Nutrition Officer at Mercy Corps

Location: Biu, Borno
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Reports Directly to: Deputy team Leader
Works Directly with: Finance, Program, MEL, and Operation Teams.

Program/Department Summary

• Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian program aims to provide assistance to populations affected by the crisis in Northeast Nigeria.
• With funding from humanitarian donors including OFDA, FFP, EU, and ECHO the humanitarian programs engage in several interventions including but not limited to food assistance, non-food items (NFI), protection, livelihoods, cash transfers, WASH and capacity building of humanitarian response actors.
• Mercy Corps is scaling-up and expanding its humanitarian response in Northeast Nigeria to reach more beneficiaries with additional assistance in a wider geographic area.

General Position Summary

• Under supervision of deputy team Leader, the Nutrition Officer provides technical oversight of all aspects of community sensitization around good nutrition, hygiene and health practices.
• Nutrition Officer will advise on nutritional messaging strategy to ensure the messages developed address the current knowledge and practices gaps, messages channels are in line with those most commonly used by the communities;
• S/he will deliver trainings to Mercy Corps program staff as well as community-based volunteers on community sensitization and messages delivery.
• Successful candidate will lead in establishing linkages with existing CMAM centers, as well as other actors intervening in food security and nutrition area.
• S/he is an effective communicator, dedicated to the community work, willing to travel to the field and is able to work with a diverse team to achieve common objectives.

Essential Job Functions
Main Activities:

• Conduct inventory of existing visual aid materials, promoting good nutrition practices; advice on developing new ones
• Take the lead on designing and implementing the KAP survey to inform the project about the knowledge gaps and mal nutrition/hygiene practices.
• Assist Program Coordinator and Program Manager in developing messaging strategy, including messages, communication channels, ensuring the strategy is in line with the overall MoH nutrition strategy for Gombe.
• Provide general oversight to the nutrition messaging strategy implementation, ensuring its effectiveness and high quality
• Train Mercy Corps staff and community-based volunteers on effective messaging
• Provide technical supervision to the nutrition sensitization component, whenever required
• In coordination with Project Officers design nutrition messaging work plan, messaging campaigns etc
• Liaise with M&E team on monitoring the messaging impact
• Document awareness raising activities by preparing reports, maintaining tracking sheets, attendance sheets etc
• Attend coordination meetings, whenever delegated. Liaise with MoH, whenever required
• Prepare briefing papers, short-hand notes in English documenting the training sessions conducted highlighting results achieved and challenges to overcome.
• Watch and report on any new nutrition/food security needs arising in the Project target area

Security:

• Support and adhere to policies that maintain the safety and security of the team.

Other:

• Adhere to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals;
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other duties as assigned.

Accountability To Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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

Knowledge and Experience

• This position requires minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition or other related field and minimum of 2 years of experience focused on nutrition/food security, including community mobilization, participatory planning and rural/community development; previous similar experience with International NGO will be an asset.
• Training experience of impoverished rural areas desirable. Capacity to undertake hazardous travel to rural areas is needed.
• Successful candidate will demonstrate excellent communication and facilitation skills, both verbally and in written, will possess effective coordination skills.
• This position requires fluency in English and Hausa. This post requires a high computer literacy with a full knowledge of Office applications. Knowledge of Bura and kanuri is an added advantage
• Previous working knowledge in the North-East, particularly Southern Borno - will be an asset.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will have a can-do attitude. Ideally s/he will have previous experience in working in large-scale emergency programs in insecure and conflict-affected contexts.
• S/he is a problem solver, an effective community mobilizer who is adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity. S/he is an active listener and contributor, working to create a strong team share ideas and learn.