Nutrition Officer at COOPI Cooperazione Internazionale

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-Economical Services, Water and Sanitation, Human Rights, Education and Training, Migrations and Sustainable Energy.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Nutrition Officer

Location: Yobe

Overall Responsibilities

• The position of the Nutrition Officer will be based in Damaturu with daily trips to various LGAs in Yobe state. He/she will be in charge of oversee Blanket Supplementary Feeding program (BSFP), CMAM and IYCF activities in Yobe state.
• This position also requires that the nutrition officer will link livelihoods support and social protection support to nutrition, food security, IYCF & CMAM and other sectors.
• The Nutrition Officer will be the main reference on the field for the Nutrition activities and contents supervision and definition; he/she will collaborate with the Project Manager to coordinate the team and the activities and directly contribute in the execution of all the tasks linked to the WFP Food Security and Nutrition component when needed.
• The position of nutrition supervisor is a key role within the program, requiring the necessary activities outlined in the job description to be fulfilled. It is expected that the person successful for the role will have the ability to improve and develop the functions of the position within the organization.

Main Responsibilities and Tasks
Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, and in collaboration with the other collaborators of the programme and of the base, he/she:

• Assist in the management / supervision / monitoring of IYCF (Infant Young Child Feeding) activities;
• Contribute to the development of IYCF messages and IEC material for nutrition campaign, tailored to local needs;
• Develop the tools for the Nutrition surveys to be rolled out at the beginning and end of the project;
• Design, execute and supervise the training addressed to the communities focusing on the Nutrition subjects; train community focal points on key nutrition messages;
• Support the Project Manager with any ad hoc information compilation for donor specific reports and requests from the field.
• Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and in collaboration with Field Coordinators, and other collaborators of the projects and of the Base, she/he will:
• Work with all programme teams to ensure that information relating to nutrition, COOPI and Our activities is shared widely within communities in which we are working and provide for their participation and feedback in line with relevant guidelines.
• Ensure proper implementation of the active case finding for SAM and MAM programme in accordance with donor agreements including; Community mobilization and sensitization; Beneficiaries registration Staff management; MUAC screening and referral; Procurement of necessary equipment and materials; IYCF promotion.
• Ensure regular and proper monitoring and reporting of the Nutrition activities. Supervise the implementation of the Nutrition to ensure goals and objectives of the programme are being met. Ensure timely data collection and reporting including producing monthly reports and end of program evaluation report.
• Conduct regular filed monitoring a supervision to distribution sites. Identify issues/problems and solutions in the food distribution sites and catchment population and adequately implement solutions in order to resolve problems. If it is out of the capacity of the job description of the nutrition officer to resolve issues or problems, then clearly and in a timely fashion present issues/problem to the Project Manager for further action.
• Work with the health facility in charges, health staffs and CVs attached to the health facility to identify properly and on time when the beneficiaries who must be transferred from the CMAM to the OTP/TSFP or any major medical site for treatment.
• Good and continuous communication with the rest of the MoH and COOPI team in order to organize transfers from the different branches of the programme. Assure that the transfers are actually well done.
• Build the capacity of the Nutrition staff, CVs and community members to ensure right beneficiaries are registered in the program, special attention given to malnourished cases and MUAC screening and referral of malnourished cases takes place. In each of the targeted communities, establish a distribution committee.
• Participate in the conduction of nutrition research studies like KAP surveys and SMART surveys, best practice documentation, surveys and campaigns.
• Participate in program strategic planning and roll-out of new program areas in liaison with the other sectors within COOPI and other key stakeholders.
• Improve the provision of quality nutrition education, hygiene and promotion of IYCF practices in the project areas of intervention.
• Participate in the development and use developed activity work plans based on the project annual work plan.
• Enhance integration of nutrition specific with other nutrition sensitive projects.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Health, Nutrition, Nursing or related field. Higher level Degree preferred
• Minimum 3 years work experience in humanitarian contexts, with at least 1 year in conflict/insecure contexts.
• He/she must have experience in BSFP, CMAM, IYCF and community mobilization.
• Exceptional organization and planning skills.
• Highly developed interpersonal, communication and leadership skills, able to negotiate, influence, give effective feedback, foster teamwork, promote cohesion, bring diverse teams, staff and peer-level colleagues into alignment around work plans and organizational objectives
• Able to manage stress effectively, juggle competing priorities, balance various programmatic, logistic and team needs.

Language:

• Excellent English oral and writing skills - Required
• Hausa - Desirable
• Kanuri (added advantage) - Desirable.

Skills & Experience
Essential:

• Ability and willingness to frequently travel to villages, remote areas and stay at the field.
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions like long distance walking to screening sites.
• Capacity to supervise and coach health workers.
• Professional, motivated, open, creative, mature, responsible, flexible and, culturally sensitive.
• Excellent team, budget and project management and representation competencies.

Preferred:

• Proficient in statistical and other software (Microsoft Office package and ENA for SMART.
• Willing and able to be based and travel regularly within remote areas, where services are limited.
• Fluency in English.
• Previous experience with similar position.

Knowledge and Skills
Required:

• Excellent writing skills
• Project Management skills
• Team Management
• Knowledge of procedures related to institutional donors (WFP UNICEF and or ECHO)

Desirable:

• Management of stocks, supply chains.

Application Closing Date
5th August, 2019.

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

Note: Applications will only be accepted online.