Nutrition Coordinator at Mercy Corps Nigeria

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action - helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within, now, and for the future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Nutrition Coordinator

Location: Gombe
Employment Type: Full-time
Line manager: Intervention Team Leader
Technical Supervisor: Mercy Corps Nigeria Nutrition Advisor
Works Directly With: All Rural Resilience Award Staff, implementing partners, and participants

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps Nigeria was established in 2012 to respond primarily to growing humanitarian needs in the Northeast. With a strong and growing team of over 200 staff, Mercy Corps is currently serving over 600,000 beneficiaries across the country with programming in Lagos in the South; Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau in the Middle Belt; Kano, Yobe and Borno in the North.
• Programs include girls’ education and financial inclusion, community peacebuilding, market-based livelihoods and a multi-sector humanitarian response that has a strong emphasis on WASH, Shelter, Cash and Protection. With the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure, Mercy Corps Nigeria focuses on the root causes of conflict, governance, humanitarian response, and market systems development.
• Working with a diverse funding base that includes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), UK Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations (UN), European Commission (EC), and several foundations, Mercy Corps empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good.
• In 2019, Mercy Corps was awarded a five-year, $30 million USAID-funded Rural Resilience Activity in Nigeria’s northeastern states.
• The purpose of the Rural Resilience Activity is to sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty. The Rural Resilience Activity will enable individuals and communities to engage in strong and sustainable market systems rather than continuing to rely on humanitarian assistance and faltering with each new shock.
• The Rural Resilience Activity is a five-year, $45 million USAID-funded Program in Nigeria’s northeast. The purpose of the Rural Resilience Activity is to sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty.
• The Rural Resilience activity will enable individuals and communities to engage in strong and sustainable market systems rather than continuing to rely on humanitarian assistance and faltering with each new shock.

To achieve this purpose, the Activity will have five components and five cross-cutting elements:

• Component 1: Provide up-to-date evidence for the selection of market systems, livelihoods and employment opportunities that contribute to inclusive and resilient growth and improved nutrition.
• Component 2: Stimulate market systems growth and diverse economic opportunities (Pull activities).
• Component 3: Build capacity to take advantage of market systems opportunities (Push activities).
• Component 4: Sequencing, layering, integrating (SLI), and collaborative learning to improve activity effectiveness, sustainability, and scale.
• Component 5: Supporting Market Resilience to COVID-19 Shocks.

General Position Summary

• The Nutrition Coordinator is responsible for the Rural Resilience Activity’s nutrition approach. She/he will provide field level technical and managerial oversight to the nutrition-sensitive activities and their integration in the various technical approaches and sectors of the project.
• He/she will be responsible for working closely with technical managers to embed nutrition-sensitive activities into their program components, ensuring that activities are at scale and implemented in all four (4) states targeted in Northeast Nigeria (i.e. Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe).
• He/ she will be responsible for the implementation, monitoring technical quality and adapting the approach, accordingly, ensuring relevance and reporting on progress.
• The coordinator will provide technical support to the team, develop material for and support in the delivery of necessary training, participate in strategic partnership development with private sector actors, and monitor the context and implementation environment.
• He/ she will also take the lead role in field-level technical representation.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Technical / Administrative, Program Quality and Implementation:

• Ensure overall technical management of the nutrition approach that focuses on strengthening food systems that result in better diets and nutrition.
• Proactively engage with technical managers to apply the program’s nutrition strategy to agricultural and market systems development technical strategies and vocational and soft skills training approaches. Participate in developing project-specific technical strategies, approaches, tools, and plans.
• Develop and/or contribute to work plans to guide and monitor the implementation of nutrition integration.
• Ensure quality and timely field level implementation of nutrition-sensitive activities against set objectives, targets and work plans.
• Participates in analyzing, developing and evaluating initiatives to promote nutrient retention and enhancement along the value chain of promoted markets.
• Facilitate the sharing of nutrition information, materials and best practices across the RRA partners to foster learning related to social and behaviour change communication on nutrition programming.
• Coordinate with various Rural Resilience Award sector leads and partners to ensure mainstreaming of nutrition-sensitive approaches, monitor implementation of activities and document best practice and success stories
• Conducts field visits, surveys and/ or exchange of information with partners to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and in consultation with activity leadership take timely decisions to resolve issues.
• Ensures quality implementation of nutrition-sensitive activities through staff capacity strengthening, supportive supervision and monitoring.
• Work closely with program MEL staff to ensure monitoring tools will capture change related to the program’s nutrition indicators.
• Oversee the collection and timely reporting of data for the nutrition-sensitive activities in line with internal and donor requirements/ guidelines.

Program Development and Strategic Planning:

• Participate in developing strategic partnerships with the private sector and Government counterparts that enhance sustainable nutrition outcomes.
• Contribute to and support in carrying out analysis of the nutrition situation within targeted areas, and identify opportunities to enhance nutrition sensitivity within the project scope.
• Participate in technical assessments, surveys, research etc. to monitor evolving needs, facilitate learning and relevant adjustments in programming.
• Develop fact sheets, briefers, and other materials on nutrition to expand communication and advocacy.

Capacity Building and Supervision:

• Participate in developing capacity building plans and strategies for staff and stakeholders implementing nutrition-sensitive activities.
• In liaison with the sector leads, identify relevant training and opportunities to advance knowledge and skills in nutrition programming.
• Ensure appropriate support to the staff implementing nutrition-sensitive activities, make regular field visits and provide targeted feedback.

Coordination and Representation:

• Participate in both internal and external field level technical meetings and coordination.
• Ensure strong coordination with the various program sector leads, Save the Children and other partners and provide regular feedback and updates on nutrition activities.
• Develop new and manage existing relationships with nutrition stakeholders in the areas of operation and potential collaborators for project nutrition activities.

Reporting:

• Leads the preparation of project technical communication pieces related to nutrition and disseminate them to relevant audiences.
• Support the development of quality field-based reports on nutrition-sensitive activities.
• Conduct any other programming responsibility delegated by the supervisor.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all Rural Resilience Activity team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• None

Knowledge and Experience

• Preferably, a Masters’ Degree or any related discipline in Nutrition, Agriculture, Food Science or other relevant science field.
• Minimum (5) years’ experience in nutrition-sensitive programming, policy or research.
• Substantial experience in nutrition-related social and behaviour change programming is required.
• Knowledge of nutrition and food security issues.
• Hands-on experience in designing, planning, implementing and evaluating nutritional behavioural interventions and/or communication campaigns is highly desirable.
• Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team, including cross-cultural teams. Able to communicate in English, Kanuri and Hausa.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building. S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps' policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Application Closing Date
2nd December, 2021.