Individual Consultant for Situational Analysis and Formative Research with Adolescents on Nutrition, 117 days (spread over 6.5 months), Home Based, Lebanon

UNICEF Lebanon is looking for a consultant to provide technical support to the Nutrition Programme. The consultant will conduct a comprehensive situation analysis on adolescent nutrition in Lebanon, adapt UNICEF’s participatory adolescent nutrition research methodology to the local context, and implement formative research with adolescents to generate evidence-based insights. The findings will inform the development of the POWER4Girls life skills package, with a focus on gender responsiveness and cultural relevance.

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.

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For every child, Nutrition 

UNICEF Lebanon is launching a consultancy to strengthen the evidence base on adolescent nutrition in Lebanon - a critical yet underexplored area. The consultancy will begin with a comprehensive situation analysis and desk review of existing data, literature, and policies, followed by formative participatory research with adolescents to explore their nutrition-related behaviors, challenges, and aspirations. Using UNICEF’s validated participatory adolescent nutrition research methodology, adapted to the Lebanese context, the findings will inform strategies and programs aimed at improving adolescents’ nutritional status, with a strong focus on gender, equity, and cultural relevance.

How can you make a difference? 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  ToR Formative Research Adolescent Girls_Consultant_Nutrition and Child Development.docx

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

Minimum requirements:

• A post-graduate university degree in Nutrition and/or Public Health (PhD is an asset).
• Minimum of 7 years of demonstrated experience leading complex public health or nutrition research projects, preferably with a focus on adolescents, at national or regional levels.
• Proven expertise in conducting formative research, situation analyses, or participatory studies using both qualitative and mixed methods approaches.
• Demonstrated experience in youth engagement or adolescent-focused programming, with a sound understanding of gender, cultural sensitivity, and adolescent development.
• Experience working with multi-sectoral stakeholders and facilitating workshops, interviews, or community-based consultations.
• Prior collaboration with UNICEF, UN agencies, or international organizations is a strong asset.
• Familiarity with the Lebanese public health, nutrition, drafting life skills sessions and adolescent well-being landscape is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in designing and implementing qualitative research methodologies, including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, participatory workshops, and community-based consultations.
• Strong qualitative data analysis skills, including experience with coding, thematic analysis, and synthesizing findings using manual or software-based approaches (e.g., NVivo, MAXQDA, Dedoose).
• Working knowledge of quantitative data analysis, including basic statistical interpretation and the ability to conduct sub-analyses of existing datasets using tools such as Excel, SPSS, or STATA.
• Strong writing, synthesis, and presentation skills, with experience preparing technical reports, policy briefs, and advocacy materials.
• Ability to translate both qualitative and quantitative findings into clear, actionable, and evidence-based recommendations for programming and policy.
• Fluency in oral and written Arabic and English is required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Working knowledge of qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo, MAXQDA, or Dedoose is desirable.
• Working knowledge of quantitative analysis tools, including SPSS, STATA, or similar statistical software, to support sub-analyses of existing datasets, is desirable.

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…

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 

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.

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. 

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 does not charge any fee during any stage of the recruitment process.