute to transforming the diets and futures of children, adolescents, and women, where too many still live in food poverty. In this role, you will drive strategies that increase the availability, access, and consumption of diverse, nutritious foods at scale. You will advance community-based approaches and support behaviour change to improve food utilization, preparation, and consumption. You will lead the development and rollout of a minimum package of child-sensitive, nutrition-responsive agriculture actions aligned with national priorities, including biofortified crops, nutrient-rich value chains, food innovation, and local processing initiatives. You will support implementation through community and district coordination structures and align with broader food systems efforts to improve the availability, affordability, and accessibility of healthy diets. You will also strengthen partnerships with UN agencies, government ministries, and other stakeholders to support joint planning, multisectoral coordination, scale-up of nutrition-sensitive value chains, knowledge sharing, and learning. By strengthening collaboration across sectors, you will help unlock resources, scale innovations, and ensure that nutrition is embedded within agriculture, food systems, social protection systems, health systems and community programmes.
In addition, you will monitor programme performance, strengthen data systems and evidence use, and document best practices and lessons learned to inform scale-up and policy advocacy.
Through proactive coordination and a strong drive for results, you will help strengthen programme quality and reach, while at the same time maximizing effectiveness and efficiency to make a meaningful and lasting impact.

UNICEF Malawi aims to ensure that all children and adolescents can survive, grow, learn, and be protected, with a strong focus on those who are most vulnerable and at risk of being left behind. The programme works to create an inclusive and resilient environment where every child has equal opportunities.

UNICEF works across both humanitarian and development contexts to strengthen preparedness for emergencies, support climate adaptation and response, and build the resilience of institutions, communities, and young people.

UNICEF is seeking a dynamic and committed professional to join its team as a Nutrition Specialist, delivering high-impact programmes for children, adolescents and women. You will play a pivotal role in designing, implementing, and scaling up innovative interventions that enhance the availability, access, and consumption of diverse, nutritious foods at household and community levels. You will provide technical assistance, generate evidence, monitor programme implementation and contribute to strengthening nutrition systems. Your work will directly contribute to improving dietary diversity and nutritional outcomes for women, adolescents, and children across Malawi.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File Nutrition Specialist Level 3 (3).pdf

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

Minimum requirements

- 1. 1. Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in nutrition, public health, epidemiology, global health, health policy, health management, health sciences, maternal and child health and any other related fields.
    2. Work Experience: A minimum of five years of professional experience in a developing country is required in one or more of the following areas: nutrition, public health, nutrition planning and management, or food systems strengthening. Experience implementing both preventive and treatment nutrition interventions. Strong expertise in child sensitive nutrition-responsive agriculture and food systems. Ability to design and implement scalable, community-based interventions; Experience in household-level production, processing, preservation, value addition, and consumption of diverse, nutrient-dense foods through interventions that improve access at household and community levels. Facilitate linkages with other sectors and programmes like social protection and income generating activities to improve dietary diversity of children. Coordinate with the health systems to ensure availability of nutrition services including MIYCAN counselling and screening for severe acute malnutrition and referral in the targeted districts. and any other related fields.
    3. Skills: Proven partnership and coordination skills with government, UN partners (including FAO/WFP), CSOs and other stakeholders. Resource mobilization and grant management. Advocacy and system strengthening. Strong analytical and data-use capability; and. Effective communication skills.
    4. Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

1. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
2. Experience in food systems.
3. Familiarity with grant management for EU supported projects.
4. Developing country experience.
5. Experience in nutrition programme/project development and management within a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
6. Humanitarian experience
7. Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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 competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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.

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

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.

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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.

Nutrition Specialist, NO-3, Fixed Term Position, Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi, #00137616 (Open to Malawian Nationals Only)