IYCF Counselor at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary

• With the insurgency affecting North East Nigeria and displacing millions of people, Mercy Corps is to implement a multi-sector response that covers Nutrition, Food assistance, Agriculture, WASH, Shelter and Protection to support the conflict-affected population.
• The nutrition response supports both nutrition sensitive and specific interventions that contribute to prevention, detection and management of malnutrition.

These include:

• Promotion of Maternal, Infant, Young Child Nutrition (via support groups, one-to-one counselling and community wide SBC for IYCF);
• Provision of supplemental Nutrition Assistance i.e. distribution of Fresh Food Vouchers, backyard gardening and poultry production aiming at improving dietary diversity among targeted households;
• Nutrition surveillance activities i.e. community nutrition screening, nutrition surveys and assessments aiming at monitoring the nutrition situation of targeted vulnerable individuals;
• Management of children with uncomplicated Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) through established Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP) services, as well as support referral and follow-up of SAM patients with medical complications to Stabilization Centers (SCs) and children with Moderate Acute malnutrition (MAM) to Targeted Supplementary Feeding Program (TSFP).

General Position Summary

• The IYCF Counselor is responsible for providing a consistent and high quality technical support in relation to promotion/support of Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN), including counselling for optimal feeding Behavior and practices among women, infants and young children that seek care in the established IYCF supportive Spaces.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision:

• Collaborate with other team member for effective integration between other services like Nutrition and health services
• Collaborate with Local authorities and other partners to harmonize different efforts for better impact and sustainability.
• Able to learn and update his/ her information or knowledge to adapt the changing situation and context

Program Management:

• Lead the establishment of supportive safe spaces for IYCF within targeted
• Ensure/Oversee IYCF counselling, maternal psychosocial support and child psychosocial stimulation to pregnant women, mothers and other caregivers of infants and young children.
• Assess and diagnose for breastfeeding difficulties among lactating women and provide relevant counsel and referal.
• Ensure day to day, one to one and group counselling for PLW regarding IYCF practices are conducted.
• Ensure health and nutrition educations are provided to caregivers and beneficiaries on (breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and hygiene, care of pregnant and lactating women, prevention of illness).
• Participate in formative assessment for key behavior and skill for IYCF and develop culturally appropriate and effective IEC materials and adopt it to the day to day counselling.
• Ensures the availability of job aids, reporting formats and all other supplies for
• Provides technical support and training where required to IYCF counsellors, Care group promoters, outreach team including CNMs.
• Facilitates the trainings under the project regarding IYCFE establishment and strengthening of Mother to mother support groups, train them and close follow up for supporting IYCF_E promotion activities.
• Organize information meetings with community members to develop their knowledge in terms of proper IYCF-E practices
• Organizes and timely submits weekly and monthly report of IYCF

Team Management:

• In liaison with the line manager provide on the job training and capacity building for CNMs providing support at IYCF supportive safe spaces.

Finance / Compliance Management:

• N/A

Influence & Representation:

• Creates and maintain relationship with local health and other authorities to link services with the existing health structure smoothly,
• Upholds the image and values of Mercy Corps at all times,

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward 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.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country

Knowledge and Experience

• Diploma/ Degree in nursing, midwifery, public health, nutrition with a minimum of two years’ work experience in an NGO environment.
• Previous experience in providing IYCF counselling is a
• Familiarity of the intervention areas
• Microsoft Office Skills (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Fluency in English and Hausa. Kanuri will be an added advantage

Supervisory Responsibility:

• IYCF Counsellor, Care group Promoters with an extension to CNMs.

Success Factors:

• Must be a resident of either Dikwa, Ngala, Jere, Konduga and Damaturu LGAs.
• He/ She should be able to work independently, have good interpersonal and communication skills.
• He/ she should have an understanding of humanitarian principles and their application to program implementation. Must be able to solve problems and multi-task on a range of administrative and programmatic issues.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.