Health & Nutrition Officer -Mekelle, Tigray

Hello Hello! Alight is recruiting a Health & Nutrition Officer to be based in Mekelle, Tigray region (Roving within field offices in Tigray & Afar). You’re interested in joining us? Welcome, we’re happy you’re here!If you join us, you will find…

A team with deep experience in co-designing solutions that create new value around the world. We know we need to always be better, and we believe in the power and abundance of everyday people, everywhere, to change the world with us.

A culture of radical accountability to our customers –as we help build a meaningful life for and with the displaced, we ask them what they want and then deliver on it.

Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee) is an international non-profit organization with its headquarters located in the United States. Alight has provided humanitarian assistance to millions of beneficiaries in 29 countries over the past 40 years, currently reaching over 10 million refugees, IDPs, and disaster-affected communities in 17 countries around the world, helping people regain control of their lives after conflict and natural disasters. Alight maintains full-fledged humanitarian programs in Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, Thailand, and Myanmar. Alight is currently responding to humanitarian situation in Ethiopia.

The overall objective of the Alight (ARC) in Ethiopia program is to prevent death and alleviate human suffering among affected internally displaced persons (IDPs) in settlements and host communities where we work. Alight has embarked on WASH, Health, Protection, and livelihood activities in Ethiopia and expand to other parts of the Country. Alight is taking a multi-sectoral approach in responding to the severe drought conditions through a range of activities including Health, Relief Commodities and WASH.

The Ethiopia Program of the Alight (ARC) has fully-fledged offices in Addis Ababa, Mekelle, Semera, Amhara liaison offices in Ethiopia. Alight is working closely with national and regional authorities and with several Ethiopia -based international and national organizations to galvanize coordinated lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the people in need.

PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

The Health and Nutrition Officer is responsible for supervising the provision of all health and nutrition services at Alight service points (Primary Health Facilities and nutrition centers). In this capacity, he/she will directly supervise the Facility in-Charge(s) and ensure that all services are of high quality and provided in adherence to MoH protocols, WHO guidelines, other international standards, and the Alight global health strategy.

He/she will conduct regular monitoring visits to the sites, validate all data collection at sites, ensure consistent supply of all medical drugs and nutrition commodities, conduct on-job training, and collaborate with the program staff to build capacity of the facility staff.  The Health and Nutrition Officer will play a key role in representing Alight in sub health and nutrition cluster coordination and other working group meetings at their project target locations, coordinate with other health and nutrition actors to cover gaps and limit duplications. He/She will act as liaison with MOH officials and other government of Ethiopia officials within the MOH and other line ministries.

MAJOR/KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

MANAGEMENT / SUPERVISION OF FACILITIES

• Provide leadership in implementing primary health and nutrition services at Alight service points, including supervision of Facility In-Charge (s) to ensure that all health and nutrition services are provided in accordance with MoH and WHO policies and guidelines, as well as Alight global health strategy.
• Ensure transfer of updated clinical protocols and guidelines to all facility staff.
• Conduct daily, weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly (pending geographic location) monitoring visits to all assigned service points to supervise service delivery, complete standard supervision checklists during these visits.
• Review monitoring visit findings with Health and Nutrition Managers; identify action points and response timeline; lead implementation and collaborate with project and health facility staff on resolution of all action points within allocated time frame.
• In collaboration with Health and Nutrition managers conduct training needs assessments for facility staff; organize formal training; conduct on-the-job training for all health facility and community-based staff, as needed.
• Ensure facilities adhere to proper waste management protocols and adhere to infection prevention protocols.
• Ensure timely submission of health facility staff timesheets in collaboration with MCH in charges and HR department.
• Plan and follow up on facility staff leave requests, absentees etc. in collaboration with MCH in charges and HR department.
• Participate in recruitment of Health Facility staff. In collaboration with the Health Facility-in charge and appropriate technical lead (Health & Nutrition Manager), set and discuss performance objectives with new staff, conduct performance appraisal at the end of the three months’ probation period, review and set new objectives.
• Evaluate progress of activities and confirm programs are on track in meeting donor and organizational expectations; determine necessary action to course correction.
• Oversee the program quality and establish a system of regular supervision and understand the level of community involvement. confirm that community-based activities, such as EPI, nutrition screening, health and nutrition education, and case tracing are properly conducted at all the health facilities.
• Ensure effective integration with other Alight programmes to achieve maximum result for the beneficiaries.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION / DATA COLLECTION

• Prepare annual, quarterly, and monthly detailed work plans using program management tools. Ensure the existing work schedule is followed and shared with the Health and Nutrition Manager.
• Help set the target indicators for future health and nutrition related activities.
• Collect, review, analyze and submit data from health facilities; Work with the health and nutrition managers to prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Train health facility staff on DHIS / HMIS data collection, use, and completion of logbooks / registers.
• Validate health and nutrition data collected at the facilities; data include morbidity and mortality, early warning systems, nutrition, and MISP.
• Support in developing program reports that are timely and meets institutional and donor requirements.
• Ensure effective documentation of case studies, success stories or human-interest stories in collaboration with M&E to showcase the good work done.

STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION

• Participate in Health and Nutrition coordination meetings at community as well as district and regional level, and maintain a positive, continuous, and visible presence of Alight.
• In collaboration with the Pharmacist, MoH and Operations and Logistics departments, ensure proper drug and nutrition commodities supply chain management to Alight supported health facilities in accordance with Alight, MoH, donor policies and procedures.
• Conduct joint monitoring visits in collaboration with MoH.
• Participate and support in facilitating donor visits to project sites as appropriate.

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

• Ensure timely submission of supply requests to UNICEF and WFP.
• Raise PRFs as per the implementation plan and ensure proper filing and tracking.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

• Provide support and assistance in the organization of appropriate responses during disease emergency response, as required.
• Perform any other tasks as assigned by supervisor.

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, MPH, and any related educational background.
• Minimum 3 years/MPH and 5 years/BSc of experience.
• A minimum of 3 years of experience managing public health programs and/or nutrition programming, especially working in INGOs.
• Prior experience in training, with experience of developing and implementing trainings plans, preferably in health and nutrition.
• Experience in rural health center/ hospital setting.
• Familiar with health information system.
• Should have Microsoft Office skills.
• Excellent report writing and fluency in English, and Amharic preferably other local languages.

KEY BEHAVIORS AND ABILITIES:

• Highly organized, able to determine priorities and meet multiple deadlines.
• Commitment to the goals and values of Alight.
• Ability to cope with stress.
• Ability to work well as part of a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team in a fast-paced environment.
• Have good communication skills.
• Demonstrate good interpersonal relations High level of confidentiality and integrity.
• Strong service orientation with the ability to proactively approach staff to understand their needs and to find effective solutions.

PLUS

• NGO experience
• Gender-sensitive
• Understanding of and commitment to the “Humanitarian principles”
• Understanding of and commitment to Alight code of conduct and organizational goals