Nutrition Officer

Program Background

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About International Medical Corps:

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs.

Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

Program Background

For close to three decades, International Medical Corps (IMC) has been working in Somalia making critical contributions to saving lives, alleviating human suffering, and reducing the economic and social impact of disasters in Somalia. IMC has achieved this through integrated health, nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and livelihoods interventions targeting the most vulnerable men, women and children, including IDPs and those affected by droughts, floods and conflicts. Specifically, International Medical Corps provides Somalis with healthcare and nutrition that includes routine and emergency care. This is done through house-to-house visits, mobile health & nutrition units and fixed health facilities ranging from hospitals, health centers and primary health units. Nutritional support includes but not limited to; screening for acute malnutrition, management for moderate & severe acutely malnourished children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women. IMC supports 26 Outpatient therapeutic programs (OTP) and Therapeutic Supplementary feeding programs (TSFP) sites and 1 Stabilization Centre (SC) spread across 4 regions of Somalia. Our highly trained health workers also provide referral services when required through a robust referral system established through the national and regional nutrition clusters. IMC staff also provide Maternal, Infant and Young Child nutrition counselling through individual and group sessions and mother-to-mother support groups in the communities.

In addition to this, IMC provides Social Behavior Change Communication SBCC – using different strategies such as Local radios, IMC has invested in TV sets at each health centers OPD waiting bay that continuously air videos with key Health, Nutrition and WASH messages in the Somali language. IMC organizes monthly community meetings with different groups of the community to pass information on programs as well as receive feedback from the communities. Further, we also work to strengthen local capacity through the training and education of local health workers through classroom training, On-job training and Mentorship sessions through-out the project cycle. Moreover, IMC conducts research and learning interventions for knowledge, sharing and capitalization of best practices to contribute to positive nutrition outcomes among the people of Somalia.

-Job Summary

The position is responsible for raising the Nutrition profile among Vulnerable communities through management of acutemalnutrition (CMAM/IMAM), SBCC & IYCF activities in IMC run health facilities and surrounding communities. Specifically, the position holder will provide effective implementation of all nutrition activities including but limited to Capacity Building, Coordination with other stakeholders, Monitoring and Evaluation (reporting), Surveillance, SBCC for Nutrition, supervision and management of day to day nutrition interventions

Essential duties and responsibilities

1. Support and supervise all nutrition program activities:

• Ensure effective implementation of Nutrition Activities
• Ensure that nutrition activities for OTP, SC, Mobile OTP and BSFP are implemented according to set protocols andguidelines.
• In collaboration with the Nutrition manager, Field Site Manager and Health Officer, develop a monthly, quarterly and annually plan of action for all nutrition activities at all fixed facilities and outreach teams
• Ensure and supervise directly the technical work of the nutrition teams at the health facilities and communities whileadhering to all global and national Nutrition protocols and guidelines
• Ensure all projects are implemented in line with project work plans (PMTs), approved budgets, and works closely with the managers
• Participate in the implementation of the nutrition surveillance activities i.e Surveys & other nutrition assessments
• Coordinate with the national Ministry of Health and other district level actors to facilitate the timely implementationof projects and objectives,
• Work closely with logistics and Nutrition technical team to ensure timely delivery of Nutrition supplies. ensures sufficient supplies are available in the treatment centers by forecasting and accounting for all nutrition supplies in thedistrict.
• He/She provides technical guidance and facilitates referrals to hospital (SC) when needed,
• Supervise the quality of nutrition education promotion and counselling by the trained Health facility staff andcommunity health workers.
• Ensure that all Community Health and Nutrition workers have appropriate Job aids (IYCF counselling cards) and thatthey are passing correct IYCF key messages during individual counselling sessions and household visits
• In collaboration with the Nutrition and SBCC coordinators, ensure all Health facilities and PHUs have correct Nutritionrelated IEC materials.
• Ensure that those admitted in the CMAM program are immunized according to the MOH approved schedule.
• Ensure diagnosis and treatment of patients is based on standards and procedures CMAM/IMAM nutrition guidelines and that the protocols are strictly observed in all SC, Fixed OTP and outreach stations.
• In collaboration with the Communications officer, contribute to the preparation and collection of case studies to demonstrate programme impact including lessons learnt and good practice

1. Reporting and documentation of all related nutrition activities
   • Collaborate with Nutrition Manager and other relevant stakeholders to draft a work plan/schedule for theCommunity Health & Nutrition Workers.
   • Provide mentorship of Nutrition staff using the supervision check list.
   • Ensure referral pathway is maintained as per the required standard.
   • Work closely with the Field Site manager to ensure that program targets are met using indicators and activitytracking tables.
   • Document and share lessons learnt in a comprehensive and detailed manner to enable track trends on changes on atimely basis.
   • Proactively identify weakness/areas of improvement in the quality of nutrition service at the health facilities andmobile teams; collaborate with Project Manager to ensure that problems raised with the relevant IMC staff areresolved in a satisfactory manner that does not compromise the quality and provision of free care.

• • Mobilize community for identification of malnourished children: Ensure that community based activities such as community mobilization, active case finding, defaulter tracing mass MUAC screening, home visiting and health education are done properly.
    – Ensure every < 5-year-old and pregnant & lactating women (PLW) in the project area are screened for malnutritionand referred accordingly.
    – Distribute IMAM guidelines to all Nutrition Departments and outreach stations.
    – Carefully monitor Nutrition supply consumption, including through routine audits of registers/prescriptions to assess rational drug use, and oversee weekly preparation of supply orders to the main Pharmacy.
    – Ensure required adequate stock of plump nut, medicines, micro nutrients and other supplies for management ofmalnourished are delivered to SC and OTPs on timely basis.
    – Collaborate with the Project Manager and other senior team to prepare a plan that ensures adequate staffingcoverage despite anticipated and unanticipated staff absences.
    – Work closely with the facility staff to ensure that IYCF is fully integrated into the nutrition programme at center level, and Nurses are adequately supported in this.
    – Institutionalize MUAC by Mothers strategy in all IMC catchment villages and link them with the appropriate referralsystem for treatment and care.
    – Responsible for overall collection of good quality data within all nutrition programs, assure the nutrition team collects good quality data and is capable to use the data for monitoring and maintaining good quality programimplementation.
    – In collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation staff, review field work plans to ensure quality and timely reporting
    – Compiles weekly/monthly and training reports and ensuring timely submission of such written reports to theNutrition Program Manager.
    – Assist the nutrition coordinator with information and data required in proposal development as well as contribute tosurvey report writing.
    – Ensure all Nutrition trainings undertaken are well documented and reports shared with the Nutrition coordinatorand Nutrition Manager for review.
    – Compile and share all minutes and meeting notes from all meetings attended.
    – Ensure adequate documentation as directed by the nutrition coordinator and Nutrition Manager, and as required as per IMC protocols.

1. Capacity Building
   • Assist the nutrition coordinator & manager in organizing and leading nutrition technical trainings with the field team and individual staff members, on both a regular and ad hoc basis.
   • Conduct regular field visits to ensure the capacity of the field teams is built through OJT, mentorship and CMEsat the health facilities.
   • supporting and supervising field staff develop action plans for project implementation.
   • Conduct training needs assessment for all health and nutrition staff
   • Identify training opportunities for the nurses in liaison with other Nutrition partners in the country andrecommend the findings to the PM/NC
   • Participate in implementation of project staff training according to work plans
   • Conduct training for project staff, including community based staff
   • Compile comprehensive training reports.
   • In collaboration with M&E maintain a data base of the trained staff including community health and nutritionworkers in the community
   • Supervise up to nutrition staff as per the agreed organogram and ensure adherence to HR policies
   • In collaboration with the PMs ensure overall planning of all related nutrition activities and coordination of workamong the team.

• • Ensure all IMC and global nutrition standards and protocols are up-to-date and well understood by all the nutrition staff, that they are trained and mentored on these standards, as well as held accountable to them.
    – Supervision of new staff as/if necessary. Train staff to take measurements are taken accurately
    – Assess training needs of nutrition staff and in collaboration with the nutrition coordinator and Nutrition Managerdevelop a training plan for staff in order to address any gaps

1. Communication and Coordination:
   • Organize and participate in regular meetings with all IMC Nutrition employees; encourage open communication;document minutes and share with the Project Manager.
   • Collaborate with MOH and other actors regarding referral & counter referrals and as well on nutritional screeningof U5 & PLW at both community & hospital level.
   • Assist in organizing and taking minutes of bi-weekly Nutrition meetings with respective supervisors, medicaldoctors & IYCF counsellors, OTP/SC nurses and share with the Program Manager.
   • Ensure follow up on any action points from above meetings.

Additional Tasks:

• Be flexible and be able to give assistance with different activities not included in this primary job description.
• o Actively promote PSEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) standards within International Medical Corpsand amongst beneficiaries served by International Medical Corps.