Individual International Consultancy for TA to the MoHMI on Capacity Building for Frontline Workers in IYCF and Health in Emergencies
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Job no: 591003
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Ashkhabad
Level: Consultancy
Location: Turkmenistan
Categories: Health, Nutrition, Health and Nutrition
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
TOR_Frontline_Training_UNICEF Turkmenistan CO_da_sr (002).docx
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, the right to Health
Emergency preparedness is essential for ensuring timely, efficient, and appropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IFE). During crises, young children’s nutritional status can deteriorate very quickly. Providing appropriate and timely IFE support saves lives, protects children’s nutrition, health, and development, and benefits mothers.
Frontline health workers play a vital role in delivering essential health and nutrition services, including vaccinations, early detection of malnutrition, and community‑level assessments. A strong needs assessment and careful analysis are necessary to guide a context‑specific IFE response. Early in an emergency, immediate action is required to protect recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and reduce risks—especially for infants and children at higher risk.
Rapid health assessments are also essential in emergencies to identify priority health risks affecting infants, young children, and pregnant and lactating women. Assessing the availability and functionality of essential health services helps inform integrated IFE responses and ensure feeding support is aligned with preventive and curative health services.
UNICEF‑supported global guidance, such as the Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) Nutrition Humanitarian Needs Assessment and Analysis (NHNAA), provides standardized methods for conducting rapid needs assessments. UNICEF’s Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies resources also offer practical tools for inclusive screening and continuous follow‑up for children with feeding difficulties.
UNICEF Country Office is strengthening partners’ capacity for emergency preparedness and planning to support capacity building Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IFE). This includes raising awareness among partners and training staff on IFE to be considered both before and during emergencies.
Training will target MOHMI personnel, NRCS staff and volunteers, health and nutrition workers at facility and community levels, as well as TSMU and frontline staff from other sectors, including Ministry of Defence department in charge of the emergency preparedness and response.
How can you make a difference?
The assignment aims to design and deliver a capacity‑building programme that equips frontline health professionals, and NRCS volunteers with the skills to conduct rapid health and nutrition needs assessments, screen for malnutrition using standardized tools, and strengthen referral pathways in line with UNICEF-supported global guidance.
Working closely with the UNICEF Health Team, the consultant will:
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Develop a comprehensive training package—including handouts (pre-post checklists), PowerPoint presentations, job aids, and field checklists—aligned with UNICEF/GNC NHNAA guidance. The content should focus on:
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Strengthening understanding of frontline workers’ roles in delivering essential health and nutrition services.
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Mapping and reinforcing referral pathways to ensure timely case management.
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Promoting disability‑inclusive approaches to identify children with feeding difficulties.
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Improving skills in malnutrition screening (MUAC, edema detection) using inclusive tools.
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Facilitate a 3‑day training on UNICEF‑aligned rapid assessment methodologies (NHNAA), covering:
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Rapid health and nutrition assessments
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Malnutrition screening
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Inclusive practices for children with feeding difficulties
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Referral pathway mapping
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Reporting on malnutrition screening and follow‑up
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Prepare a training report that includes key observations, participant evaluations, updated training package and recommendations.
By the end of the consultancy, the following outcomes are expected:
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Frontline specialists and NRCS volunteers know how to conduct Rapid Needs Assessments using standardized tools.
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Health specialists strengthen their capacity to identify, screen, and document child malnutrition cases.
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Referral pathways are clearer due to improved understanding of case management and escalation procedures.
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Standardized, user-friendly training materials and job aids are developed to support future MoHMI trainings and promote alignment with UNICEF and WHO standards on health and nutrition assessments.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: TOR is attached above.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:
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Advanced degree in Public Health, Nutrition or related field.
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Minimum of 5 years’ experience in health/nutrition programming in emergency context
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Familiarity with UNICEF CCC/GNC Nutrition Needs Assessment tools and experience conducting nutrition in emergency training for CHWs, PHC staff, and MoH personnel.
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Strong facilitation, communication, and reporting skills.
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Knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of Russian language is an asset
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role].
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates and persons living with a disability are encouraged to apply.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
Advertised: West Asia Standard Time
Deadline: West Asia Standard Time