National Position

Position: Nutrition Officer 

Report to:    

• Functional - H&N Activity Manager 
• Technical - Deputy H&N Coordinator & H&N Coordinator 

Location: Based in Taiz, with travel to field

About INTERSOS:

INTERSOS is an independent non-profit humanitarian organization committed to assisting the victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts. Its activities are based on the principles of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equality of rights and opportunities, and respect for diversity and coexistence, paying special attention to the most vulnerable and unprotected people.

Project objectives: 

INTERSOS is implementing a multi-sector project funded by BHA in Taiz, aimed to improve the protective environment while reducing morbidity and mortality related to poor access to health, nutrition, and WASH services in Yemen, by ensuring conflict and displacement-affected individuals have access to quality emergency health and nutrition services, lifesaving protection assistance and quality WASH services.
For the Health and Nutrition services, the project provisions emergency health and nutrition services by running 1 mobile clinic team and supporting 2 health centers to deliver the MSP service package in Jabal Habashi, and Al-Ma’afer districts, and supporting 1 referral hospital in Ma’afer to implement secondary health services (running OT) and ensure referral pathways for H&N services. In addition, INTERSOS will support a network of Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) that provide community outreach services. For Nutrition services, INTERSOS will also support IYCF activities conducted at 4 local partner CBOs in Taiz.
INTERSOS closely coordinates with MOPIC/MoPHP/GHO and DHO and the project is also reported and supervised by the national clusters/ hub in Aden. 

Job summary: 

This position is responsible for the day-to-day technical management and smooth running of the nutrition component of INTERSOS’s BHA Project in Yemen. The role technically coordinates, trains incentivized staff on nutrition, report Nutrition including therapeutic food supplements, CMAM and Community-based Management of acute malnutrition programming in Taiz. These are in line with the MoPHP, WHO, UNICEF, Nutrition cluster & INTERSOS protocols, and the project proposals. The officer is responsible to coordinate implementation of project activities in nutrition with communities, as part of the wider approach which aims to lower under-5 & PLW mortality rates and morbidity for vulnerable cases in the INTERSOS program operation areas in Yemen through community-based identification, treatment, and prevention of both Moderate and Severe Acute Malnutrition (MAM/SAM), and promotion of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Practices.

Responsibilities/duties:

Key Responsibilities: 

1.  Program Design, Implementation, Assessment and Monitoring: 

• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to adapt design programs that align with community needs and project objectives. 
• Participates in nutritional assessments and health-related needs assessments to inform program design and identify vulnerable populations. 
• Monitor program implementation, evaluate outcomes, and adjust interventions as needed. 

2. Nutritional technical and quality strengthening: 

• Provide technical guidance and support to healthcare providers and community health workers on nutrition-related topics. 
• Promote social and behavior change (SBC) and best practices in nutrition within the community, supporting the incentivized staff including Community Health Volunteers. 
• Provide technical support to the midwife/ nutrition nurses/ health facility workers to have IYCF counselling services provided to mothers/caregivers with challenges/difficulties in practising optimal IYCF. 
• Develop innovative methodologies that will enhance the effective sharing of IYCF and hygiene messages that are acceptable and adhere to the community culture and norms.
• Support the Nutrition nurses in the CBOs and follow their implementation of the activities.

3. Data Collection and Reporting: 

• Collect and analyze data on program activities and outcomes, preparing regular reports for internal and external stakeholders. 
• Report on observations during field visits – facility, community, and staff level
• Draw and share weekly social behavior Change intervention plan, collect weekly and monthly data, and submit reports timely to the H&N Activity Manager.

4. Capacity Building: 

• Train and build the capacity of incentivized field teams, partners, and community members on nutrition and health principles. 
• Supervise and follow up on community mobilization, health and nutrition education delivered by incentivized staff and Direct technical supervision and management of supported MoPHP staff. Ensure quality supervision of diagnostic and treatment services and community-level implementation of the programs.
• Train the Community health workers/volunteers on how to use the IYCF and Hygiene promotion IEC material to enable them effectively to deliver Key messages in a manner that is easy for the communities to remember and adopt the practices.
• Organize monthly meetings with the incentivized nutrition team and report the outcome to the H&N activity manager, project coordinator and health and nutrition coordinator, ensuring integration of Nutrition PHC activities, particularly as regards Nutrition Education, EPI, and other Child health and nutrition services (supplementary food program and Therapeutic feeding center) (SFPs and TFCs) as well as to protection and WASH.

5. Coordination and Partnership: 

• Working closely with the Health and WASH team to ensure that nutrition messages are integrated into all Health facilities and outreach activities.
• Work closely with the community and create a feedback mechanism pathway that will enable communities to provide feedback to the program and that the program team to respond to issues raised by the affected population timely.
• Collaborate with relevant government agencies, NGOs, and healthcare providers to integrate nutrition into broader health and development programs. 
• Represent the organization in coordination meetings and working groups related to nutrition activities. 
• Further specific tasks and responsibilities will be detailed in the work plan of the officer, following the structure above.

6. Functional responsibilities:

• Ensure respect for protocols of MOPHP applied and respected at the facility/team level
• Ensure the safeguarding and safety of staff and beneficiaries during service delivery and facility access, with special attention to protecting women and children.
• Organize with GHO/DHO for smooth nutrition commodities, tools and supplies; ordering, stocking distribution and monitoring of consumption; and weekly and monthly reporting on consumption.
• Closely monitor and report on health staff attendance and performance
• Follow-up on the financial closing of the CBOs and incentivized nutritional staff and CHVs.

Qualification/level requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree/Diploma in medicine, dentistry, Nursing, medical assistant or in nutrition/health is required. 
• 2+ years’ experience in project design, planning, implementing and evaluating integrated community-based health programs in emergency/relief context.
• Professional experience in lead management implementing emergency health response programs, preferably in a conflict setting.
• Sound knowledge and nutritional support services like CMAM, MAM and IYCF.
• Sound knowledge and experience in primary and secondary health care services.
• Previous experience in working with various International NGOs in developing countries and more so in emergency response programming.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, public speaking, and strategic planning skills required.
• Ability to coordinate, represent and negotiate at different levels (national, provincial and local) with NGOs/ INGOs, donors, government, UN etc. 
• Strong English and Arabic skills, written and spoken. Ability to write reports in English is required.
• Strong Microsoft package skills (MS Word, MS Excel, Power-point) 

The following is required in performing the above tasks:

• Adherence to Humanitarian principles (Neutrality, Impartiality, Independence, and Humanity) and understanding of the INTERSOS internal rules and guidelines such as Charter of Value, Code of Ethic, children’s rights, PSEA policies, etc
• Clear & timely communication to line management 
• Ensure full confidentiality of the received information.
• Willing to take any other relevant task given by the supervisor.