Helen Keller International Recruits Nutrition Program Officer (Spring Project)

Established in 1915 with Helen Keller as a founding trustee, Helen Keller International (HKI) works to save the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Headquartered in New York City, HKI currently conducts programs in 22 countries in Africa and Asia as well as in the United States. We combat the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs based on evidence and research in vision, health and nutrition.

HKI began working in Nigeria in June 1999 and its programs benefit over 11 million people. Current programs include Vitamin A Supplementation, Infant and young child feeding and Neglected Tropical Disease Control.

Helen Keller International (HKI) is looking to hire suitable candidates to fill the following position within its rapidly expanding program portfolio:

Job Title: Nutrition Program Officer (Spring Project)

Location: Abuja

SPRING Project:
Strengthening Partnerships, Results and Innovations in Nutrition (SPRING) is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide state-of-the-art technical support and facilitate country-led, regional, and global programs to improve the nutritional status of women and children. The SPRING implementation team consists of JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., Helen Keller International (HKI), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Save the Children (SC), and The Manoff Group (TMG). USAID Nigeria has provided field support funding to the SPRING Project to work in the Benue State and FCT with a focus on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) training packages and technical assistance (TA) that supports development of a national Social and Behavioral Change and Communication (SBCC) strategy.

Job Responsibilities
As a member of the SPRING Team, the Nutrition Officer will work under the direction of the SPRING/Nigeria Country Manager in the day-to-day support of the successful implementation of the SPRING/Nigeria Project. Overall, the Nutrition Officer provides operational and programmatic support in coordinating technical and administrative inputs for the project. The Nutrition officer will report to the SPRING/Nigeria Nutrition Advisor, based in Abuja.

Technical Capacity

• Liaise with the nutrition unit of the State Ministry of Health to develop annual nutrition strategic plans
• Provide technical assistance to and support implementation of nationwide bi-annual VAS through Child Health Days/Weeks and integration of VAS into routine care
• Implement and monitor programs to support scaling up of infant and young child nutrition at state and local government levels
• Maintain regular communication with other state nutrition program partners
• Facilitate program planning and review meetings on vitamin A supplementation
• Collaborate with partners to develop IEC strategies and tools to support nutrition programs
• Actively participate in key relevant national and state level nutrition technical forums
• Work closely with State Nutrition Officers to strengthen technical reporting in accordance with defined reporting schedule and program indicators
• Track program progress using mutually agreed indicators, targets, and recommend remedial action to keep programs on course
• Contribute to and support the maintenance of an updated data base of COPs, technical and program reports including site visits, monthly reports, quarterly and annual reports
• Participate in research to increase VAS coverage and other nutrition interventions
• Support the capacity building of nutrition program officers on relevant nutrition interventions

Competencies Required

• Demonstrates technical knowledge pertaining to job requirement
• Able to work under pressure minimal supervision and able to meet up deadlines
• Ability to use computer software such as Microsoft office, internet
• Must possess good interpersonal skills and a good team player
• Demonstrated excellent personal integrity and confidentially

Qualifications Required

• Minimum of Masters degree in Nutrition, Food and Dietetics, or Bachelors in Nutrition plus a Masters in Public Health or similar related field
• Minimum of 2 years experience.

Application Closing Date
7 December, 2012

How To Apply
All applicants should submit electronically (1) Curriculum vitae; and (2) A cover letter (application letter) to mbassey@hki.org.