Technical Officer, Malnutrition and Food Systems

Pan American Health Organization Inc; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 60,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Pan American Health Organization seeks a senior nutrition and public health expert to advance nutrition policies and programs across the Americas. You will advise Member States, support surveillance, and promote healthy diets through cross‑sector collaboration.

Essential qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in nutrition or related health science and extensive international experience. The role emphasizes evidence‑based planning, partnerships with UN agencies, NGOs, and governments, and a

Qualifications

• Essential: A bachelor’s degree in nutrition or other health science from a recognized university.
• Desirable: A master’s degree in nutrition, public health, or related field would be an asset.
• Seven years of combined national and international experience in nutrition, public health or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support and cooperation to Member States in developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating nutrition policies and programs.
• Deliver technical and programmatic advice on nutrition, healthy diets, obesity prevention, and food systems.
• Strengthen country capacity for nutrition surveillance, monitoring and evaluation including policy design and implementation.

Skills

Public health policy

Nutrition expertise

Program evaluation

Technical cooperation

Education

Bachelor in nutrition or health science

Master's in nutrition/public health (desired)

Tools

ERP systems

Microsoft Excel

Outlook

OneDrive

PowerPoint

Teams

SharePoint

Word

Job description

Grade: P-3 Salary - Monthly (non-negotiable): 5,944.58 USD Post Adjustment - Monthly: 3,245.74 USD Contractual Agreement: Staff - Professional Non-post Job Posting: September 8, 2026 Closing Date: September 22, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time Primary Location: Washington, D.C. Organization: NMH Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Schedule: Full time

Description of Duties

Join PAHO’s efforts to advance nutrition, healthy diets, and sustainable food systems across the Americas. This role contributes to the prevention and control of all forms of malnutrition and supports Member States in developing evidence‑based policies and programs that improve population health and well‑being.

Summary of Responsibilities

• Provide technical support and cooperation to Member States in developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating policies, plans and programs for the prevention and control of all forms of malnutrition and the promotion of optimal nutrition throughout the life course.
• Deliver technical and programmatic advice on nutrition, healthy diets, obesity prevention, food systems, and the implementation of global and regional nutrition mandates and action plans.
• Strengthen country capacity for nutrition surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, and the assessment, design, implementation, and enforcement of nutrition programs, regulations and guidelines.
• Support Member States in implementing comprehensive school‑based policies and initiatives that promote healthy eating and physical activity, emphasizing equity, sustainability, and inter‑sectoral collaboration.
• Develop and strengthen partnerships, alliances, and networks with United Nations agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to advance regional nutrition and food systems priorities.
• Contribute to regional initiatives, resource mobilization efforts, policy development, and representation of the Organization in technical meetings and inter‑agency consultations.

For a complete list of functions, please see the post description.

Education

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in nutrition or other health science related to the functions of the post from a recognized university.

Desirable: A master’s degree in nutrition, public health, a social science or related field from a recognized university would be an asset.

Experience

Essential: Seven years of combined national and international experience in the fields of nutrition, public health, public policy or social determinants of health and sustainable food systems.

Desirable: Practical experience working in public health projects at the international level in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Languages

Fluency in English or Spanish with working knowledge of the other language.

Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems.

Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.

Competencies and Skills

For a complete list of competencies and skills, please refer to the post description.

The skills required are: Strong technical expertise in nutrition and public health, including food and nutrition policies addressing all forms of malnutrition and sustainable food systems.

Ability to design, implement, monitor and evaluate nutrition policies, programs and interventions.

Capacity to negotiate, coordinate and build partnerships across governments, international agencies, civil society organizations and community groups.

Strong analytical, conceptual and problem‑solving skills with the ability to assess and provide recommendations on technical and policy issues.

Excellent organizational and project management skills, including planning, implementation and oversight of technical cooperation activities.

Strong professional oral and written communication skills, including the preparation of reports, presentations and technical documents.

Ability to work collaboratively, promote knowledge sharing, adapt to change and deliver high‑quality results in multicultural environments.

DURATION OF CONTRACT

This is an initial nine‑month assignment, with possibility of extensions, subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.

DISCLAIMER

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade and level.

All applicants are required to complete an on‑line profile to be considered for this post. Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration.

In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the official degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position.

PAHO, considers official higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in one of the following databases:

• World Higher Education Database (WHED), list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be assessed through the link: http://whed.net/
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation chea.org
• College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, nces.gov to support the validation process.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

PAHO/WHO is committed to: PAHO supports an environment of mutual respect and dignity for all applicants. All interested individuals who meet the requirements of this position are encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process.

To do so, email us at: [e-mail] Maintaining high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities. Promoting a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior.

PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of misconduct. Providing a smoke‑free environment. Protecting the people in the communities we serve. Therefore, we have zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is the specialized international health agency for the Americas. It works with countries throughout the region to improve and protect people's health.

PAHO wears two institutional hats: it is the specialized health agency of the Inter‑American System and also serves as Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), the specialized health agency of the United Nations.

PAHO engages in technical cooperation with its member countries to fight communicable and noncommunicable diseases and their causes, to strengthen health systems, and to respond to emergencies and disasters.

PAHO is committed to ensuring that all people have access to the health care they need, when they need it, with quality and without fear of falling into poverty. Through its work, PAHO promotes and supports the right of everyone to good health. To advance these goals, PAHO promotes technical cooperation between countries and works in partnership with ministries of health and other government agencies, civil society organizations, other international agencies, universities, social security agencies, community groups, and other partners.

PAHO promotes the inclusion of health in all public policies and the engagement of all sectors in efforts to ensure that people live longer, healthier lives, with good health as their most valuable resource.

Under the leadership of its 51 member countries and territories, PAHO sets regional health priorities and mobilizes action to address health problems that respect no borders and that, in many cases, jeopardize the sustainability of health systems.

From its Washington, D.C., headquarters, 27 country offices and three specialized centers in the region, PAHO promotes evidence‑based decision‑making to improve and promote health as a driver of sustainable development.