Nutrition Officer

UNICEF was established in 1946 to supply emergency relief to millions of children suffering in the aftermath of World War II. The organization still functions to ease the suffering of millions of children in emergency situations across the world. UNICEF also focuses on the protection and promotion of child rights, working for the survival, protection, education and healthy development of every child.

UNICEF has worked in Jordan since 1952 to promote and protect the rights of children. In the following decades, significant progress has been achieved for children. Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2013, UNICEF has significantly increased its operation to respond to the challenges faced by both refugee children and those in the communities where they live.

Building on the lessons learned from this emergency response, UNICEF Jordan moved to a vulnerability approach in 2018 - supporting interventions that target the most vulnerable children in the country, regardless of their nationality.

In Jordan, the latest Demographic Health Survey (DHS) shows that the overweight and obesity prevalence doubled from 4 per cent in 1997 to 9 per cent in 2023 among children under five, while the prevalence of wasting remained low at 2 per cent and stunting was at 8 per cent in 2023. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is more visible among adolescent girls (15-19 years old) at 35 per cent and adult women (20-49 years old) at 64 per cent, while consumption of sweet beverages was around 94 percent for both groups.

UNICEF is committed to addressing all forms of malnutrition, including overweight and obesity, and to protect children’s rights to healthy food. For school aged children, UNICEF has set some areas of work indicated in “Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools | UNICEF East Asia and Pacific (NEAT-S)" that represents a comprehensive approach to improving nutrition in schools. It is critical to advocate for creating healthy food environments in schools to ensure children’s right to access healthy foods for optional growth and development.

This assignment is intended to support the Health and Nutrition Section in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of nutrition programming for school-aged children, adolescents, and youth. Under the direct supervision of the Nutrition Specialist (International) and the Chief of the Section, the incumbent will be responsible for supporting more specifically the work related to the NEAT survey and its findings, related to the technical, administrative, and operational aspects as it relates to nutrition interventions related to school aged children, adolescents, and youth, aiming to contribute to the obesity prevention work in Jordan.

Additional Information:
National UN Specialist Volunteers in Jordan are entitled to:
• Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of JOD 1,145.08;
• Annual and learning leaves;
• Free Medical and life insurance;
• Free access to different learning platforms.

For more information on UN Volunteer benefits, entitlements and support, please visit:
https://www.unv.org/volunteer-your-country-conditions-service

Under the direct supervision of Nutrition Specialist (International), the UN Volunteer will:
1) Provide Support to Programme Development, and Planning specifically related to the NEAT survey including the following:
• Provide support to compiling, synthesizing, and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data from various sources to inform and strengthen nutrition programming for school-aged children and adolescents.
• Provide support to planning activities, budgeting, and preparing donor proposals, where applicable.

2) Provide Support to the Implementation, Monitoring and Reporting of Programme Results, specifically on the work related to obesity prevention in Jordan, including the following:
• Ensuring the timely implementation, coordination, and follow-up with implementing partners and stakeholders for the national assessment and advocacy campaign.
• Coordinate, arrange, and execute meetings, workshops and events related to national assessment and advocacy campaign.
• Prepare concise reports highlighting achievements and identifying gaps, and also prepare documents and materials, including the translation of relevant documentation between Arabic and English.
• Provide support to facilitate the review of the finding report for the national assessment in schools by concerned stakeholders.
• Monitor the budget utilization and prepare summary reports.

3) Provide Support in Knowledge Management and Capacity Building, specifically on the work related to obesity prevention in Jordan, including the following:
• Provide the compilation, synthesis, and analysis of feedback, best practices, and lessons learned from the nutrition projects to strengthen knowledge development and management within the Nutrition Programme, including the use of SharePoint.