[Hiring] Maternal Nutrition Journal Supplement International Consultant @AGORA

Role Description

The assignment aims to ensure that evidence generated through the Improving IMAN initiative and related maternal nutrition research is systematically synthesized, scientifically rigorous, clearly articulated, and successfully published to inform policy, program design, and national and global learning on maternal nutrition.

Under the overall supervision of UNICEF, and in close collaboration with TFNC, the Ministry of Health, and project consortium partners, the consultant will be responsible for the following:

Key Responsibilities

• Journal supplement conceptualization
  • Lead the development of a comprehensive journal supplement concept note, including:
    • Background and rationale for the supplement
    • Purpose and relevance to the intended target audience
    • Inventory of published papers and manuscripts currently under development
    • Identification of additional manuscripts to be developed to address key evidence gaps
    • Proposed authorship structure (lead authors, senior authors, and co-authors), including recommendations for guest editors
• Coordination of authors and stakeholders
  • Coordinate a multidisciplinary group of authors from government, UNICEF, academia, research institutions, and implementing partners.
  • Provide expert technical advisory support to authors in the development of manuscripts related to maternal nutrition and the IMAN initiative.
  • Support authors to conduct comprehensive literature reviews on maternal nutrition, ANC-based nutrition interventions, MMS, and other topics relevant to this assignment.
  • Work closely with consortium members, authors, and research teams to gather inputs, validate content, and ensure coherence and consistency across manuscripts.
  • Facilitate virtual coordination meetings, technical discussions, and progress review sessions, with provision for one in-person meeting if required.
  • Facilitate effective engagement and communication between authors, guest editors, UNICEF, TFNC, and the journal publisher to ensure alignment with submission requirements and timelines.
• Quality assurance and scientific accuracy
  • Provide substantive technical review, editing, and proofreading of all manuscripts to ensure clarity, coherence, consistency, and adherence to academic and journal style standards.
  • Ensure all manuscripts meet ethical, methodological, and reporting standards required for peer-reviewed publication.
  • Ensure consistency across manuscripts in methodological quality, ethical considerations, use of data, and interpretation of findings.
  • Coordinate and support timely incorporation of peer-reviewer and editorial feedback in collaboration with authors.
• Peer-review and journal engagement
  • Liaise with the selected open-access peer-reviewed journal, including guest editors and editorial board members.
  • Support the final submission of all manuscripts to the selected journal.
  • Coordinate submission processes, peer-review responses, and revisions.
  • Oversee finalization of manuscripts through acceptance and publication, ensuring adherence to agreed timelines.
  • Develop and complete journal supplement, including: an introductory overview article, individual peer-reviewed manuscripts, concluding synthesis and policy implications paper.
• Develop a concise final brief report summarizing activities undertaken, deliverables achieved, challenges encountered, and key lessons learned throughout the process.

Qualifications

• Advanced university degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Epidemiology, Maternal and Child Health, or a closely related field.

Requirements

• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in nutrition and/or public health.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required.
• Strong technical knowledge of evidence-based maternal nutrition interventions and global guidelines.
• Demonstrated expertise in antenatal care (ANC) and community-based programming for nutrition service delivery.
• Proven track record of scientific writing and publication in peer-reviewed journals, journal supplements, including experience serving as lead author, senior author, or editorial contributor.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multi-author publications and manage technical writing processes.
• Proven track record with peer review processes, journal submission requirements, and open access publishing models.

Benefits

• Diverse opportunities for professional and personal development.
• Attractive compensation and benefits package.