Nutrition Assistant at Cooperazione Internazionale - COOPI

Cooperazione Internazionale - COOPI is an Italian humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in Milan in 1965. COOPI aims to help the world’s poorest to improve their access to healthcare, food, and financial security, and to overcome their special vulnerability to wars, civil conflicts and natural disasters. For 50 years of long-term support and constant presence in the field, COOPI has been engaged in breaking the cycle of poverty and responding to specific emergencies in numerous sectors, including Food Security, Humanitarian Aid, Health, Socio-Economic Services, Water and Sanitation, Disaster Risk Reduction, Human Rights, Education and Training, Migrations and Sustainable Energy.

COOPI started its operations in North-East Nigeria in July 2014 to carry out a rapid evaluation of the most relevant constraints suffered by the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) displaced by the food crisis and the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin. The COOPI Nigeria Field Office is located in Sokoto State, in order to cover intervention LGAs in Sokoto State and to provide direct assistance to the IDPs and their hosting communities, through a multi-sectorial program covering Food Security, Disaster Risk Reduction, Social protection, Early Recovery, and Livelihoods, Nutrition and Child Protection interventions. COOPI's capacity to respond to the humanitarian situation in the country is confirmed by its experience in providing humanitarian aid in more than 27 other Countries around the World, in over 50 years of operations.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Nutrition Assistant 

Location: Geidam, Yobe
Employment Type: Full-time
Project /Program: WFP
Department: Program
Supervisor: Nutrition Officer
Duration: September to December

Job Description

• The Nutrition Assistant will be responsible for planning and implementation of nutrition-specific activities under the food security and nutrition operation area in Yobe focusing on IDPs and vulnerable host communities.
• He will ensure comprehensive mobilization of the community for nutrition screening of children under five, forming and monitoring support groups, and comprehensive SBCC/IYCF training.

Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Nutrition Officer and in collaboration with the Project Managers, Nutrition Team Lead, and other collaborators of the projects and of the Base, they will:

• Perform screening of the nutritional status of children under two in their designated locations and refer MAM/SAM cases to health/CMAM centers
• Represent COOPI at the community level and maintain active engagement with community structures.
• Ensure collaboration with other partners, actors, and community gateways at the LGA level
• Ensure liaison with existing community structures, (groups and individuals, women groups, religious leaders where possible.
• Maintain good working relationships with health facilities in the LGA so as to facilitate access to health services for Beneficiaries when the need arises.
• Provide training on nutrition (IYCF) and hygiene practices
• Referral of all malnourished children to appropriate nutrition centers for onward management.
• Report any problems promptly to the Nutrition Officer
• Maintain an accurate register of beneficiaries receiving top-ups for nutrition.
• Ensure that nutrition is integrated into other Primary Health care services.
• Ensure that pregnant women and children are properly validated or verified during admission
• Ensure that top-ups received by households in CBT or GFA are directed toward the consumption of nutritious food by children below two years. Through unrelenting sensitization and re-sensitization.
• Conduct cooking demonstrations as a key SBCC strategy for the delivery of key messages on nutrition and hygiene.
• Train Lead mothers/fathers and women in SBCC strategic groups (e.g. Father to father, mother to mother support groups) on family MUAC screening.
• Lead Community Mobilizers in Mass MUAC Screening
• Submit weekly nutrition and health reports to the Nutrition Officer.
• Work with program teams to ensure COOPI information on program activities is shared within LGAs and provide beneficiary feedback in line with relevant guidelines and frameworks
• Collaborate with government and humanitarian partners to ensure the smooth sharing of information in consultation with the Nutrition officer, Nutrition Team Lead/Deputy Project Manager

Code of Conduct and associated policies:

• Treat beneficiaries with dignity and apply COOPI’s Code of Ethics and Conduct, the UN Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in the field, including sensitizing Field Monitors and vendors/agents on such principles.
• Promote the zero-tolerance policy regarding corruption and ensure adherence to COOPI Code of Conduct and Anti-Fraud policy.
• This ToR shall be inclusive of any other task specifically assigned by the direct supervisor for what concerns the implementation of the program activities.

Application Closing Date
26th September, 2025.