UNV Especialista de Salud y Nutrición (Miranda)
Organizational Context
UNICEF's core mission is to promote the rights of children, focusing on equity by directing resources to disadvantaged and excluded children and families. This commitment ensures children can survive, develop, and reach their full potential without discrimination. UNICEF has been active in Venezuela since 1967, collaborating with national and subnational authorities, civil society, academia, and the private sector. Following major earthquakes in June 2026, UNICEF is leading health and nutrition response efforts in affected areas, prioritizing essential services, maternal and child health, and support for displaced populations.
Job Purpose
This role supports UNICEF's emergency response in Venezuela following significant earthquakes. The Specialist will contribute to the planning, implementation, and monitoring of integrated health and nutrition interventions in affected municipalities. The primary goal is to ensure the coordination and effective delivery of emergency health and nutrition responses, focusing on the early recovery of maternal, neonatal, and child health. The position involves assessing needs, identifying service gaps, strengthening health service delivery points, and building the capacity of local personnel and community actors. The role also supports the restoration of essential primary healthcare services, with a particular emphasis on maternal, neonatal, and child health, and the implementation of integrated emergency health and nutrition packages.
Responsibilities
The UNV Health and Nutrition Specialist will support the planning, implementation, and monitoring of integrated health and nutrition interventions in emergency-affected municipalities, ensuring programmatic objectives are met and response quality is enhanced. Key duties include coordinating and monitoring emergency health and nutrition responses with authorities and partners for early recovery of maternal, neonatal, and child health. The role involves regular field visits to assess needs, identify gaps in health and nutrition services, and propose corrective actions. Support will be provided for establishing or strengthening health service delivery points. Capacity building of local authorities, health staff, partners, and community actors through training and technical support is crucial. The Specialist will promote adequate conditions for maternal and child care, including breastfeeding support, and contribute to restoring essential primary healthcare services. This includes supporting the implementation of integrated health and nutrition packages for emergencies, such as immunization, child disease management, obstetric and neonatal care, nutritional screening, malnutrition case management, micronutrient supplementation, and infant and young child feeding practices. Coordination with local authorities and humanitarian actors is essential for effective implementation. The role also involves continuous monitoring of activities, data collection, analysis, reporting, and maintaining communication with health and nutrition officials at state and municipal levels.
Work Experience
Requires at least 5 years of relevant professional experience in health and nutrition programs, with a focus on maternal and child health and/or hospital management. Postgraduate studies in Pediatrics, Obstetrics, or Neonatology are desirable. Experience in capacity building, technical support to local staff, implementing minimum standards in humanitarian contexts, and coordinating with government authorities, NGOs, UN agencies, and community actors is essential. Experience in humanitarian health and nutrition interventions, emergency response, early recovery, health system strengthening, and promoting equitable access to essential services for vulnerable populations is also required.
Skills
Key competencies include accountability, adaptability, collaboration, creativity, judgment, planning, professionalism, self-management, partnership building, and ethical awareness. Technical skills encompass emergency preparedness, crisis response, nutrition, public health, and immunization. Proficiency in computer tools for information management, analysis, and reporting is necessary.