Health & Nutrition Officer - NO2 Temporary Appointment

UNICEF Costa Rica is looking for a passionate Health & Nutrition Officer to support the design, implementation, and monitoring of impactful health and nutrition programmes. In this role, you’ll provide technical expertise and operational support to ensure the successful delivery of initiatives aligned with UNICEF’s strategic goals.

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, health

How can you make a difference? 

Health & Nutrition Officer provides professional technical assistance and support for programme/project design, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and administration of programme/project activities, including data analysis, progress reporting, knowledge networking and capacity building, in support of achievement of planned objectives of the work plan, aligned with Health & Nutrition programme goals and strategy.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS 

1. Accurate information, data analysis, and documentation are timely made available to contribute to situation analysis, sectoral input and reporting.

• Assists the preparation and periodic update of the Situation Analysis by compiling Health & Nutrition data, analyzing and evaluating relevant information and providing the technical input in a timely and accurate manner.
• Drafts chapters, prepares statistical data reports, and assists with preparation of sectoral input to the programme documents as required.
• Contributes to the consultation and coordination with key partners at all levels.

2. Technical assistance are provided in the implementation of integrated Health & Nutrition approaches through participation and collaboration with internal and external partners.

• Provides technical assistance in the integration of the Health & Nutrition programme with other sectors in collaboration with other UNICEF sectors, particularly Health, Nutrition, CSD, HIV/AIDS.
• Environment, Sustainability and WASH, and programme communication.
• Contributes to build on intersectoral experience and establish partnerships to promote innovative approaches to address immediate and underlying determinants of maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition, recognizing that health and nutrition outcomes are not the results of action in the health and nutrition sectors alone.
• Assists in the design, planning, monitoring and evaluation of the Health & Nutrition programme to be implemented in the locality.
• Supports the improvement of programme delivery with emphasis on sustainability of intervention and community participation based on Human Rights framework and cross sector approach to programming and Community Capacity Development.

3. Work plan and objectives are effectively implemented and planned results are timely delivered through technical support and coordination.

• Assists in the development of the sectoral work plan and technical decisions as well as for administration, implementation and monitoring of sectoral project activities. Analyses data and information, and drafts progress reports; drafts changes in project work plans, as required.
• Monitors to ensure objectives and targets are timely met and achieved, through effective coordination and collaboration, by participating in a teamwork of professional and support staff.
• Support maintenance of info system for monitoring gender sex aggregated data.
• Assists in the planning and organizing training/development activities to upgrade the capacity of the Country Office staff as well as government and NGOs in the programme development, implementation and management of Health & Nutrition programme. 
• Assists in Identifying training needs and conducts relevant orientation, workshop, training and learning/development activities for the staff as well as for government personnel and beneficiaries, in collaboration with knowledge institutions.

4. Project efficiency and effectiveness are enhanced through effective implementation follow-up.

• Provides timely implementation follow-up, including monitoring UNICEF inputs, local conditions and resources, flow of supply and non-supply assistance, and project status to build on project efficiency and effectiveness.
• Assists in identification and selection of Health & Nutrition supplies and equipment. Follows up on delivery of cash assistance and liquidation of advances and proper planning, delivery and use of supply component of the project.
• Ensures that activities are in accordance with plans of action. Records information on utilization of resources and distribution of supplies.

5. Project implementation progress is monitored for adjustment and improvement of program delivery and sustainability. Gender sex aggregated data and inputs provided relevant to the Health & Nutrition programme

• Participates in the field visits to UNICEF project sites for monitoring project activities and local conditions and follows up with local government counterparts and other partners on project implementation.
• Assists in identifying necessary action for programme adjustments, acceleration, improvement and sustainability. Assists government counterparts and other partners in the planning and management of Health and Nutrition Programme. 
• Reports to supervisor and/or Head of Office the outcome of programme monitoring and review meetings with Government counterparts and all other relevant partners. Drafts changes in programme work plans as required.

6. Transparency is ensured for supply and non-supply assistance and disbursement of programme funds for Health & Nutrition.

• Coordinating with Operations and Supply staff on supply and non-supply assistance activities, ensures UNICEF and Government partner and all implementing partners accountability.
• Liaises with local authorities to ensure timely submission of financial requests and reports.
• Monitors disbursements of funds, ensuring those activities are within established plans of action and programme budget allotments; and to orientate and train Government and UNICEF implementing partners in UNICEF supply and non-supply policies and procedures.
• Drafts financial status reports for management as required.

7. Effective partnership and working relationships are maintained for advocacy, technical coordination, information sharing and knowledge networking.

• Exchanges information and knowledge with other programmes to contribute to achievement of overall country programme objectives.
• Assists in establishing effective monitoring, knowledge database/network and reporting systems to ensure the availability of current and accurate programme information/data, and contributes to the development of communication materials and strategies to support advocacy and community participation for Health & Nutrition; and to widen partnership with all stakeholder at national, regional, district, community and household levels as well as with funding partners including the private sector in order to accelerate achievement of Health and Nutrition related MDGs goals.

8. Up-to-date programme information is kept available and reports prepared to support the Health & Nutrition programme by the effective implementation of integrated monitoring system.

• In consultation with monitoring and evaluation colleagues, conducts accurate and timely monitoring and data collection, and supports an integrated monitoring system, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders. 
• Assists with partners to ensure that monitoring systems are properly designed, and that data collection and analysis from field visits are coordinated and standardized across programmes to feed into to programme performance monitoring.
•  Analyses monitoring data and provides feed-forward or recommends adjustment as appropriate to ensure achievement of programme objectives.
• Assists in the timely preparation of annual sector status reports in compliance with the established guidelines and procedures. Assists in the drafting and preparation of programme reports for management, Board, donors, budget reviews, programme analysis, and annual reports, as required.
• Keeps close contacts with external counterparts, including those of the UN and national partners, in order to improve the ability to collect and disseminate relevant data, exchange information on programme/project development and implementation. Shares knowledge, information, experience and lessons learned.

9. Emergency preparedness is maintained, and in emergencies, emergency responses are effectively provided.

• Assists in the implementation of emergency preparedness plan relating to Health & Nutrition.
• In case of emergency, assists in monitoring and assessing the nature and extent of the emergency in the assigned area.
• Provides assistance to the Country Office as required. In line with the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) in Humanitarian Action, strengthens partnerships with the Health and Nutrition humanitarian actors s within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).

10. Other assigned duties and responsibilities are effectively accomplished.

• Performs any other duties and responsibilities assigned as appropriate to the purpose of this post, and delivers the results as required, including in the sectors of Environment, Sustainability and WASH

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Health and Nutrition Officer

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: University degree in Public Health and Nutrition, Child Development, Water Sanitation, Public Administration, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or other relevant disciplines.
• Work Experience: Two years of professional work experience in planning, programming, implementation monitoring and evaluation of health programmes. Professional work experience in a programme management function or a technical expert capacity in child survival & health care. Developing country work experience (for IP) or field work experience (for NO) Background/familiarity with Emergency.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian) or a local language is an asset.

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

The 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 

[add the 8^th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role]. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 [Insert candidates from targeted underrepresented groups] 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.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member’s original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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.

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.