ProgrammPolicy Officer - Nutrition Integration SC L8

Malnutrition remains a major public health and development challenge in Sudan, which continues to rank among the countries with the highest global burden of undernutrition. Despite gradual improvements in child survival, malnutrition persists as a leading contributor to illness and mortality, with stunting and wasting rates showing only limited progress over the past 15 years. The protracted crisis, compounded by escalating conflict and widespread displacement, has further weakened essential systems and increased vulnerability, underscoring the need for stronger, more integrated approaches to nutrition.

Within this context, the development of the new two‑year Integrated Country Strategic Plan places nutrition integration and Social and Behavior Change at the center of WFP’s strategy. The ICSP prioritizes system strengthening, improved dietary practices, increased service uptake, and meaningful community engagement across emergency school feeding, food security, resilience, and livelihoods activities.

WFP recognizes that sustainable nutrition outcomes require both quality service delivery and positive behavior change at household and community levels. By reinforcing SBC and integrating nutrition considerations across all programme areas, WFP aims to ensure that emergency response, school feeding, social protection, and resilience-building efforts collectively contribute to reducing malnutrition and improving overall wellbeing in Sudan.

Reporting to the Head of Nutrition and School-Based Programmed, the Nutrition Integration Officer will lead the design, implementation, monitoring, and quality assurance of nutrition integration activities across all programme components. The role ensures alignment with WFP’s nutrition integration priorities across emergency response, school feeding, resilience, food systems strengthening, and behavior change to enhance nutrition outcomes.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

• Support the integration of nutrition and SBC approaches across all WFP programme areas, including emergency response, school feeding, resilience, and livelihoods.
• Work with Activity Managers to incorporate nutrition-sensitive SBC messaging into programme design and field activities.
• Ensure all nutrition-integration approaches align with national nutrition policies, standards, and frameworks.
• Contribute to the development, adaptation, and rollout of SBC strategies, community tools, job aids, guidance notes, and training materials.
• Support the development of nutrition-sensitive, climate-adaptive, and food-systems–oriented interventions at federal and state levels.
• Strengthen collaborative engagement with government ministries including Health, Education and Agriculture to ensure harmonized nutrition and SBC approaches.
• Participate in national and subnational technical working groups, coordination forums, and joint planning sessions to support multisectoral nutrition integration.
• Coordinate with cooperating partners to ensure consistent, culturally appropriate, and gender-responsive SBC implementation.
• Build the capacity of WFP staff, cooperating partners, and community structures such as community health workers and mother support groups on SBC and nutrition integration.
• Provide ongoing technical support and mentorship to field teams delivering nutrition and SBC activities.
• Work with Monitoring and Evaluation teams to develop and track nutrition-integration and behaviour change indicators.
• Support assessments, baseline and endline surveys, formative research, and operational learning studies on nutrition integration.
• Ensure timely documentation of lessons learned, success stories, and best practices to inform programme improvement.
• Prepare high-quality inputs for internal reporting, donor reports, and programme updates related to nutrition integration and SBC.
• Support resource mobilization efforts through inputs to proposals and concept notes on nutrition integration and SBC.
• Ensure all nutrition sensitive SBC messaging is evidence-based, locally appropriate, and aligned with WFP’s integrated nutrition framework.

• Final Nutrition Integration Workplan outlining priorities and timelines.
• SBC and nutrition integration tools and materials produced or adapted, including guidance notes, job aids, counselling tools, and community engagement resources.
• Capacity-strengthening plan for WFP staff, partners, and community platforms, with training documentation submitted.
• Integrated, culturally appropriate, and gender-sensitive SBC and nutrition messaging package developed and endorsed.
• Knowledge products compiled, including lessons learned, best practices, case studies, and success stories.
• High-quality inputs submitted for quarterly, annual, and donor reports on SBC and nutrition integration.
• Contributions made to resource mobilization efforts through inputs to proposals, concept notes, and donor reporting.
• Field mission support notes prepared, summarizing technical guidance, recommendations, and follow-up actions.

Education : University degree (bachelor’s level or equivalent) in Nutrition, Public Health, Social and Behavior Change, Food Security, Social Sciences, or a related field. Additional training in SBC, community engagement, or multisectoral nutrition is an asset.

Experience: At least one to two years of progressively responsible experience in nutrition integration, SBC, community engagement or related programme implementation. Experience supporting multisectoral or community‑based nutrition programmes in humanitarian or development settings is desirable. Prior experience working with government counterparts, NGOs, or UN agencies is an advantage.

Technical Expertise: Proven expertise in designing, implementing and monitoring nutrition integration and SBC approaches. Understanding of Social and Behaviour Change principles, including message development, interpersonal communication, community mobilization, and low‑literacy tools. Familiarity with monitoring indicators for nutrition integration, SBC, and behaviour change. Ability to contribute to assessments, surveys, and field-level data collection.

Skills: Strong coordination, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with diverse teams and partners. Good analytical, reporting, and documentation skills, including the ability to synthesize information and produce clear guidance materials. Capacity-building skills and ability to support training and mentoring of staff and partners. Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize, and work in a fast-paced environment. Proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and digital communication tools.

Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding of the local context in Sudan and experience working in conflict-affected or resource-limited settings.

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language is required, and knowledge of Arabic is a strong asset.