Nutrition Senior Officer

The Nutrition Senior Officer will support the health program in the implementation and supervision of the nutrition component, ensuring that the related activities of the program are delivered properly, providing quality care to all beneficiaries.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Technical Support:

• Manage nutrition activities and staff (such as IYCF activities, malnutrition screening, breastfeeding counseling) through regular field visits.
• Provide IYCF technical support to concerned staff.
• Ensure that concerned staff understand and implement recommendations and guidelines when assessing the mother-child pair and advise on the best feeding options and follow-up as appropriate.
• Facilitate the development and scheduling of outreach activities related to nutrition components.
• Facilitate cross sectoral programming, particularly to promote communication and referral between health programs and partners, IYCF, Early childhood development program.
• Facilitate the Focus group discussions with caregivers, mother/father, and pregnant and lactating women to identify specific barriers, opportunities and communications related to IYCF practices and knowledge.
• Develop tools to assess the knowledge of beneficiaries before and after services as per need.
• Contribute to the development of awareness sessions content and messages for adolescents, children, and caregivers according to their needs.
• Contribute to the development of education materials on breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices.

2. Capacity building and Training:

• Monitor the education and awareness sessions conducted by the outreach workers.
• Conduct orientations and training to build the capacity of IRC and partners staff and volunteers, for key messages on IYCF, danger signs, screening, referral and follow-up of clients.

3. Referral and Coordination:

• Oversee the referral of children and mothers for intensive nutritional/medical care as required.

• Coordinate with other humanitarian actors, nutrition Sector/UNICEF/MoPH as appropriate to maximize collaboration and ensure proper coordination and delivery of services.

4. Reporting:

• Ensure that the outreach workers and staff are maintaining records of mothers and children attending education sessions, receiving skilled assessment and support.
• Submit monthly reporting of activities to the health coordinator.
• Document case studies regularly and share with team members.

Job Requirements:

Work Experience:

• Previous experience in NGO nutrition programming.
• Experience in training, and/or coaching others.
• Experience in community-based nutrition approaches and interventions.
• Experience in the MoPH and nutrition sector strategies and SOPs.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Knowledge of optimal IYCF and ECD practices, able to support breastfeeding mothers, and a willingness to learn.
• Proven capacity of leadership and teamwork.
• Fluency in local working language.
• Excellent communication skills and a willingness to be respectful, kind, sensitive and empathizing with all clients.
• Capacity to keep accurate records of activities and report in a timely manner.
• Demonstrable ability at report writing.
• Ability to make a work plan and direct work independently.

Education: Preferably a major in Dietitian, Nursing, or Midwifery with a lactation/breastfeeding qualification and experience.

Language Skills: Excellent command of written and spoken English and Arabic are required.

Preferred experience & skills: Knowledge of trauma-based care desirable.

Working Environment: Standard office working environment with frequent trips to the field.