Description
Location: Abuja
Duration: 12 months
Under the CD’s supervision and in collaboration with field teams and consultation with HQ, the Nutrition Coordinator, is responsible for defining, animating, and coordinating Nutrition programme’s activities and strategy in the Nigeria mission.
Objective 1:
General management of the program activities and strategy
General Program Activities:
• Supervises the technical work of the program teams in the field (nutritional treatment, capacity building) and provide adequate formal constructive feedback. This technical work includes support field teams in starting up a CMAM system integrated to routing services of PHCs.
• Ensures technical support for the teams for the implementation of capacity building for all programs (i.e. conduction of ToTs or ad hoc technical sessions).
• Ensures that the technical protocols, manuals, guidelines and forms used in the field are on line with ACF validated technical tools and when available, with national guidelines.
• Provides technical support to the field teams and technical updates when available.
• Analyzes the program activities and results before the internationally validated indicators (Sphere standards and ACF standards) and proposes improvements and modifications if need be, in collaboration with the HQ Nutrition Advisors. The achievement of SPHERE standards is challenging in a capacity building context and thus acceptable thresholds must be agreed upon with HQ Advisor.
• Ensures a consistent response and approach to the program and to the nutritional needs, thus creates credibility of ACF actions.
• Supervises the evolution of the programs and re-orients programs if needed, in discussion with the Country Director (CD) and the HQ Nutrition Advisor, according to the project.
• Is available for solving any problem arising on the field.
• Ensures frequent visits to the field, with visits to the program activities at community level for each field visit, and provides formal visit feedback via Field Visit Reports. Three weeks every two months should at least be spent in the field. Field visits should not be shorter than a full week. Before every field visit a ToR must be shared with the Nutrition Program Managers (PMs, field based staff) and Field Coordinator. Other Coordinators and CD are to be in copy of the communication.
• Organizes the evaluation / exploration missions, and keeps aware of the evolution of the medical and nutritional situation in the most affected areas of Nigeria. According the needs identified, proposes actions to the CD in respect with the Nigeria mission and ACFIN strategy.
Objective 2: Coordination
• Identifies and participates to the nutrition and health meetings with partners (NGOs, MoH, SPHCDA, UNICEF, donors …) at Abuja and state(s) level when necessary.
• Participates in the monthly ACF coordination meetings at Abuja level.
• Follows up the program budget closely with the administration department.
• Ensures coordination of and validates the logistics orders from the program departments and ensures regular communication with the logistics department.
• Validates the technical parts of Protocols and MoU’s with authorities, partners and other organizations (SMOH, SPHCDA, UNICEF, etc.), and ensures their consistency between all the bases. This final version is then shared with the HQ Nutrition Advisor during the process of validation for inputs/feedback.
• Coordinates with the health & nutrition authorities at state(s) and Abuja level
• Coordinates with the other NGOs in nutrition, WASH, FSL;
• Ensures that PMs coordinate on a regular basis with all relevant partners at local level and participate to monthly technical coordination forum.
• Collects data from formal or informal meeting with other partners to get information on the nutrition needs in other areas of the country, and propose actions (assessments, surveys, program implementation) accordingly
• Coordinates regularly with the HQ Nutrition Advisor for program strategy and protocols evolution, and communicate on the overall situation.
Objective 3: Human Resources
• In collaboration with the HR department, ensures the support to the field teams for all matters concerning human resources for the nutrition department.
• Ensures that all nutrition personnel are evaluated at least twice a year. As much as possible, the Field Coordinator should be integrated in the evaluation process of the program managers.
• Ensures that the PMs follow the appropriate human resources procedures and rules for recruitments or any other HR activity.
• Analyzes and validates the organizational chart of the program department in collaboration with the HR department and the CD.
Objective 4:
Supply Pipeline
• Oversees the partnership with the organizations in charge of the supplies (RUTF from UNICEF, etc), ensures timely renewal of the MoU’s with these partners and timely orders of products (on an ad hoc basis). This is mainly done by PMs at field level directly with UNICEF field offices and the Nutrition Coordinator (Nut Co) supports for troubleshooting in case of constraints or identified pipeline breaks.
• Ensure regular communication with the logistics department for international and regional orders, and timely logistics orders submitted to the logistics department.
• For every project, a procurement plan is to be prepared by PMs with support of Nut Co to ensure that purchases are all forecasted before the start of the project.
Objective 5:
Strategy Development & Reporting
• Leads and is accountable for the process and the definition of the mission Nutrition program strategy, in collaboration with field teams, consultation with HQ Nut Advisor and the CD.
• Is responsible for the elaboration, in partnership with the HQ Nut Advisor and the CD, of the program donor reports (proposal, quarterly, final reports), with respect of the formats and deadlines.
• Prepares technical monthly reports (compilation of the activities on the base(s) and activity report) with a qualitative look at the programs (sent to bases and to the HQ). Internal reports should include the activity progress report (APR) in respect with the mission format.
• Finalizes the monthly activities reports presented to the medical authorities (SMOH, SPHCDA).
• Validates all documents and reports before dissemination to partners, including supplies orders, reports, etc. For external dissemination of reports, final validation by HQ and CD are requested.
• Prepares qualitative study (surveys, focus groups, etc) as identified necessary,produces the reports and share it with CD and HQ for validation
• Documents progress of pilot projects to ensure appropriate follow up in evolution/changes within approaches implemented as pilots.
• Writes short field visit Terms of Reference and reports, the latter including clear detailed action points for the improvement of the programs or problems solving. This is a good feedback and documentation tool on progress of activities at field level.
Objective 6: Communication
• Communicates regularly with the program teams for follow up, troubleshooting and technical and strategic advice. At least each PM should be called on phone once a week for update / discussion.
• Communicates with the logistics and administration departments in order to have a good follow up of respective departments (supply requests, stocks, pharmacy, etc. and budget and expense follow ups) and solve problems as they arise.
• Communicates externally with the other organizations and authorities on a regular basis, and ensures that PMs communicate regularly with partners at local level.
• Communicates regularly with the technical responsible in the HQ (phone every week if possible)
Objective 7: Representation
• Represents ACF programs in nutrition/health coordination meetings in Abuja and on the field. The Nut Co should be known by all the main actors at both national and local level (MoH, UNICEF, NGOs) even when there is no direct partnership with them. The definition of the main actors to communicate with can be done with the CD and the HQ Nut Advisor.
• Represents ACF nutrition programs when and if necessary vis-a-vis donors. Such representation will be discussed with the CD whenever necessary.
• Participates with the CD in the representation vis-à-vis donors and partners in the objective of raising funds for new programs at national level.
Level of study/specific qualifications/technical requested:
• Nurse, doctor, nutritionist or public health background.
• Previous humanitarian experience with focus on nutrition programs both at national coordination level (at least 1 year experience) and in program implementation (at least 2 years experience).
• Experience with capacity building of health systems in developing contexts. Significant experience with INGOs in recovery and complex emergencies.
• Previous experience with partnerships and alliances is an asset.
• Fluent English.
• Good managerial and training skills.
• Good representation skills.
• Previous experience with ACF is an asset.
Required Competence & Skills:
• Project development capacity
• Ability to analyse and synthesize
• Capacity to supervise a team
• Organizational qualities
• Diplomacy
• Good relations with people
• Flexibility
• Dynamism
• Is previous humanitarian experience needed? : YES
For more information visit and apply online at:
[url]http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/about/employment/job-opportunities[/url]