The Volunteer Unit of Irish Aid has agreed to fund five experienced Irish candidates with the United Nations Volunteer organisation (UNV).  These placements are part of the ongoing Irish Aid-UNV partnership programme to promote international volunteering in overseas development (www.unv.org). While the UNV has a register of interested Irish individuals, it has requested additional CVs from Irish individuals who would be interested in working as an Irish Aid funded UNV volunteer overseas.

The five positions are as follows. Full terms of reference and further details can be accessed below

• HIV and Nutrition Specialist with the World Food Programme, Mozambique 
• Nutrition Officer with the World Health Organisation, Mozambique 
• Public Health and Nutrition Specialist, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Laos 
• Gender Specialist, United Nations Development Programme, Vietnam
• UNV programme officer with the World Food Programme, Cambodia 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

HIV and Nutrition Specialist with the World Food Programme

• Mozambique

Some duties will include:
Programme and strategy development; Technical support e.g. develop guidance materials and programme tools for WFP staff and partners to strengthen and support programme implementation, Provide technical inputs in the development of national HIV and nutrition strategies, corresponding manuals/guides, and national grant proposals (ie Global Fund, Pepfar) through Ministry-led meetings and working groups; Coordination and representation e.g. Establish and maintain close working relationships with Government, NGO, academic and UN stakeholders in areas of HIV/AIDS and nutrition; Programme documentation e.g. Maintain up-to-date programme briefs and PowerPoint presentations on current status of the HIV and Nutrition programme

Nutrition Officer with the World Health Organisation
• Mozambique
Some duties will include:
Provide technical assistance to the country in assessing and addressing the nutritional status of affected populations (children, people living with HIV/AIDS), including in Emergency; Assist in designing, implementing and supervising nutritional plan/ programs, surveys and also monitoring, evaluating and reporting the effectiveness of nutrition programmes; Collaborate with national program officer from MoH and contribute to strengthen national capacity in nutrition and food management program in collaboration with other partners and other programs; Support in assessing poverty, health and development by promoting adequate nutritious foods, clean drinking-water, and health care; Promote optimal sustainable health and nutrition by ensuring the relevance and effectiveness of new policies and programs; Assist with estimation of resource requirements both human as well as financial, including preparation of proposals for funding and identification of potential implementing partners.

Public Health and Nutrition Specialist, Food and Agriculture Organisation,
• Laos
Some duties will include:
Provide technical backstopping support for FAO Projects in Nutrition and Food Security, especially from a Public Health perspective, possibly also including Food Safety and Food Processing monitoring and evaluation, depending on the UNV’s capacities; Provide capacity building support for FAO Projects in Nutrition and Food Security, especially from a Public Health perspective; Assist in the organization and facilitation of the UN Working Group on Nutrition and Food Security with participation from UN agencies, Government and other stakeholders; Study, analyze and comment on Food and Nutrition policies, plans and activities in Lao PDR and liaise with FAO HQ and national partners and provide backstopping in the preparation of the National Nutrition Strategy and Plan of Action.

Gender Specialist, United Nations Development Programme,
• Vietnam
Some duties will include:
Assist UN Gender Advisor, Gender Programme Analyst and Gender Programme Coordination Group (PCG) in implementing the Gender PCG Annual Work Plan including gender mainstreaming activities, gender training, advocacy and coordination events, and development of gender mainstreaming tools and resources; Provide technical and administrative support for the implementation  of UN Gender Mainstreaming Strategy; Provide gender policy advice for Government and UN agencies.

UNV programme officer with the World Food Programme, Cambodia
• Cambodia
Some duties will include:
Participate in the operational planning of WFP programmes in Cambodia, including project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation phases; Give assistance in planning, formulating and targeting recipients for new requests for WFP aid; Develop and sustain liaison with key professionals and NGOs engaged in the field of food security; Undertake visits to view project outputs and interview beneficiaries, inspect storage places and points where WFP commodities are received in the country, in order to ensure that progress is made in the achievement of project objectives; Maintain databases of indicators relating to food security and WFP projects; Participate in the preparation and timely dissemination of analytical and critical reports, including proposals for improvements in the operation and scope of the programmes;

Please note that these positions are on a voluntary basis, subject to the normal terms and conditions of service of UNV volunteers with a volunteer living allowance of approximately $1,700/mth depending on the particular posting. Irish Aid has agreed to fund the assignments on a two year basis, renewable after the first year. For more information regarding job descriptions, please contact Jill Corish at jill.corish@dfa.ie
or Tel. 01 854 6927.

Please note that candidates need to have a minimum of 5 years’ work experience in their field of studies after university education.

Interested candidates should apply to join the UNV roster via the link: http://one.unv.org/main/?Lang=en. as soon as possible and should email their expression of interest to Jill Corish at the Volunteer Unit of Irish Aid email address: jill.corish@dfa.ie.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 1st March 2010.

UNV will contact candidates who are short-listed. Candidates short listed by UNV will then be called for interview in the Irish Aid Volunteer and Information Centre in Dublin, on behalf of UNV.

FULL TERMS OF REFERENCE