Nutrition Officer -Harargeh

Employee Contract Type:

Local – Fixed Term Employee (Fixed Term)

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

FACILITATE GROWTH MONITORING & PROMOTION (GMP) (15%)

• Contribute to community awareness raising, mobilisation and outreach to de-centralize GMP
• When appropriate, recruit, train, and/or supervise health workers and/or community volunteers in GMP
• Source appropriate equipment for anthropometric measurement of children
• Accurately calibrate anthropometric tools
• Accurately measure and record length of children under 2 years and height of children age 2-5 years
• Accurately measure and record weight of children under 5 years
• Accurately measure mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) of children under 5
• Determine child’s age in month with greatest accuracy possible if birthdate not available
• Accurately plot anthropometric measurements on child growth chart and interpret results
•  Identify need for referral to health facility or CMAM services
• Explain growth monitoring results to caregivers and counsel caregivers to improve child nutrition and growth
•  Aggregate and analyse local GMP data
•  Communicate GMP results to stakeholders

End result: Children screened, and their growth monitored regularly

IMPLEMENT Infant & Young Child Feeding (IYCF) PRACTICES (15%)

• Identify and interpret national and local data on IYCF practices
• Assess socio-cultural influences on IYCF in local context
• Facilitate behaviour change communication activities related to IYCF
• Counsel caregivers to improve IYCF practices
• Facilitate community support for improved IYCF practices
• Identify and promote diverse local and culturally appropriate nutrient-rich foods for complementary feeding
• Partner with local organisations, health staff and community/cultural leaders to protect and promote breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life

End Result: IYCF is implemented at community and health facility level

 IMPLEMENT PD/Hearth (PDH) IN THE WOREDA (25%)

• Identify communities and villages where PDH implementation is feasible
• Conduct community mobilization to create community ownership
• Oversee selection and training of PDH volunteers
• Identify positive deviant and non-positive deviant malnourished children
• Lead Positive Deviance Inquiry (PDI) implementation and analysis
• Develop Hearth messages from PDI
• Develop Hearth menu based on PDI results (includes PD foods)
• Train volunteers to prepare Hearth menu using household measures
• Use GMP to ensure underweight children are admitted in correct priority order
• Supervise Hearth groups
• Oversee volunteers in Hearth follow up home visits and monitoring to ensure correct graduation criteria is used
• Aggregate and analyze monitoring data for ADP and submit to supervisor

End result: Underweight children rehabilitated in PD Hearth program

IMPLEMENT CMAM PROGRAM (30%)

• Contribute to community awareness raising, mobilization and outreach activities
• Assess child nutritional status and oversee screening sessions
• Recruit and train community volunteers
• Supervise community volunteers
• Liaise with Ministry of Health and other partners
• Execute CMAM monitoring activities, ensuring adherence to clinical protocols
• Oversee referrals and transfers to different components of CMAM – SC, OTP and SFP, or referrals to other services
• Monitor program outcomes against international standards
• Report program monitoring data using standardized forms and CMAM database

End result: MAM and SAM cases are treated in nutrition rehabilitation centers

Targeted Food Distribution (blanket supplementary feeding, targeted supplementary feeding) (5%)

• Facilitate the identification and inclusion of vulnerable groups and individuals
• Assess nutritional status and apply standard criteria to identify eligible participants
• Monitor nutritional outcomes

End result: MAM children are linked to TSF programs

Promote improved nutrition, Build local understanding and relationships, and Monitoring and Evaluation (10%)

• Identify relevant district stakeholders & explain their roles in contributing to improved nutrition
• Promote and facilitate inter-sectoral collaboration and the inclusion of nutrition objectives in other key sectors of WV projects and government partners at district/local level
• Advocate with key local stakeholders to ensure that programming prioritises and addresses nutrition, and the nutrition needs of vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.
• Carry out partner mapping to identify expertise/experience and gaps in local level nutrition programming
• Build relationships with key multi-sectoral nutrition stakeholders and learn about local nutrition and related services and systems
• Use correct nutrition technical knowledge and language in conversations with key stakeholders to build credibility and trust, as appropriate to the audience
• Provide local knowledge of nutrition issues to support NO HHN staff to prioritize interventions, approaches/models and target groups
• Communicate the different nutrition models &approaches in ways which are appropriate for the target group
• Coordinate with relevant local partners and stakeholders for a multi-sectoral approach
• Stay abreast of novel or emerging nutrition approaches and incorporate appropriately into intervention planning as guided by your manager
• Deliver nutrition-related training using the standardized curriculum/a correctly, or engage qualified MOH trainers and ensure the most up-to-date curriculum is used
• As appropriate, manage the sector projects and/or models (e.g., PDH), engaging with and reporting to government partners
• Observe project activities and the performance of key community members,  applying critical thinking skills to identify strengths and weaknesses
• Provide coaching and feedback to key community stakeholders, in collaboration with government partners
• Conduct monitoring activities using standard indicators/forms, working with appropriate stakeholders
• Examine relevant dietary, anthropometric, clinical, health and food security data to identify trends affecting nutritional status of vulnerable populations.
• Report to management, government partners and to the community on process and outcome indicators by communicating learning from data collection and analysis

Required Professional Experience

• Minimum 3 years NGO experiences in the area of or nutrition programming;
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in design and management of rural integrated health and Nutrition programs

Required Education, training, license, registration, and certification

• BSc degree in Public Health, Nursing, Nutrition, Food Sciences or other related PUBLIC HEALTH fields.

Certificates on:

• Acute Malnutrition 2019 revised guideline
• Training in revised 2019 IMAM guideline
• Trained on Family MUAC approach
• Trainings on PD Hearth, IYCF, GMP, and screening

Preferred Knowledge and Qualifications

• Strong communication & interpersonal skills; comfortable engaging in dialogue with a range of actors including communities leaders and other community structures, government departments, local authorities, CBOs and other NGOs.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent report writing skills. Good computer skills – Microsoft word, power point and excel.
• Experience in engaging the community and community mobilization Ability to work with minimum supervision.
• Ability to cope with stress; hardship; patience & flexibility/willingness to work additional hours to meet tight deadlines Ability and willingness to travel to field sites and nutrition facilities.

Travel and/or Work Environment Requirement

• Willingness to work hostile environment.

Physical Requirements

• 90% travel to communities and health facility is required.

Language Requirements

• Fluent in English languages