Nutrition Officer at International Medical Corps

Location: Maiduguri, Borno

Job Summary

• The primary functions of the Nutrition officer is to provide leadership and overall day to day management of all Nutrition Food Security programming at duty designation and state, participate in defining intervention priorities, develop necessary contacts and relationships with government, non-government, donors and UN agencies at the field level;
• Contribute to the development of strategies and manage existing programs and resources, and provide day to day supervision, management and coaching to a wide team of Nutrition Food Security in the operation areas.
• Ensure that International Medical Corps program is delivering the highest level of quality of nutrition services in line to national and international guideline.

Essential Responsibilities

• Effective implementation of IMC’s Emergency Nutrition Projects within the frame work of pertinent national policy, strategy and guidelines
• Ensure observance & respect the dignity of beneficiaries, careers and members of the community at all times
• Participate in any nutrition sector-specific assessments and make technical recommendations for appropriate activities, both for initial disaster response phase and for longer-term disaster risk reduction and transition phase.
• Determine the cause of the malnutrition in the emergency response and formulate appropriate responses that will address the cause.
• Assess the immediate lifesaving nutrition interventions needed (such as CMAM) in addition to the prevention activities (ENA, IFE, etc) that need to be implemented at the same time.
• Provide direct hands-on technical support to Nutrition Staffs and IMC partners to effectively and innovatively manage emergency nutrition projects with focus on key technical areas
• Ensure that emergency nutrition and related projects are technically sound, environmentally friendly, socially and cultural acceptable
• Actively represent International Medical Corps in nutrition sector discussions and activities, serve as an International Medical Corps nutrition sector resource person, and display technical and organizational leadership in sectoral activity commensurate with the role as a primary resource person for nutrition on the International Medical Corps in your working areas.
• Manage International Medical Corps’s nutrition response and recovery activities across a wide range of actors within International Medical Corps, donors, host governments, UN and NGO partners to ensure consistency of programming.
• Strong negotiation skill with the partners, host community, government officials.
• Actively participate and represent IMC in State and LGA nutrition CMAM Cluster meetings.
• Assist in development of, or provide technical review for, emergency response proposals to be submitted by International Medical Corps to ensure that proposed activities and programs align with best practice in the nutrition sector. As appropriate, suggest new developments in the nutrition sector to International Medical Corps programming.
• Be fully aware of national policies, strategies and other initiatives and developments by government and other stakeholders in the area of nutrition. Regularly assess the implications for IMC’s programme and priorities of any changes in the operating environment in this sector and report on these to the emergency program Coordinator and Nutrition Coordinator as required.
• Actively participate in surveys done at the Community level (KAP, SMART, Causal Analysis, Barriers, Coverage)
• Ensure development of core skills and competencies in Nutrition and Food Security among IMC staff in the project offices
• Provide technical support and training where required to all team members and partners
• Build the capacity of Technical, Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) and committees to deliver quality service and undertake participatory monitoring of the implementation of the project works and record lessons and reports.
• Prepare quarterly and annual reports to donors, line departments and sectors
• Strengthen partnerships, institutional linkages and working relationships
• Other duties as assign.

Qualification and Experience

• Bachelor Degree, PGD or Masters’ in Public Health, Nursing, Nutrition or equivalent
• Minimum 5 years work experience for Bachelor and 2 years for masters level in nutrition work and implementation of nutrition intervention programmes, including community mobilization, monitoring and evaluation aspects.
• Significant experience on community management of acute malnutrition and Infant Feeding in Emergency in host communities/ IDP camp setting
• Understanding of nutritional surveillance and information systems
• Proven ability and experience in planning and conducting formal training session on nutrition including CMAM and IYCF
• Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach local staff and community workers.
• Excellent communication skills and a willingness to be respectful, kind, sensitive and empathize with children and their care takers
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions
• Ability to deal with relations with local authorities as a Nutrition representative of IMC in the working areas
• Ability to integrate into the local environment including awareness of political, religious and economic aspects of the community
• Excellent inter and intra personal skills to ensure consistent positive relations with key stakeholders
• Strong report writing and computer skills
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Hausa
• Commitment to and understanding of IMC’s aims, values and principles.