Programme Officer - Nutrition at Christian Aid (CA)

Christian Aid (CA) is a UK-based international NGO, partnering with others to end poverty in Africa. At the heart of this vision is the transformation of the lives of people who live in poverty, empowering them to have a brighter future. Christian Aid works in more than 30 countries and has been operating in Nigeria since 2003. The Nigeria Country programme focuses on Community Health and HIV, Accountable Governance including humanitarian response and Gender.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Officer - Nutrition

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Type of contract: Fixed Term
Contracted hours: 35
Contract length: 12 months
Reports to (Job Title): Senior Program Coordinator - Food security & Nutrition

Role Purpose

• To support Christian Aid’s development, implementation and monitoring of WFP Nutrition project. The nutrition component of the World Food Programme (WFP) project is key in BSFP, active cases findings and the implementation of the Strategic Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) component of the project. There is the need to have people who are dedicated in ensuring that nutrition component is implemented with the quality required and consistent with Christian Aid policies and guidelines.
• The Programme officer - Nutrition will be based in Mafa, supported by Nutrition Assistants and distribution assistants.

Role Context

• The Programme Officer, Nutrition will be based in Mafa, Borno State and reports to the Seniorprogramme coordinator - Food security & nutrition.
• He / she will provide support for efficient and smooth implementation of nutrition interventions at community level under the direction of the senior programme coordinator - Food security & nutrition.
• He/she will also collect information and data on nutrition at community level through screening and other assessments.
• He / she will oversee the mobilization and awareness raising about the organization, program objectives and activities to local authorities and the population, and act as a link between the organization and the beneficiaries (at Community level). The programme officer, Nutrition will also be required to represent Christian Aid and the program within the community.

Key Outcomes

• Supervise and coordinate community mobilization, sensitization meetings and trainings during community led nutrition activities.
• Work closely within community structures to follow up on implementation of Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), social behaviour changes communication (SBCC), Care Group Model (CGM), and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) activities with support from programme assistants and CNMs.
• Create awareness and sensitize the community on IYCF practices, malnutrition, the causes and treatment of malnutrition.
• Actively participate in scaling up of surveillance activities at community level to ensure monitoring of situation.
• Coordinate monthly MUAC screening as part of routine program activities.
• Implement sensitization activities for targeted communities about CMAM and IYCF with support from SPHCDA, community volunteers, traditional leaders, religious leaders and other stakeholders at LGA level.
• Close coordination of all activities in collaboration with SPHCDA, Community team and other key stakeholders.

Role Requirements
Relationships

• External: Assist Food Security and Livelihoods Coordinator to coordinate with WFP and Nutrition cluster
• Internal: Works closely with the senior programme coordinator – food security & nutrition, the wider project team, Nigeria country team and humanitarian colleagues.

Decision making:

• Make decisions to manage team effectively, from recruitment of volunteers and program staff to day to day management of team members.
• Also providing technical input and overall leadership to the nutrition team.
• Day to day decision making to ensure partner portfolio projects are running effectively and higher levels decisions on supporting the projects informed by Christian Aid's strategy and strategic focus areas.
• Makes decisions around project proposals, ensuring they are prepared and comply with reporting requirements.
• Make policy decisions that support standing and emergency issues.
• Contribute to shaping and implementing nutrition programme and making sound decisions to support this.

Analytical skills:

• Works on complex specialist / technical issues. Problems and issues, risks and benefits may have implications across several departments.
• Required to develop new ways of doing things to better meet program goals requiring substantial creative or analytical ability.

Developing self and others:

• Has direct responsibility for developing, coaching and motivating a team or teams of colleagues / project team members.
• Focus will be on advising and guiding senior programme coordinator – food security & nutrition policy issues / high level procedures and direct line management responsibility may be limited.

Person Specification
Applied skills / knowledge and expertise:

Essential:

• Have a minimum of B.Sc. in Nutrition or Community-based program with similar experience in humanitarian contexts (conflict / insecure contexts) as well as CMAM, IYCF and community mobilization.
• Be professional, have good organizational capacity, good human relationships, self-motivated, open, creative, proactive, responsible, flexible and culturally sensitive.
• Have a minimum of 2-year work experience in Nutrition, SBCC approach and IYCF.
• Have excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office Skills (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook).
• Experience in facilitating discussions and meetings, coordination and supervision of a team.
• Experience in preparing monthly work plans and plan appropriately for tasks assigned.
• Experience in writing reports and collecting relevant information from surveys, community, health facilities and meetings.
• Be willing and able to be based and travel within remote areas, where services are limited.
• Be proficient in local languages (Kanuri, Shuwa, Hausa).
• Be committed to Christian Aid mission, values and policy.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with Nutrition & FSL context in North eastern Nigeria.
• Fluency in beneficiaries’ local languages.

IT competency required:

• Intermediate

Competency Profile
LEVEL 2:

You are expected to be able to:
Build partnerships:

• Take on different work when necessary to achieve a team or organisational goal.
• Actively consult with others to ensure you understand their needs or goals.
• Listen to and take on board fresh perspectives and views even if you initially disagree with them.
• Maintain on-going relationships with individuals and contacts through networks, based on mutual rapport and respect.

Communicate effectively:

• Make complex things simple for the benefit of others.
• Actively listen and question to check your understanding and draw out others when they are not expressing themselves clearly or seem to be holding back.
• Be sensitive to what others may be feeling, based on what they say, how they say it and their non-verbal behaviour, adapting your style and approach to fit.
• Address difficult issues when they arise, being honest and open.

Steward resources:

• Implement ways to reduce the inefficient use of resources or pass the ideas on to someone  who can make them happen.
• Estimate the resources needed to achieve your own work plans or objectives and to deliver them in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
• Set and communicate realistic timelines for achieving tasks, working out how best to adapt as priorities change or unforeseen circumstances arise.

Deliver results:

• Prioritise, plan and monitor own work to meet own and team deliverables to agreed performance or quality standards.
• Acknowledge others’ priorities whilst being prepared to say “no” if there are genuine reasons why their needs cannot be met.
• Use logical processes and relevant tools and techniques to report on information or analyse options.
• Make timely and considered recommendations or decisions based on analysis of available data, information and evidence.

Realise potential:

• Evaluate your own work and actively address gaps in knowledge and skills, without prompting.
• Recognise how you react to feedback and manage reactions positively, acting on specific feedback from others.
• Share your knowledge where it will help others to be more effective.
• Provide instruction, constructive feedback and guidance to others to help them learn.

Strive for improvement:

• Constructively challenge existing practice.
• Seek better ways of doing things, considering the possible implications.
• Make positive suggestions on a way forward when faced with challenges even if these falls outside own scope of work.
• Look inside and outside Christian Aid for new ideas and evaluate them for own work

Application Closing Sate
27th January, 2021.

Interview Date
3rd February, 2021.

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

Click here for more information (PDF)

Important Information and Notice

• Further details of specific tasks and duties will be agreed with the line manager as part of the performance agreement. Any reasonable duty may be assigned that is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility.
• This role profile is not prescriptive; it merely outlines the key behaviours the role-holder requires to be successful in the role; the key behaviours and responsibilities are subject to change. Any changes will be made in consultation with the role-holder.
• You will be expected to abide by the Code of Conduct, policies and procedures within Christian Aid which may be updated from time to time.
• You must be in sympathy with the aims, beliefs and values of Christian Aid as it seeks to work on relief, development and advocacy for poverty eradication.