Nutrition and Health Assistant at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International

Reporting to: Nutrition and Health Officer
Proposed start date: September 2024

Key Responsibilities

The Nutrition and Health Assistant is responsible:

• Coordinate with M&E team in supervision of data collection for nutrition assessments; 
• Update tracking tool to monitor programmed screening based data on acute malnutrition; collect health facility based disease surveillance reports and update morbidity reporting tool for assigned health facilities/LGAs for all care group activities;
• Conduct ongoing capacity assessment of community health volunteers on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) and Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM);
• Support the Nutrition and Health Officer in facilitating and organizing technical trainings for health workers and Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) attached to the health facilities;
• Ensure use of predefined Quality Improvement Verification Checklist (QIVC), on-job coaching guidance as well as support care group promoters in using these tools;
• Support the Nutrition and Health Officer in organizing LGA based coordination meeting addressing porridge mum activities;
• Prepare individual monthly action plan in reference to work plan and share with the Nutrition and Health Officer;
• Participate in regular monthly planning meeting with nutrition and health and FSL teams led by the Nutrition and Health Programme Manager;
• Ensure strong communication links with all other Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) staff, providing advice and support to all other staff members on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) issues as and when they arise;
• Conduct education sessions within the surrounding community on the importance of IYCF practices in conjunction with community mobilisers;
• Aid in establishing Care Group approach (CGs) within the community to provide additional support for mothers and extend knowledge of good IYCF practices;
• Support in recruiting care group promoters across the catchment area of the project intervention;
• Conduct care group training in collaboration with care group facilitators for the care group promoters;
• Conduct monthly training with CG promoters on key IYCF messages;
• Supervise the formation of care group members (PLWs and neighbour women) according to the care group model;
• Conduct selection of lead mothers who leaves in close proximity with their respective care group members;
• Participate in market survey and cooking demonstration;
• Establish referral pathway in the community during the monthly home visit;
• Play an active role on advocacy to promote proper IYCF Practices, antenatal and post-natal checkups, importance of institutional deliveries, vaccination and growth monitoring;
• Participate in the development of joint activity work plans with key stakeholders in the state and within ACF;
• Ensure that all care group related services are fully integrated, scaled-up and implemented as per national protocols;
• Establish and foster linkage between the health facility and the community in the respective catchment areas;
• Plan and participate in training of Society of Medical Officers of Health (SMOH) staff on Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) through various approaches such as On Job Training (OJT), Continuous Nutrition Education (CNE) and theoretical trainings;
• Building the capacity of the Ministry of Health staff (all levels) and community volunteers (CVs)/CHIPS attached to the care group activities;
• Support and build capacity of MOH in the compilation, preparation and submission of accurate and timely nutrition reports;
• Implement, organize, follow-up and report on capacity building, training and nutrition screening activities;
• Improve on the linkages between the care group beneficiaries with primary health care and IMAM program and other ongoing programs in the community where applicable; 
• Participate in surveillance activities including home visit to monitor nutrition situation and program activities;
• Coordinate the LGA census for Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) and Neighbor Women (NW) grouping at LGA level;
• Orientation and training of community based health promoters/CHIPS;
• Responsible for the performance and professional development of nutrition assistants and community based health promoters;
• On a monthly basis, reviews flip chart lesson plans with nutrition assistants and health promoters and ensure they understand the information well and can teach the information in a participatory manner; 
• Collects nutrition assistant and health promoter reports on a monthly basis, reviews the reports and ensures the information presented is accurate and complete;
• Maintain a filing system in the project office so copies of Supervisor and Promoter reports, and quality improvement and verification checklists (QIVCs) are easily accessible;
• Supervises each nutrition assistant and health promoter;
• Monitor the implementation of CHIPS program activities and ensure timely reports are submitted to the respective health facilities;
• Develop care group implementation work plan with support from line manager and assistant; community mobilization teams for the LGA and share with line manager;
• Engage health workers/health facility management system in selection process of CHIPS agents for porridge mum activities, supervision of care group activities, training of care group promoters etc;
• Maintain individual monitoring & supervision plan as well as for the care group promoters;
• Track care group promoters daily attendance, validate monthly attendance for supervisee, and submit it on a timely basis to HR;
• Ensure rational use of all medical equipment and stationaries in health facilities;
• Ensure that care group promoters are using standard Monitoring checklist during home visit of neighbour women;
• Maintain and update database for health workers, community health workers/volunteers, trainings and share with line manager;
• Prepare consolidated tracking tool for supportive supervision visits/on-job coaching sessions and share with line manager;
• Ensure strong linkage between the care group activity data including two way referrals to the health facilities;
• Maintain a data base of all care group training activities; 
• Use appropriate attendance sheet on-job coaching sessions, workshops/meetings and trainings and share a copy with line manager;
• Use specific supervision checklist during supervision visits and archive filled supervision checklists with summary report – every month;
• Provide summary analysis from the LGA report including; 
• Significant contextual changes that have impact on nutrition & Health operations;
• Bullet points on progress of training, on-job coaching and supportive supervision for the Care Group activities; 
• Feedback on quality of service provision through monitoring visits (checklist to be used);
• Regularly report and coordinate with line manager regarding challenges, issues faced in the field for timely and appropriate decision-making.

Position Requirement:

Education Qualification: Minimum of Bachelor’s or Diploma degree in Nursing, Nutrition  and Dietetics, Public Health, Health Education, food security or other relevant qualifications with experience in Public Health and IMAM programming;

• Minimum of one (1) year experience in primary health care program;
• An excellent report-writing skill is required including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Hausa.
• Good Communication and Interpersonal skills.
• Team management experience with similar programs.
• Ability to observe and to provide feedback on the activities;
• Ability to manage staff according to local culture and organization policies;
• Ability to work in remote location.