By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Read our privacy policy

Nutrition Officer (food fortification)

Phnom Penh

  • Organization: WFP - World Food Programme
  • Location: Phnom Penh
  • Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Agriculture and Forestry
    • Nutrition
    • Food Security, Livestock and Livelihoods
  • Closing Date: 2025-01-26

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

26 January 2025-23:59-GMT+07:00 Indochina Time (Phnom Penh)

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.


ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.


At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

  • WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

  • WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

  • WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

  • A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

  • We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is a highly prestigious, reputable and the world's largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

The World Food Programme (WFP) Cambodia's Country Strategic Plan (CSP) for 2024-2028 focuses on supporting the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to prevent all forms of malnutrition and improve resilience through an integrated approach to nutrition, social protection (including homegrown school feeding), food systems, and disaster management. Three critical approaches underline the new CSP: social behavior change, systems strengthening, and evidence generation.

Position Title: Nutrition Officer (food fortification)

Type of Contract: Fixed-term Appointment

Grade: NOA

Duty Station: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Duration: 12 months (extendable)

Reporting Line: This position reports directly to the Head of Food Systems and Nutrition

Date of Publication: 16 January 2025

Deadline of Application: 26 January 2025

This vacancy announcement is for Nationals from Cambodia Only.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT:

WFP Cambodia plays a key advisory role to the Royal Government of Cambodia on nutrition and a convening role for development partners as the chair of the UN Nutrition Network (WHO, UNICEF, FAO, and WFP). Given Cambodia’s rapidly changing nutrition profile, WFP is focusing on promoting healthy diets through multiple systems, championing food fortification as a low-cost intervention to address widespread micronutrient deficiencies . Moreover, WFP is providing technical assistance to leverage the impact of school meals, cash transfers, and food systems interventions on nutrition by generating the evidence necessary, tweaking the design of the programmes, and measuring impact for scale.

As Cambodia experiences rapid economic growth, the country's nutrition landscape is undergoing significant transformation. Over the past decade, there has been remarkable progress—child stunting rates have dropped from 32% in 2014 to 22% in 2022. But this progress reveals a stark divide: while stunting among the poorest children remains high at 31%, it’s just 12% among the wealthiest. Despite these gains, malnutrition continues to affect many families, with 9.6% of children under five suffering from wasting.

At the same time, a different challenge is emerging: overweight and obesity among women aged 15 to 49 have nearly tripled, rising from 11% to 32%, with rates increasing as women age. While the country’s economy flourishes, 8% of households still struggle to afford a nutrient-adequate food basket, and another 8% are forced to take out loans to access nutritious food. A shift toward promoting healthy, nutrient-rich diets is crucial, with an emphasis on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, reducing unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, and promoting fortified foods. WFP Cambodia is working to ensure nutrition is integrated across the portfolio and its technical assistance to address this complex landscape.

One of WFP’s flagship initiatives to address widespread micronutrient deficiencies, particularly among children and women of reproductive age (80% and 50% respectively) is rice fortification.  WFP has been a longstanding partner of the Ministry of Planning (MOP), which leads food fortification efforts in Cambodia. WFP is providing technical support to MOP to develop a national strategy for food fortification, and fortification standards for rice . As the SUN Business Network convenor, WFP supports a wide range of stakeholders to further fortification efforts in Cambodia.

Over the past ten years, WFP has been offering fortified rice as part of its school meals. As the school feeding programme transitions to national ownership, WFP is strengthening capacities of local millers and diversifying the pool of qualified millers to blend for national programmes. Moreover, WFP is working to diversify institutional markets for fortified rice and is also exploring opportunities to make fortified rice more available in markets.

Under the direction supervision of the head of Nutrition and Food Systems, the Nutrition Officer (food fortification) will have the following responsibilities within WFP’s Food Systems and Nutrition team:

  • Oversee the fortification initiatives including integration of fortified rice in social assistance schemes, advancing other institutional markets, and exploring commercialization opportunities.
  • Strengthen, shape, and maintain strategic nutrition partnerships with multiple Government entities, facilitate coordination platforms and advance capacity development activities.
  • Provide technical assistance to improve nutrition outcomes of policies, processes and programmes.
  • If and as required, supervise short-term employees  providing technical support on fortification and nutrition.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the supervision of the Head of Food Systems and Nutrition, the incumbent will:

  • Contribute to the development of nutrition projects and activities, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with wider nutrition policies and guidance.
  • Provide project management support to specific and defined nutrition projects and activities, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider programmes/projects that complies with WFP standards and procedures.
  • Develop and co-ordinate data gathering and monitoring/assessment systems ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.
  • Track and analyze data to provide input into reporting activities and contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on nutrition activities that enables informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.
  • Liaise with implementing partners (internal and external) to monitor ongoing projects, ensuring effective collaboration, timeliness and efficiency, and highlight potential risks to project delivery.
  • Support the identification of potential partners and partnership negotiations to ensure a collaborative and holistic approach to meeting nutrition needs.
  • Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and national government to prepare for and respond to nutrition needs for example the production and review of training materials.
  • Guide more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries.
  • Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs. Other as required.

SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Manage fortification efforts

  • Manage efforts with MOEYS to integrate Fortified Rice in the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, including support in designing pilots to simplify procurement mechanisms, ensuring rigorous quality, and supporting gradual uptake by the national programme.
  • Coordinate and provide technical inputs to the National Sub-Committee for Food Fortification (NSCFF, under MoP) to develop and implement the national food fortification strategy.
  • Coordinate and contribute technical inputs to NSCFF (MoP) to develop and implement a national standard for fortified rice.
  • Support with programme design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting to diversify institutional markets and explore commercial opportunities for fortified rice to enter markets in Cambodia.
  • Develop and roll out a branding and marketing strategy for fortified rice in Cambodia.
  • Strengthen capacities of rice millers and suppliers to improve local production of fortified rice and connect millers with institutional markets.
  • Strengthen partnerships with garment factory owners to integrate fortified rice into workplace meal programs. Develop communication and advocacy materials on rice fortification and healthy diets.
  • Contribute to resource mobilization efforts on fortification for the WFP Country Office together with the Head of Food Systems and Nutrition, and others as relevant.

Strengthen Strategic Nutrition Partnerships

  • Manage partnerships with CARD and key development partners to advance nutrition policy development and strengthen knowledge management for nutrition and food systems.
  • Facilitate the SUN Business Network and public-private sector engagement.
  • Engage with key government institutions (MOEYS, NSPC, MOP, etc.) to drive institutional demand and scaling of fortified rice.

Technical advisory support and capacity strengthening

  • Advocate for the gradual uptake of Nutrition Guidelines and Standards for School Meals in Cambodia, develop costed scenarios to incrementally include fortified rice and more fresh commodities.
  • Provide technical support on the operationalization of the 3rd National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition.
  • Support the Cost of Malnutrition study and other flagship reports, particularly modules related to micronutrient deficiencies.
  • Advance advocacy efforts on nutrition and healthy diets, including fortification as a gamechanger to address micronutrient deficiencies.
  • Support the financing strategy of the revised Food Systems Roadmap, specifically sections related to fortification.
  • Supervise team members and consultants providing technical assistance to the country office on fortification and nutrition.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

  • A minimum of 3 years of relevant post-graduate work experience.
  • Prior experience working directly with government entities, UN agencies and/or non-governmental organizations and providing strategic support on issues relevant to development economics, food systems/nutrition is required.
  • Experience providing technical assistance and providing inputs on policies and decisions related to food systems and nutrition required.
  • Experience in managing programmes with increased level of responsibility desirable.
  • Experience utilizing computers, including word processing, spreadsheet and other standard software packages and systems required.
  • Demonstrated experience in conducting financial analysis for policies, programmes and strategies required.
  • Experience in facilitating adult learning, including training and coaching desirable.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Education: Master’s degree in Public Health Nutrition, Nutrition, Food Technology, Medicine or other relevant field.
  • Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Khmer.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

 

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

 

WFP is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

 

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

 

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

  • We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

  • Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

  • Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

  • Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

  • Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

  • Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

  • Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.


No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

We do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.