Purpose of consultancy
The Monitoring Nutrition Status and Food Safety Events Unit (MNF), within the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, is looking to hire a resourceful consultant to enter, review and correct data on the micronutrient status of populations in the Micronutrients database. The consultant will be working with a WHO staff member responsible for the Micronutrients database. The overall objective of the project is to ensure that the WHO Micronutrients Database is up-to-date with regards to the micronutrient status of populations, in order to provide Member States and partners with up-to-date national, regional, and global assessments of the magnitude of micronutrient malnutrition.
Background
The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a solid ambition in nutrition for the coming years, with the vision of a world free from all forms of malnutrition where all people achieve health and well-being. Part of WHO's mandate is to assess the nutritional status of populations, monitor and evaluate the impact of strategies for the prevention and control malnutrition, and to track trends over time. Understanding the magnitude and distribution of malnutrition and its determinants requires up-to-date high-quality information systems to guide the successful scaling up of nutrition actions. Likewise, tracking progress and trends hold governments and partners accountable for their actions to improve nutrition and will inform future priority setting. Setting targets and defining systems to track their achievements are essential steps for defining policies and strategies and for establishing accountability systems. Countries have agreed on three interrelated sets of global targets: Global Nutrition Targets 2025, Noncommunicable Disease Targets and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets 2030. Measuring progress will require developing national targets and reporting on their achievement. The Monitoring Nutrition Status and Food Safety Events Unit (MNF) Unit, within the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, defines indicators and nutrition surveillance systems, hosts and maintains nutrition databases, monitors nutrition trends and measures the impact of country food and nutrition policies.
Currently, MNF hosts the upgraded and expanded Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System (VMNIS), which was established following a request by the World Health Assembly to strengthen surveillance of micronutrient deficiencies at the global level. One component of VMNIS is the Micronutrients Database that compiles national, within-country regional and first-administrative level data on vitamin and mineral nutritional status of populations in Member States. This Database is used to monitor micronutrient status around the globe, provide global estimates of the burden of micronutrient deficiencies, and calculate trends in micronutrient deficiency over time. The Database has been expanded into a more comprehensive surveillance system that includes most indicators of micronutrient status being used worldwide today.
Deliverables
Task 1. Enter and review micronutrient survey data in the Micronutrients Database
Deliverable: Entry and review of micronutrient survey data in the WHO Micronutrients Database platform. To ensure the Database is particularly up-to-date with data on urinary iodine concentrations in order to produce global iodine estimates. Other data on micronutrient indicators will also be included. This deliverable will entail the entry of new data and/or the review of data already entered into the Micronutrients Database.
Task 2. Contribute to the testing of the Micronutrients Database visualization tool
Deliverable: Continuous contribution to testing the functionality and data of the Micronutrients Database visualization tool, part of the Nutrition Portal (when published).
Qualification, experience, skills and languages
Education
Essential: Minimum first university degree in nutrition
Desirable: An advanced university degree in nutrition, public health, epidemiology, or closely related fields relevant to the functions of the position.
Work experience
Essential
- At least 3 years of experience in micronutrient indicators, databases and methods for the determination of micronutrient status
Desirable
- Relevant work experience in global nutrition databases
Technical skills and knowledge
- Knowledge and skills in assessing methods and data quality of cross-sectional nutrition surveys.
Language
Essential: Expert knowledge of English
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of any other UN languages, preferably Russian or Chinese.
Location
Offsite: home based
Travel
No travel is required
Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded)
- Remuneration: Payband level A – USD 198 – 349 per day
- Expected duration of contract: 6 months and possible extension
- Target start date: 25 July 2022
This consultancy will be part-time (50%).
How to prepare and submit a proposal in reply to this tender?
- Content of proposal
- A cover letter explaining the bidder’s motivation for applying to this position.
- A copy, in .pdf format, of the bidder’s updated WHO CV or Personal History Form (detailed instructions on how to do this through the following link: http://www.who.int/careers/process/instructions-for-candidates.pdf?ua=1).
PLEASE NOTE: The selected candidate(s) will be asked to produce copies of all degrees/diplomas/certificates as mentioned in their CVs or Personal History Forms, as well as a copy of their passport and other documents as appropriate. - Full contact details
- Description and contact details of at least two recent references (the references shall be related to the present Terms of Reference).
Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
- Questions during preparation of proposal
A prospective bidder requiring any clarification on technical, contractual or commercial matters may notify WHO via email (nfs@who.int) no later than1st July 2022. - Deadline for submission of proposal
The deadline for final submissions of proposals is 4 July 2022 at 16h00, Geneva time. - Email address for submission of proposal
Final duly completed proposals should be submitted in electronic format by email to: nfs@who.int.
Please include "Consultant – WHO Micronutrient database" in the subject matter of your email application. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.