Nurse Activity Manager - M / F at Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA)

Contract Term: Contract under French law, 6 months
Report to: Project Coordinator
Report to (functional) : Project Medical Referent
Area: Medical
Desired Start Date: June 20th, 2022

ALIMA in Nigeria

• The humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast and the Lake Chad region is one of the most severe ongoing crises in the world, now entering its ninth year and showing no sign of abating.
• In 2021, at least 8.7 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe. Up to 5.1 million people risk being critically food insecure during the next lean season (June - August 2021), a level similar to 2016-2017 when famine was looming over Borno State
• Nigeria is now facing a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states have recorded new cases. Aid actors are intensifying actions and prevention measures
• Despite challenges including humanitarian space reduction, aid workers had already provided around 5 million people with life-saving assistance in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states in 2020.
• Conflict, explosive remnants of war, and insecurity have cut people off from their main means of livelihoods-farming and fishing. This causes major food insecurity in northeast Nigeria, which COVID-19’s effects on incomes have exacerbated: despite good crop yields, food insecurity is rising. Findings of the October 2020 Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis projected that about 5.1 million people in the three states will be food-insecure in the lean season between June and August 2021 – a 19% and 34% increase in 2020 (after COVID-19 June CH Update) and 2019 figures respectively.
• According to the Nutrition and Food Security Surveillance Round 9, conducted in October 2020, the level of acute malnutrition increased in all three states compared to 2019. Global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates of 10.7% were recorded in Borno, 7.5% in Adamawa, and 13.6% in Yobe. According to the survey, several LGAs had high pockets of global acute malnutrition above the 15% threshold (emergency phase), including Gubio, Magumeri, Mobbar, and Bayo in Borno State and all LGAs in northern Yobe.
• Movement restrictions and insecurity continue to hamper the ability of IDPs, returnees, and the host communities to access basic services, livelihoods, and land for farming and grazing. This means that more people will rely on humanitarian aid to survive in 2021.
• In 2017, ALIMA continued to implement projects in Muna Garage in Jere LGA, where ALIMA performs general consultations for children under 5 and provides Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) to pregnant and lactating women (antenatal and postnatal consultations). An Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Program (OTP) is also available for children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the clinic, where women and caretakers are trained to screen their children for malnutrition using the MUAC tape.
• In Maiduguri MC, where ALIMA is working in partnership with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), the Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center (ITFC) manages children under 5 suffering from SAM with medical complications in a 50-bed capacity building.
• In December 2020, ALIMA conducted a needs assessment survey in the north of Yobe where a high level of acute malnutrition was recorded by the nutrition sector. The results of this survey prompted ALIMA to open a nutrition and health project covering the Kasasuwa LGA, one of the most affected LGAs, and where there was a gap. This project started in May 2021 and fund by ECHO aims to support Karasuwa health facilities and improve access to nutrition and health services including pediatric healthcare and reproductive health.
• ALIMA also supports COVID-19 vaccination in Borno and Yobe with a focus on the most vulnerable.
• In parallel, ALIMA is opening an emergency nutrition project in Katsina state and is present in Owo state since 2018 for Lassa fever response and research.

Post Location:

• In Nigeria, ALIMA is running four health and nutrition projects in Katsina State (Kaita).
• ALIMA’s teams in Nigeria represent about 20 expatriates and over 250 national staff.

Mission and Objectives

• He/she participates in defining, planning, implementing and monitoring all care and nursing related activities in accordance with the project plan, ALIMA’s policies, approved guidelines and procedures (ALIMA and MOH).
• He/she guarantees the quality of nursing care as well as coordinate human and materials related and resources in collaboration with different health facilities MOH responsible in order to improve health conditions of the target population.

Tasks & Responsibilities
The Nursing Activity Manager reports directly to the Medical Referent. He / She maintains a close collaboration with different responsible of health facilities in which ALIMA’s is bringing medical support and technical relation with the nurse supervisor and the project team to ensure smooth running of medical activities:

• Ensure that the Planning and organization of all nursing and related activities in OTP, ITFC/IPD, OPD, Community Activity and participating in the definition of periodic planning and update of its associated budget in order to efficiently maintain the continuity of a high quality healthcare.
• Coordinate the duty roster, shifts and on-calls of nursing staff. When needed, being responsible for scheduling duty rosters, shifts and on call of nursing staff.
• Oversee and monitor the rational use of medicines and the proper administration of treatments in step with ALIMA/MoH protocols.
• Oversee proper management of the different activities like OTP, ITFC/IPD, OPD, drug store (inventory, orders, supervision of distribution).
• Participate in handling international orders for medicines and medical supplies.
• Ensure that all administrative procedures and documents (individual patient cards and registration book, discharge forms, transfer forms, etc.) and existing data management tools are used correctly
• Support the development and implementation of nursing protocols and standards
• Monitor adherence to hygiene procedures for materials (sterilization, waste disposal), rooms and equipment in general. Monitor adherence to universal measures for infection prevention control.
• Ensure that all necessary actions are well known in the event of needle stick injuries or contact with infectious body fluid by all staff (including non-medical staff), example: Accident of Blood.
• Supervise the national nurses’ supervisors, and all related activities in liaison with the different activities in the project (OTP, ITFC/IPD, OPD, Community Activities, etc.) to ensure good nursing practices and a high level of quality delivery throughout the facility
• Can Train, supervise and manage local nursing staff or community health providers even it is under nurse supervisor, and all staff under his/her responsibility through activities such as recruitment, defining job descriptions, capacity-building, briefing/debriefing and evaluation of staff.
• Participate in the planning, implementation and organization of the training sessions of MoH staff in accordance of the project plan.
• Participate in the different meetings of management of the project (steering committee meetings, technical meetings…).
• Reporting to the line manager on any relevant information linked to nursing activities and participating in periodic reports according to guidelines.
• In close coordination with the admin project, planning and supervising the associated processes (recruitment, training, evaluation, development and communication) of the nursing staff of the project in order to improve staff capabilities and ensure both the sizing and the amount of knowledge required.
• Perform any other duty as assigned by the organization through the Medical referent or Coordinator Project and Medical coordination.

Experience and Skills
Education:

• Essential Nursing Diploma for general or specialized health services; specialization in nutrition.

Experience:

• Essential working experience of at least five years in nursing activities specialized either in nutrition/health.
• Strong quality in nursing care and training
• Have a sexual and reproductive health skills is an asset
• Essential working experience in related jobs in ALIMA or other NGOs developing countries.

Languages:

• English is Essential; Hausa and Kanuri language would be an asset.

Salary
Depending on experience.

ALIMA pays for:

• Travel costs between the expatriate’s country of origin and the mission location
• Accommodation costs
• Medical cover from the first day of the contract to a month after the date of departure from the mission country for the employee
• Evacuation of the employee.