Scientific Assistant for the Scientific Committee of Ministry of Health

                            Vacancy Notice:  SASC_01_GR/25_22

ABOUT ICMC

The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) is an international non-governmental organization, whose mission is to protect and serve children as well as uprooted people, including refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people, victims of human trafficking, and migrants - regardless of faith, race, ethnicity, or nationality.  ICMC started a partnership with UNICEF in Greece to deploy a highly qualified affiliated workforce to assist UNICEF Greece Country Office.

SCOPE OF WORK

UNICEF became operational in Greece in early 2016 as an outposted team from the Regional Office of Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) to respond to the significant influx of refugee and migrant children and their families at that time. Following several years of engagement with national stakeholders, UNICEF and the Government of Greece made a decision in January 2020 to formalize the agency’s presence in the country as a full-fledged Country Office. The office falls under the auspices of the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia located in Geneva, which supports the work of 22 Country Offices within its geographical scope, reporting in turn to global headquarters in New York. Within the framework of a mandate for all children in Greece, UNICEF and Greece are now working to address the needs of all vulnerable, marginalized and left-behind children in the country.

In the context of the Country Programme for Greece (2022-2026) approved by the UNICEF Executive Board in February 2022, UNICEF and the Government of Greece have agreed on national targets for children, concerning health, education, social protection, child protection, justice and youth employability. Regarding the health and nutrition agenda, and within the context of the National Action Plan on Public Health 2021-2025 and the National Prevention Programme ‘’Spyros Doxiades’’, UNICEF is scaling up programming to address the high prevalence of childhood obesity in the country through the following pillars:

(i)advancement of an enabling environment including strengthening regulations, policies, and strategies to promote healthy diets, practices, and services for the prevention of childhood obesity

(ii)programs that strengthen the primary prevention of childhood obesity, including actions to improve nutrition in infancy and early childhood, prevention intervention programs at the school and community/municipal level, as well as developing awareness raising campaigns for social and behavioral change

(iii)interventions to enhance secondary and tertiary prevention and response programs

(iv)establishment of a European Regional Initiative on Childhood Obesity as a platform to enable exchange of lessons learned, good practices, and proven effective approaches to address childhood obesity among and within EU member states

(v)development of strategies and programs focusing on achieving social and behavioral change so that children and their caregivers across Greece make more informed lifestyle choices.

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT:

In close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF is seeking to appoint one (1) Scientific Assistant to support the work of the Scientific Committee established under the Ministry of Health. The Scientific Committee is an expert advisory body providing evidence-based guidance and reviewing scientific content related to nutrition, physical activity, health promotion, health education and evaluation of health promotion programs in the framework of the National Action against Childhood Obesity Program.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the guidance and supervision of the Ministry of Health and UNICEF, the incumbent will provide scientific, logistical, clerical, and coordination support to ensure the smooth functioning of the Committee.

The Scientific Assistant will:

Support to Committee Members

• Provide organizational and evidence-based scientific support to members, as required, to meet the Committee’s mandate and in accordance with specific working plans and operations defined by the Committee Members
• Draft reports and deliverables expected to be submitted by the Committee. Members will review draft documents and revise before final submission
• Ensure the accurate and timely documentation and archiving of outputs and deliverables,
• Maintain updated contact lists and committee member directories

Meeting Coordination:

• Schedule and organize Committee meetings (physical and virtual)
• Prepare and distribute meeting agendas, invitations, and related documentation
• Arrange logistics (venue booking, IT setup, etc.)
• Take minutes and maintain official records of Committee meetings
• Support the work of the Committee with regards to the International Conference on Childhood Obesity to be held in Athens in February 2026

Communication and Correspondence

• Serve as the primary point of contact for Committee members and stakeholders
• Draft routine correspondence, memos, and emails
• Follow up on action items and decisions from meetings

Documentation and Filing

• Maintain an organized filing system for Committee documents, including reports, submissions, and communications
• Assist with the formatting, editing, and proofreading of Committee outputs (e.g., reports, briefs)

Other Duties

• Perform any other administrative tasks assigned to support the functioning of the Committee

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education:

• Diploma or bachelor’s degree in nutrition/dietetics,
• A master’s degree in clinical nutrition and/or epidemiology/research methodology.
• A post-graduate degree is considered a plus.

Experience:

• At least one year experience in collecting and analysing dietary and related data in the context of population surveys (fieldwork). Collecting and analysing data from children and adolescents in Greece is considered an asset.
• Experience in designing and implementing community interventions regarding childhood obesity in Greece
•  At least one year of relevant administrative or secretarial experience, preferably in a public health, academic, or government setting. Prior experience supporting committees, boards, or working groups is an asset.
• Experience in Public Health, Nutrition / Nutritional Sciences, Epidemiology, Medicine / Pediatrics, Health Promotion / Health Education, Behavioral or Social Sciences, with a focus on health, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology or other related fields is considered an asset.
• Experience in obesity or related public health programming, monitoring and evaluation tools and methodologies is an asset. The ability to relate and network with government, development partners, adolescents and youth is an asset.
• Familiarity with multi-sectoral collaboration and working with government health systems and policies is an asset.
• Experience with government health systems or national-level program implementation is an asset
• Relevant experience with UN agencies and/or with civil society organizations will be an added advantage

Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom, MS Teams)
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion
• Attention to detail and ability to multitask
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse stakeholders

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English and Greek is required.

Working Conditions:

The incumbent in close contact with Committee’s members, will be spending two days at the NKUA School of Medicine and three days at the Athens Agricultural University. The incumbent will work closely with UNICEF’s childhood obesity program team, is expected to attend the childhood obesity program coordination meetings and will report to the Childhood Obesity Program Lead.

Selected candidates will also undergo an interview before the selection outcome.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit a detailed CV of maximum four pages in English, a motivation letter and two professional references with full and up to date contact details via email, to: Mr. Akis Papakonstantinou, ICMC HR Officer at [email protected].

The closing date for receipt of applications is 17/10/2025

The Vacancy Notice number SASC_01_GR/25_22 and the applicant’s full name must be quoted in the email subject line.

Applications will be evaluated upon reception.

DATA PROTECTION

By submitting an application, you agree that ICMC collects and manages the information that you provide. You also agree that your data may be shared with UNICEF. Your personal information will be used for recruitment purposes only. Your application will be treated with strict confidentiality.

Owing to the volume of applications, ICMC regrets that only applicants short-listed for an interview will be notified.

ICMC is committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants. ICMC does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, national origin, religion, physical or mental ability, marital status and age. Applications will be treated with strict confidentiality.

ICMC is committed to a Zero-Tolerance Policy toward sexual exploitation, abuses and all forms of unlawful harassment, including but not limited to sexual harassment. Screening of applications includes the vetting for records of prior misconduct and reference checking. By submitting your application, you declare your consent for your former employer to disclose any details concerning criminal convictions or misconduct. ICMC can take other necessary measures to ensure that people involved in substantiated cases of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment are not recruited.