UN-Nutrition Country Engagement Specialist

Organizational Setting

ESN/UN-NUTRITION
UN-Nutrition is the United Nations’ platform for collective action on nutrition, hosted by FAO in Rome under the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)’s mandate. It was founded in 2020 and unites agencies to align efforts, reduce fragmentation, and support national and global nutrition goals. A Steering Committee of five constituent agencies (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO; the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD; the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF; the World Food Programme, WFP; and the World Health Organization, WHO) plus rotating members (the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA; and  CGIAR) provides governance, with broader UN membership reflecting system-wide commitment.

UN-Nutrition exists to help the UN system act as one for nutrition. Its mission is to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and coherence of nutrition-related work across UN agencies—fostering purposeful alignment, joint advocacy, and strategic integration of nutrition into development and humanitarian agendas. Rather than implementing directly, UN-Nutrition enables and supports UN-Nutrition teams to deliver coordinated, context aligned assistance that advances national priorities and the right to adequate food and nutrition for all.

Reporting Lines

The Country Engagement Specialist reports to the Senior UN-Nutrition Coordinator.

Technical Focus

Strategic engagement with countries on UN coordination and collaboration for maximum nutrition impact.

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Director, Food and Nutrition Division (ESN), the direct supervision of the Senior Coordinator for the UN-Nutrition Secretariat, and in close collaboration with the other UN-Nutrition team members, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Strategic Country Engagement and Integration

•     Lead and support the strategic analysis of UN planning cycles (UNSDCFs, CCAs, UNCT programming) to identify and leverage entry points for nutrition integration, ensuring that country-level strategies are evidence-driven and context-specific.
•     Guide, oversee and support the mapping and assessment of national nutrition coordination mechanisms, facilitating the identification of opportunities for coherence and alignment of UN action on nutrition.
•     Ensure the use of data and document analysis (e.g., CCA, UNSDCF drafts, UN-INFO) to inform strategic decision-making and advocacy for nutrition integration in UN planning frameworks.
•     Prepare and review analytical summaries, technical notes, and briefing packages for use by Resident Coordinator Offices, DCO, and UN partners, supporting high-level advocacy and technical positioning.

Capacity Assessment, Capacity Building, Peer Learning, and Country Collaboration

•     Lead and support strategic capacity assessments of UN Country Teams and national counterparts, utilizing standardized diagnostics to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for advancing multisectoral nutrition action. Ensure assessments and inform high-level decision-making and resource allocation.
•     Oversee the co-design and implementation of tailored capacity-strengthening plans, ensuring activities are responsive to country-specific needs, readiness, and strategic priorities. Advise teams in translating assessment findings into actionable strategies.
•     Champion collaboration and joint planning among UN agencies, Resident Coordinators, and national stakeholders, fostering shared advocacy goals and coordinated technical support for nutrition integration across sectors.
•     Facilitate inclusive stakeholder engagement throughout the design, delivery, and monitoring of country-led initiatives, ensuring broad participation, ownership, and alignment with national development agendas.
•     Design, deliver, and provide strategic oversight for webinars, workshops, and peer learning exchanges to build capacity and leadership among UNCT members, RC Office staff, and nutrition focal points. Ensure learning activities are innovative, relevant, and scalable.
•     Promote and enable cross-country exchange of successful models and lessons learned, cultivating a culture of continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence in nutrition coordination.
•     Ensure documentation, dissemination, and elevation of good practices across countries and regions, leveraging knowledge of products to inform global advocacy, policy dialogue, and future programming.

Catalytic Funding Mechanism – Strategic and technical Oversight and support

•     Lead and support the strategic design, launch, and management of the catalytic funding mechanism, ensuring it is positioned to drive innovation, strengthen interagency collaboration, and support country-led nutrition initiatives.
•     Develop and communicate clear guidance for proposal development, review, and finalization, ensuring alignment with project objectives, strategic priorities, and technical standards.
•     Oversee the technical review for country-led pilot initiatives, ensuring proposals are jointly endorsed by UN agencies, demonstrate measurable impact, and include robust co-financing and sustainability strategies.
•     Provide high-level technical backstopping and strategic follow-up support to selected countries, ensuring funded activities are implemented to the highest standards and lessons learned are systematically captured and disseminated.
•     Monitor implementation progress, facilitate the documentation and synthesis of lessons learned, and ensure insights inform adaptive programming, future UN support, and broader knowledge sharing across the UN-Nutrition network.
•     Ensure tailored technical and strategic support for countries not receiving funding, strengthening their coordination capacity, readiness, and ability to participate in future catalytic funding opportunities.
•     Convene and engage with national stakeholders, UN agencies, and the UN Nutrition Steering Committee to ensure inclusive, transparent, and accountable management of the catalytic funding process.

Interagency Coordination and Knowledge Flows

•     Lead and facilitate coordinated technical support to UNCTs, promoting coherence and complementarity across agency mandates.
•     Organize, oversee and support technical briefings, country dialogues, and strategic planning sessions to elevate nutrition in national and sub-national development processes.
•     Ensure timely dissemination of global and regional tools, best practices, and case studies to country teams and national counterparts.
•     Work with other team members of UN-Nutrition secretariat to develop and deliver knowledge management action plans within UN-Nutrition workstreams

Monitoring, Strategic Analysis, and Reporting

•     Lead and support at the design and implementation of a global stocktaking survey on UN coordination for nutrition, ensuring consensus on information to be collected.
•     Maintain and oversee a database of country contacts, coordinate survey dissemination and follow-up, and ensure high response rates and quality submissions.
•     Capture and synthesize lessons from pilot initiatives and technical support activities, producing actionable insights for future programming.
•     Oversee and support the development of knowledge products (e.g., case studies, policy briefs, storytelling materials) and ensure their dissemination through UN-Nutrition’s digital platforms and advocacy channels.

Team Coordination and Oversight

•     Provide strategic oversight and coordination for the interns and others, ensuring effective delivery and integration of their respective works.
•     Foster cross-functional collaboration and shared learning among team members, promoting alignment with project objectives and strategic priorities.
•     Support professional development and performance management for direct reports, providing constructive feedback and opportunities for growth.
•     Perform any other tasks as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in public health, nutrition, food systems, development studies, international relations or any other discipline relevant to the work of the Organization. Consultants with bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience. 
•     For category C at least 3 years of experience and for category B at least 5 years of experience in nutrition-related programming, policy, or coordination at international or country level. 
•     Working knowledge of English
(A second FAO language can be inserted if needed for the assignment)

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Proven experience working within or with the UN system, including UN development coordination mechanisms (e.g., UNSDCF, CCA, RC system) and related planning/policy processes, with proficiency in tools such as UNINFO and CCA/UNSDCF templates.
•     Strong technical knowledge of multisectoral nutrition and its integration into policy and programming frameworks at country level.
•     Demonstrated capability in multistakeholder, cross-sectoral coordination and high-quality facilitation, engaging UN agencies, government and civil society to drive coherent action.
•     Strong monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) skills for pilot initiatives, including indicator setting, progress tracking, after action reviews and adaptive management, with systematic capture of lessons learned.
•     Advanced analytical and synthesis skills to interpret CCA/UNSDCF and other data and produce actionable recommendations and high-quality knowledge products (technical notes, briefs, presentations) desired.
•     Knowledge management and strategic communication skills, including development of case studies and policy briefs, and maintenance of contact databases and knowledge repositories; proficiency with collaboration/data tools (e.g., Excel, SharePoint, Teams; Power BI or similar an asset).
•     Ability to plan and convene interagency technical briefings, country dialogues and strategic planning sessions, with clear agenda setting, documentation and action tracking.
•     Ability to lead and mentor interns/analysts and coordinate cross functional workflows to ensure timely, high-quality deliverables.
•     Strong writing and communication skills and the ability to work independently and proactively in a virtual, multicultural team environment, managing multiple tasks and deadlines.
•     Ability to work independently and proactively in a virtual, multicultural team environment, managing multiple tasks and deadlines.
•     Experience conducting capacity assessments of UNCTs and national counterparts and codesigning capacity strengthening plans desired including skilled in adult learning approaches for webinars, workshops and peer learning exchanges an advantage.
•     Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish). Work experience in more than one location or area of work