Nutrionist

Job Description

The humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is characterized by protracted conflict, mass displacement, recurrent epidemics, and widespread food insecurity, particularly in the eastern provinces. Over 27 million people face acute food insecurity, including millions in emergency conditions.

The nutrition situation is critical, with over 4 million children under five acutely malnourished, including more than 1 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are also significantly affected. High levels of stunting and micronutrient deficiencies, including anaemia among women, reflect persistent structural challenges.

This context highlights the urgent need for strengthened, integrated, and multisectoral nutrition interventions to address both immediate lifesaving needs and longer-term resilience.

The Nutrition Consultant will provide technical and operational support across the nutrition portfolio, contributing to the design, implementation, monitoring, and quality assurance of nutrition programmes.

The consultant is expected to operate flexibly across multiple areas of nutrition programming, in line with evolving programme priorities and the CSP. The Nutrition Consultant will report to the Nutrition Officer (P3) based in Kinshasa.

Accountabilities

• Contribute to the development of nutrition projects and activities, plans and processes, ensuring alignment with WFP nutrition policies, guidance, and national protocols.
• Provide technical support to the design and implementation of nutrition interventions, including the management of acute malnutrition (MAM), the prevention of acute malnutrition, the prevention of chronic malnutrition (stunting), and nutrition-sensitive programming, integration of nutrition into other sectors.
• Provide project management support to specific and defined nutrition projects and activities, ensuring a coordinated approach with wider WFP programmes/projects, including integration with food assistance programmes.
• Support data gathering, analysis and monitoring/evaluation systems, ensuring that rigorous quality standards are maintained.
• Track and analyse data to provide input into reporting activities and contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reports that support 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 highlighting potential risks to project delivery.
• Provide technical inputs on food systems approaches, including fortified foods, local value chains, and the integration of nutrition into food systems programming.
• Support the analysis and optimization of nutritional adequacy and cost-efficiency of food assistance programmes, including through the application of tools such as OPTIMUS, and contribute to food fortification initiatives.
• Support the identification of potential partners and contribute to partnership engagement to ensure a coordinated and holistic approach to addressing nutrition needs.
• Support the capacity building of WFP staff, partners and national government, including PRONANUT, to prepare for and respond to nutrition needs, including the development and review of training materials.
• Provide technical support to government counterparts and contribute to strengthening collaboration with key partners, including UN agencies and other stakeholders, ensuring alignment and complementarity of interventions.
• Undertake field missions to support programme implementation, provide on-site technical guidance to field teams and cooperating partners, and assess the quality of nutrition interventions.
• Provide inputs to programme planning tools, including distribution plans, to support consistency and quality of nutrition interventions and identify areas for improvement.
• Operate in a flexible manner and contribute across different components of the nutrition portfolio based on evolving programme priorities and needs.
• Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency nutrition assistance needs.
• Support the communication on WFP nutrition programmes both internally and externally, including the development and sharing of communication materials in collaboration with the CO communication team.
• Support the preparation of internal and external reports, including donor reporting, by analysing programme data and contributing technical content related to nutrition interventions.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Advanced University degree in Public Health Nutrition, Nutrition, Food Technology, Medicine or other relevant field.
• Experience: Five (5) years or more of relevant experience and exposure to implementation of national/international emergency /development programmes in nutrition

Knowledge & Skills

• Experience working in public health/food security/ nutrition related activities.
• Experience identifying and defining nutrition issues/problems within a country.
• Experience with M&E in nutrition to support rigorous quality standards
• Proficiency in Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)
• Experience in Database software , ENA,
• Demonstrates ability to adjust to team’s plans and priorities to optimize outcomes in light of evolving directives, while also responding quickly in high pressure environments, such as in emergency settings.
• Demonstrates experience working with other external partners and agencies on beneficiary data management and portrays high level of professionalism.
• Ability to produce high quality results under pressure.

Language

French and English fluency required

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.