Nutrition and Health Officer at Action Against Hunger - 7 Openings

Action Against Hunger (Action Contre la Faim – ACF) began operations in Nigeria in 2010 in response to the high rate of chronic malnutrition in Northern Nigeria, focusing on integrated programming and looking at the Nutrition for children, pregnant and lactating mothers. In 2011, we expanded our work to begin implementing nutrition development projects in Jigawa and Yobe. Following the crises in Northeast Nigeria, we further expanded our operations in Borno State in 2014 in response to the crisis to address the Nutrition, Health, Food security & livelihoods, WASH, and shelter needs of conflict-affected communities. We are operational in 11 Local Government Areas of Borno, 12 in Yobe, and 3 in Jigawa.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Nutrition and Health Officer

Locations: Maiduguri, Monguno, Borno and Potiskum - Yobe, Nigeria
Job Type: Full Time
Proposed Start date: June 2021
Direct Line Manager: Nutrition and Health Programme Manager
Slot: 7 Openings

Job Description

• Action Against Hunger is looking for to fill the role of a Nutrition and Health Officer to contribute to the successful implementation of nutrition program activities with the aim to improve access to nutrition and health services for affected population in Borno state.

Key Responsibilities

• Update and maintain 5W/4W mapping (Health, and Nutrition sector) tool on a regular basis for the operational LGA; and share with the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager.
• Update tracking tool to monitor programme screening based data on acute malnutrition; collect health facility based disease surveillance reports and update morbidity reporting tool for assigned health facilities/LGAs.
• Participate with M&E team in supervision of data collection for Nutrition KAP surveys; Baseline and End line Surveys.
• Liaise with Community Mobilization Officers/Assistants for accessing community support group database; health facility database on a regular basis and updating overall health facility based activities.
• Conduct periodic capacity assessment of health workers on CMAM services delivery, IMCI service delivery, Reproductive health service delivery, vaccination etc. and review the training needs and/or coaching needs.  
• Develop monthly monitoring and supervision plan for the LGA and share with the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager.
• Ensure proper functionality of Community support group’s activities and proper dissemination of maternal infant and Young child Nutrition messages.
• Ensure that Nutrition and Health Assistants are using standard Monitoring checklist during visit to health facilities.
• Ensure that specific monitoring finding is reported to the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager with potential solutions
• During supervision visit, identify gaps of in supply sides and report to the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager for remedial action.
• Work with health workers to establish crowd control mechanisms and compliance with Infection Control and COVID-19 mitigation measures in the health facilities/centres.
• Provide guidance and support to health workers for putting in place facility based screening, detection of acutely malnourished children.
• Closely monitor if health workers are following the appropriate protocol for antenatal care, delivery service and postnatal care.
• Closely monitor that appropriate treatment protocol is respected in the health facility for management of childhood illnesses.
• Ensure provision of adequate information to the mother and caretakers on the prescribed doses and administering drugs at home.
• Closely monitor if appropriate protocol for micronutrient supplementation, identification of medical complications for pregnant mothers are maintained.
• Ensure that referral of complicated pregnancies are made to the nearest higher level centre.
• Monitor for appropriate documentation – IMCI and CMAM treatment registers/tools, individual child growth monitoring cards, ANC/PNC cards and delivery registers.
• Ensure that all children are properly examined and treated according to national protocols and standards.
• Identify gaps for WASH in health facilities and inform the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager on a regular basis.
• Ensure Availability of essential Nutrition & Health supplies in assigned Health facilities including data tools.
• Develop LGA work plan with specific roles and responsibilities for each of the field staff.
• Identify financial requirements, logistic needs, HR support in reference to work plan and inform the NHSM to prepare budget forecast.
• Review financial, logistical and HR needs on a monthly & quarterly basis and share with the NHSM.
• Ensure that all health facilities/sites have adequate supplies to delivery uninterrupted health care services through identifying needs, informing line manager on regular basis.
• Support the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager in organizing LGA based coordination meeting;
• Prepare individual monthly action plan in reference to work plan and share with the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager Participate in regular monthly planning meeting with nutrition and health teams led by the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager.
• Maintain individual monitoring & supervision plan as well as for the supervisee.
• Regularly follow up with the teams on the progress of activity, challenges and guide on necessary actions.
• Facilitate quarterly review meetings/workshops with respective government health managers at State/LGA level.
• Share training plans with identified needs to the NHSM well in advance to facilitate support from HR/Admin/Logistics.
• Track Supervisee’s daily attendance and validate monthly attendance for supervisee and submit it on a timely basis to HR.
• Communicate with HR for necessary staff meeting, performance review, appraisals, and leaves of supervisee.
• Liaise with HR to provide orientation on Action Against Hunger charter/core values/Child safeguarding policy/staff code of conduct etc.
• Draft supply request and share with Deputy Nut & Health Manager on a monthly basis.
• Ensure rational use of all medical equipment and stationaries in health facilities.
• Maintain appropriate delivery note/In kind donation report in close collaboration with Logistic teams.
• Support the Nutrition and Health Sector Manager in facilitating and organizing technical trainings for health workers.
• Organize training for Government nurses/midwives on integrated management of childhood illnesses and ANC/PNC and delivery service provision in close collaboration with the NHSM.
• Support the SMoH facility staffs on developing customized need specific guidance notes on IMCI, ANC/PNC, and delivery service for on job coaching on different modules based on national protocol.
• Ensure use of predefined quality assessment checklist, on-job coaching guidance as well as support Assistant N/H Officers in using these tools.
• Conduct technical on-job coaching of health workers during supportive supervision in health facilities.
• Provide technical training and regular guidance to health workers on appropriate stock management and reporting (LMIS).
• Provide technical training and regular guidance to health workers on disease surveillance reporting, DHIS2 reporting.
• Maintain and update database for health workers, community health workers/volunteers, trainings and share with line manager.
• Prepare consolidated tracking tool for supportive supervision visits/on-job coaching sessions and share with line manager.
• Update LGA work plans, individual work plans and share with line manager.
• Use appropriate attendance sheet on-job coaching sessions, workshops/meetings and trainings and share a copy with line manager.
• Use specific supervision checklist during supervision visits and archive filled supervision checklists with summary report – every month.
• Fill the Health Evolution reports every month for the LGA and share it with line manager for consolidation.
• Support government health workers in preparing the integrated diseases surveillance report, monthly facility based DHIS2 report.
• Provide summary analysis from the LGA report including -
• Significant contextual changes that have impact on nutrition & Health operations.
• Bullet points on progress of training, on-job coaching and supportive supervision.
• Feedback on quality of service provision through monitoring visits (checklist to be used).
• Key challenges and proposed solutions.
• Collect consumption reports from health facilities, compile for LGA and share with line manager with needs for upcoming month.
• Regularly report and coordinate with line managers regarding challenges, issues faced in the field for timely and appropriate decision making.

Coordination:

• Coordinate and collaborate with health State/LGA health offices, health workers for smooth implementation of the project activities and quality of service provision.
• Organize monthly coordination meeting with health managers and workers.
• Closely coordinate with WASH team to ensure appropriate WASH facilities in the targeted sites.
• Participate in LGA based monthly coordination meetings and support LGA teams on structuring LGA coordination mechanisms with health workers and partners.
• Participate in meetings with other Action Against Hunger sector or staffs to discuss and document lessons learned.
• Assist in organization of project workshop, trainings and seminars, including preparation of short reports.
• Communicate Action Against Hunger performance standards and expectations to team members which includes ; 10 minutes monthly conversation, 3 months/end of probation performance appraisal and annual/ end of contract appraisal.
• Establish performance objectives, provide feedback, and identify strengths and areas for professional improvement.
• Contribute to the professional development and improvement of team members by providing support.
• Liaise with line Manager and HR in case of issues raised by team members.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, Midwifery, Public Health or other relevant qualifications with experience in Public Health and CMAM programming;
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions;
• Prepared to live and work in an uncertain security environment;
• Previous experience in supervising hygiene promotion activities;
• Three years relevant work experience in primary health care program;
• Excellent report writing skills and proficient in Microsoft Office software Skills (Outlook, Excel, Power Point, Word);
• Fluency in written and spoken Hausa and English;
• Commitment to AAH mission, values and policy.

Minimum Basic Salary and Other Benefits

• NGN 260,244 per month
• Other benefits include but not limited to 100% health care coverage, paid leave per year, free and direct access to Cross Knowledge e-learning platform.

Application Closing Date
10th June 2021.