[Hiring] National Consultant on Wasting Management @AGORA

Role Description

Child wasting remains a persistent public health challenge in the Philippines, with low coverage of early identification and treatment services under the Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (PIMAM). While national policies and guidelines are in place, implementation gaps persist across service delivery, workforce capacity, data systems, supply chain reliability, and sustainable financing.

The Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) Programme (2025–2029) supports the Government of the Philippines to accelerate reduction of wasting through five interlinked implementation components:

• Improving access and uptake of nutrition services
• Building a skilled and supported workforce
• Strengthening nutrition data for action
• Enabling reliable supply of essential nutrition supplies
• Mobilising and optimizing nutrition financing

Within this framework, UNICEF is supporting the nationwide scale-up of the PhilHealth SAM Outpatient Therapeutic Care (OTC) package, updating guidelines and capacities of service providers, strengthening PIMAM implementation across development and emergency contexts, and closing ongoing Simplified Approaches (SA) Operations Research, including Family MUAC and CHW-led treatment pilots.

The Philippines through the Child Nutrition Fund channeled through UNICEF Philippines has committed to accrediting at least 2,011 primary health care facilities nationwide by 2029 under the PhilHealth SAM OTC package, alongside improvements in service utilization and admissions. Achieving these targets requires coordinated technical assistance that strengthens the wasting ecosystem across all five CNF components. This consultancy will therefore provide national technical support (capacity building, monitoring of program implementation, quality assurance, and documentation) to advance PIMAM scale-up across these components, while ensuring structured closure and policy translation of the Simplified Approaches Operations Research.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree (Master or above an asset) in Public Health, Nutrition, Medicine, Nursing, Health Economics, Health Policy, Social Development, or a closely related field
• At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience (with Bachelor’s degree) or at least five (5) years (with Master’s degree) in public health, child nutrition, or health systems strengthening at national and/or subnational levels in the Philippines
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in child wasting programming, specifically PIMAM/CMAM protocols (both Outpatient Therapeutic Care and Inpatient Therapeutic Care)
• Proven experience with the Philippine health system, including local health systems devolution (LGUs), Department of Health (DOH), and National Nutrition Council (NNC)
• Direct experience in health facility accreditation, PhilHealth benefit package rollout, or social health insurance claims systems is a distinct advantage

Requirements

• In-depth technical knowledge of WHO guidelines on wasting prevention and management and their application in decentralized contexts
• Understanding of Simplified Approaches (e.g., Family MUAC, CHW-led models) and their policy translation pathways
• Knowledge of nutrition supply chain systems and therapeutic commodities (RUTF, F75, F100, ResoMal)
• Strong skills in data analysis, interpretation, and visualization (interactive dashboards, routine health information systems such as HOMIS/iClinicSys)
• Proven capacity in designing and facilitating Training of Trainers (TOT), service provider mentoring, and supportive supervision
• Fluency in English and Filipino (both oral and written) is required

Desirables

• Prior work experience with UNICEF, WHO, or other UN agencies/international development partners
• Familiarity with Universal Health Care (UHC) implementation sites and Special Health Fund arrangements

Benefits

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