Youth Engagement and Food Systems Specialist

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to promote and protect the rights of every child. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), UNICEF supports governments and partners to address all forms of malnutrition through food systems approaches, with increasing emphasis on Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), youth engagement, advocacy, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to drive sustainable change. The Child Nutrition and Development Practice of the Panama Center of Excellence (CoE) supports countries across LAC to strengthen food systems programming and advance integrated approaches to nutrition across the life cycle, including early childhood nutrition, school-age nutrition, and adolescent nutrition. This work is complemented by youth-led initiatives, SBC, partnerships, and evidence-informed advocacy, including platforms such as Fix My Food, which aim to amplify youth voices and position children and adolescents as active agents in shaping healthier food environments. Within this context, the UN Volunteer assignment focuses on providing support to coordination, technical inputs, advocacy, event planning/organization, donor reporting, and knowledge management processes linked to youth engagement, SBC, and food systems priorities, contributing to nutrition programming. The role is not primarily technical in nutrition, but instead requires strong capacities in organization, communication, and analytical support, working across UNICEF Country Offices, youth networks, civil society, academia, and development partners. The assignment includes supporting the follow-up of multi-country initiatives, particularly those related to youth engagement, SBC, advocacy, and platforms such as Fix My Food, and contributing to the preparation of technical and communication materials for donor proposals, as well as programme implementation and external use. It also involves assisting in the consolidation and analysis of inputs from multiple countries to support donor reporting across different grants and inform programme development, while contributing to documentation and knowledge management processes by capturing lessons learned and good practices across the life cycle. In addition, the role will support the planning and organization of exchanges, workshops, and dissemination events, including logistical and content preparation, to strengthen collaboration and contribute to more effective and integrated nutrition programming.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Nutrition Specialist (Food Systems), UNICEF – Panama Center of Excellence, the UNV will: - Contribute to the advancement of youth-led initiatives and advocacy processes across Latin America and the Caribbean, including platforms such as Fix My Food, by supporting planning processes, preparing technical and advocacy materials, supporting engagement with youth networks and partners, and contributing to the documentation and dissemination of results and lessons learned. - Contribute to the development and adaptation of technical inputs, practical guidance, and tools (including briefs, presentations, and reference materials) to support programme implementation, strengthen youth engagement and Social and Behaviour Change approaches, and inform advocacy and donor proposals. - Support the preparation, consolidation, and follow-up of donor reporting processes for global, multi-country and country-level grants, including organizing inputs from Country Offices, assisting in drafting technical content, and contributing to reporting quality and consistency across deliverables. - Support collaboration and information exchange with Country Offices, youth networks, civil society, academia, UN agencies, and development partners, contributing to coordination, follow-up, and documentation of key activities and results. - Support the planning and organization of technical meetings, workshops, exchanges, and dissemination events, including logistical coordination, preparation of agendas and materials, and documentation of key outcomes. - Contribute to knowledge management and dissemination processes by consolidating multi-country inputs, systematizing good practices and lessons learned, and translating evidence into clear, policy-relevant messages to support advocacy and programme development. - Provide programmatic support to UNICEF’s food systems and nutrition priorities across the life cycle, including early childhood, school-age children, and adolescents, through complementary functions such as youth engagement, advocacy, coordination, documentation, and knowledge management. - Support and participate in country missions, including contributing to mission preparation, developing background materials, supporting coordination with Country Offices and partners, contributing to technical discussions as appropriate, and documenting findings, recommendations, follow-up actions and lessons learned.