Deadline: 08 December 2022

Under the international volunteer program, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is looking for an associate nutrition officer to be based in Papua New Guinea.

I. Task description

Under the overall supervision of the Head of FAO Country Office in PNG and direct supervision of the FAO Head of Programme, working in close coordination with FAO technical and operational staff (RAP, FAPNG), Government counterparts, UN partners and stakeholders, the incumbent will support the Nutrition Focal Point to coordinate project activities to be undertaken with respect to strategy alignment and implementation.  He/she will ensure the integration and coordination of the activities within countries and across subject matters.

Under the direct supervision of Head of Programme, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Support the implementation of project activities at country level with a focus on costing, fi-nancing and assessing nutrition-sensitive production interventions; ensuring the quality of the capacity  development component and supporting the knowledge and evidence gener-ation on mainstreaming nutrition;
• Support in negotiations for contributions and preparation of country-level letters of agreement (LoAs) and contracts for implementation of project activities by service provid-ers;
• Support partnerships activities with key implementing partners and relevant actors working on the promotion of nutrition education and school gardening in schools;
• Support the methodology of feasibility study under the TCP to assess the institutional capacity of the responsible government bodies and selected schools to ensure the smooth adoption of the SMP concept and support to the implementation of planned activities un-der the TCP;
• Support capacity development on nutritious food, food safety and preparation, and hygiene practices for food handlers and kitchen hands are important, to comply with food safety procedures and standards;
• Development of communications and behavior change materials to increase awareness and advocacy activities on promoting the school meal program;
• Promotion of School Food and Nutrition Education and nutrition-sensitive school gardening as part of the Agriculture and Making a Living subject within the school curriculum;
• Contribute in developing of school based dietary guideline for the School Meal Program;
• Support in monitoring and evaluation of the process and implementation of a well-designed school meal program model of the pilot;
• Contribute towards the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. progress report, monitoring reports, budget revisions, ADM 1701 05/2019 draft background papers, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs and publication; and
• Perform any other duties as required.

II. Eligibility criteria

• Age: 27 – 80
• This assignment is funded by Japan. HRD assignments are considered as assignments without family.
• Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.
• 3 years of experience in the field of integrating nutrition into agricultural policies and programs or in the field of public health policy, and programming.
• Area(s) of expertise: Agriculture
• Languages: English, Level: Fair, Required
• Bachelor degree or equivalent in Food Science, Human Nutrition, Nutrition Science or Related Fields

III. How to apply?

To apply, please, click HERE

III. Other information

i) Living conditions and remarks

• General Information: Papua New Guineans are generally friendly and fun loving people. As with any other major centre in the world, there might be unscrupulous opportunists so it is wise take precautions by paying attention to your surroundings, avoiding secluded places, organizing your travels to daytime and ensure that your valuables including passports and other travel documents are in a secure place. It is advisable to seek the local contact of your high commission or embassy and keep it on hand.
• Communication: There are four mobile service providers in PNG, Digicel has the best reach throughout the country, Bmobile, Vodafone and Telikom networks may not be accessible in rural locations. Airports: Jackson’s International Airport, also known as Port Moresby Airport, is the main hub for the nations two major commercial airlines; Air Niugini the national flag carrier and PNG Air. There are three other international airports; Gurney Airport in Milne Bay Province, Kagamuga Airport in the Western Highlands Province and Nadzab Airport in Morobe Province, provide links to coastal, highlands and in-land getaways respectively. Road travel is geographically challenging because of the rugged terrain carved out by many river systems throughout the country, many journeys are interrupted if a river floods a road or bridge.

ii) Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity program that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

iii) Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

For More information, please, visit the position webpage