Nutrition Officer at Save the Children Nigeria

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries, including the United States. We aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities. In times of acute crisis, we mobilize rapid assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. Each year, we and our partners reach millions of children in communities around the world.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Nutrition Officer

Location: Yobe
Job Type: Full time

Scope of Role

• To support implementation of Nutrition and health component under EU Resilience project in Yobe.

Key Areas of Accountability
Programme Support (typically will be at field level):

• Working closely with the Field Manager, the Nutrition Program Officer will do the following:
• Mobilize the community around the promotion of optimal infant and young child feeding practices and health seeking behaviours
• Promote, protect and support optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding practices.
• Support Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergency (IYCF-E), identification of lead mothers, training of health workers and community volunteers.
• Daily supervision of support group meetings in communities.
• Work closely with staff at the Health facility and OTP sites to ensure that all children referred with malnutrition are treated accordingly and caregivers receive are part of SBCC
• Facilitate the formation of Mother-to-Mother and Father to father support groups meetings and conduct supportive supervision/spot checks during support group meetings.
• Support in the referral of malnourished cases from support groups to health facilities offering Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) services.
• Collate and compile program monthly data reports.
• Prepare transport requests for field trips to the program implementing communities.
• Participate in the training of lead mothers and support group members on Food Demonstration
• Working closely with the other project staff (FSL, Education, CP) to ensure timely referral and linkage across projects
• Provide capacity building and trainings to community nutrition mobilizers, health workers and Community Nutrition Mobilizers on IYCF-E and referral mechanism.
• Ensure monthly and quarterly follow up with Community Mobilizers and community leaders through review/feedback meetings.
• Ensure that beneficiaries benefiting from the BCC also benefit in cash transfer project
• Work closely with the MEAL team to ensure that data are captured in a correct and accurate manner
• Assist the nutrition team in giving supportive supervision to community volunteers.
• Compile and submit reports on weekly progress report
• Undertake any other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the supervisor.

Capacity Building:

• Identify learning and training opportunities for partner staff and communicate this to the Field Manager 
• Ensure all OTP/SFP team members are familiar with their posts.

Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:

• Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies and Government, and support Interagency Coordination forums, advocating for the specific needs of children
• This may involve supporting coordination working groups within the IDP camps and host communities or target project sites.
• Contribute to communications and media work as required through correction of data and information and sharing with the project heads

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

This post focuses on emergency/humanitarian programming and not limited to any project. The position holder will be expected to contribute to SCI’s dual mandate and support as needed.

Skills and Behaviours (SCI Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future-oriented, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency

Qualifications & Experience
Essential:

• B.Sc or equivalent in Health / Public Health / Nutrition with minimum of 2 years progressive experience post NYSC
• Experience in Nutrition and community based programming
• Experience of emergency nutrition work (preferably CMAM) and implementation of feeding programs, including monitoring and evaluation
• Basic training in IYCF-E
• Proven capacity of management, leadership and teamwork
• Excellent communication skills and a willingness to be respectful, kind, sensitive and empathise with all beneficiaries and their carers
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions
• Experience in community based interventions in Nigeria especially in the NE
• Demonstrable ability at report writing
• Prepared to live and work in an uncertain security environment
• Ability and willingness to frequently travel and stay at the field
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles
• Fluency in written and spoken English and local languages
• Computer literate

Desirable:

• Master trainer and good facilitator
• Experience in conducting nutrition assessments and an understanding of nutritional surveillance and information systems.

Application Closing Date
26th December, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online