Regional Nutrition Coordinator - Nairobi, Kenya (RI)

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Job Title: Regional Nutrition Coordinator

Location:
Nairobi, Kenya

Reports to: Program Manager, East Africa

Responsible for:
Nutrition Project Manager(s) [TBD]

Established in 1990, Relief International (RI) is a leading global humanitarian organization that transforms adversity into renewal for the world’s most vulnerable populations. Innovatively, RI bridges the gap between immediate relief and long-term community development.

JOB SUMMARY: The main purpose of this position is to act as Regional Nutrition Point of Contact for RI nutrition operations in the drought-affected areas of the Horn of Africa. The Regional Nutrition Coordinator will assist in the ongoing management, continuing development, and supervision of all activities under RI’s nutrition objective.

The Regional Nutrition Coordinator will facilitate the planning of new and implementation of ongoing nutrition activities in community therapeutic care, SFP, OTP, nutrition education, capacity building and training, supply management, standardization of primary nutrition services, protection nutrition activities, through collaboration with village health committees and relevant departments of the Ministry of Health.

The Regional Nutrition Coordinator will work closely with the country and emergency response teams to identify and give technical inputs on the nutrition related challenges. He/she will also focus on the quality and timely submission of monthly, quarterly, mid-term and final project reports. He/she will also be frequently travelling to the field to monitor the implementation of nutrition activities in drought affected areas of Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

Most importantly, the Regional Nutrition Coordinator will represent RI in the wider humanitarian fora and communities of practice to enhance RI visibility. He/she will identify funding opportunities, approach and negotiate with donors, and be the lead technical writer for the composition of the proposals.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Establish strong links with Ministry of Health at the Federal and Regional levels; • Identify areas where to facilitate implementation of nutrition program with the MoH, Ministry of Local Government and other main stakeholders; • Meet with different stakeholders from civil society and government to assess the evolving humanitarian situation in the wider region; • Oversee and conduct community assessments to identify critical requirements for program interventions with a particular focus on IDPs, children, women, and vulnerable populations; • Guide the project staff and provide training on CTC, nutrition facility rehabilitation, capacity building and training; • Promote and work to expand community capacity on nutrition, with sensitivity to the political and cultural context; • Develop nutrition activities, with emphasis on response to perceived needs indicated by communities and beneficiaries and confirmed by nutritional assessments; • Plan and implement emergency interventions in beneficiary communities as required; • Take the technical lead in writing proposals to donors; • Recruit and train RI technical team for the program implementation and follow up; • Provide ongoing technical supervision and on the job training to health facility staff implementing nutrition program for continuous quality assurance; • Secure RUTF (supply & buffer) and other materials are available in locations program locations;

GOALS:

• Plan and conduct community sensitization with key informants and other main communication channels. Address the needs in the identified locations with local authorities and health personnel (HR, materials, training, and rehabilitation); • Define the overall nutrition program implementation plan – guide/assess baseline assessments and project evaluations; • Define operational setup plan with different health facilities and start-up activities; • Facilitate a peer review on different approaches implemented in the region; • Develop key advocacy messages and communicate to the communities of practice; • Set up a monitoring and training system for nutrition program activities in the region; • Conduct and design nutrition activities with the utmost sensitivity for the safety and well-being of beneficiaries and national staff and with regard to the political context; • Provide capacity-building for national staff: technical support, organizing training, and preparing a training schedule for nutrition staff; • Ensure that RI provides quality services that meet SPHERE and other relevant international standards; • Lead on all nutrition and nutrition-inclusive proposals, reports, assessments, and research in consultation with the Senior Management Team, Country Office, and Headquarters; • Define methodology and questionnaires for nutrition assessment. Analyze, compile and report on the data collected.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in a very demanding and fast paced and volatile environment.

• Advanced university degree in nutrition, public health or similar;
• Minimum 3 years humanitarian or development experience, including significant work in managing humanitarian programs in emergency or humanitarian contexts; • Excellent interpersonal, organizational, project planning, communication and time management skills; • Strong understanding of humanitarian principles, emergency program management, and security management in high risk environments; • Demonstrated knowledge of grantee regulations and implementation experience of EC and USAID funded programs; • Budget management experience; • Knowledge of humanitarian reform principles and has a clear understanding on policies involving the humanitarian action in the region; • Excellent knowledge of SPHERE Standards, nutritional treatment protocols, etc,; • Excellent English writing skills; • Knowledge of Somali language is a big advantage; and • Ability and interest to travel to Somalia for extended periods of time.

TO APPLY:

Please submit a resume, cover letter, salary history, 3 professional references (e-mail, address and phone number), and date of availability to hremergency@ri.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The email subject line MUST include the following: Regional Nutrition Coordinator - Horn of Africa. We will carefully review your materials and contact you if we would like to set up an interview.
How to apply:
Please submit a resume, cover letter, salary history, 3 professional references (e-mail, address and phone number), and date of availability to hremergency@ri.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The email subject line MUST include the following: Regional Nutrition Coordinator - Horn of Africa. We will carefully review your materials and contact you if we would like to set up an interview.