Consultant to Strengthen UNICEF Food Environment Policy Advocacy, Governance & Conflict-of-Interest Resources
Organizational Context
UNICEF works in over 190 countries to save children’s lives and defend their rights. This consultancy supports UNICEF's global efforts to prevent childhood overweight and obesity, a growing concern in low- and middle-income countries. It aims to strengthen evidence-based tools and resources for Country Offices to implement national food-environment policies, contributing to UNICEF's Strategic Plan commitment to reduce malnutrition.
Job Purpose
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide specialist, time-bound support to strengthen UNICEF's global, regional, and country-level work on preventing overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. Globally, one in five children and adolescents aged 5–19 years—391 million—are living with overweight, including 188 million living with obesity, with prevalence increasing in low- and middle-income countries. UNICEF has made substantial progress in developing evidence-based tools and resources for Country Offices since 2020, and demand for this support is increasing. During the current Strategic Plan period, UNICEF aims to scale up technical assistance to help Country Offices apply these tools effectively. This will advance the introduction, implementation, and monitoring of national food-environment policies, directly contributing to UNICEF’s Strategic Plan commitment to reduce malnutrition in children and adolescents. The assignment will also strengthen and update UNICEF’s overweight programming guidance, technical resources, and strategic positioning in this critical public health area.
Responsibilities
The consultant will be responsible for strengthening and updating UNICEF’s overweight programming guidance, technical resources, and strategic positioning. A key task involves developing an evidence-informed position on the clinical management of obesity in children and adolescents, meticulously clarifying its relevance to UNICEF’s mandate and prevention-focused programming, and subsequently integrating these implications into updated guidance documents. The consultant will actively support selected Country Offices to effectively apply UNICEF advocacy, technical, and conflict-of-interest resources to priority food-environment policy processes, ensuring practical and impactful interventions. This role also requires providing responsive technical assistance to country and regional teams, addressing their specific needs and challenges. Furthermore, the consultant will synthesize implementation lessons learned from various initiatives for wider organizational learning and dissemination. The assignment will critically strengthen the quality, consistency, and practical application of UNICEF’s support for overweight and obesity prevention efforts globally. Finally, the consultant will help identify priority evidence, implementation, and guidance gaps, contributing to the continuous improvement and strategic direction of UNICEF's work in this vital area of child health.
Work Experience
At least 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in food systems, food environment policy, nutrition policy, public health policy, governance, or advocacy is required. Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, or evaluating food-environment policies, creating policy toolkits, and working with UN agencies or governments is also essential.
Skills
Strong understanding of food-environment policies and overweight and obesity prevention, Strong analytical, research and writing skills, Demonstrated ability to develop practical tools, frameworks and guidance resources for non-technical users, Excellent facilitation, consultation and stakeholder-engagement skills