Nutrition Officer-Mandera at Save the Children

Role Summary

The Nutrition Officer will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day implementation of the nutrition aspects within the UKAM ACCEPT project. This initiative aims to enhance the quality and accessibility of essential maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition services in Mandera and Turkana counties, Kenya. It will benefit over 200,000 vulnerable individuals, including pregnant and lactating women, children under 5, and their caregivers. The project will take a combined approach to prevention and treatment, customized to meet the needs of nomadic populations, while also supporting local healthcare services and promoting gender equality and inclusion. The Nutrition Officer will play a crucial role in ensuring the delivery of life-saving interventions, in collaboration with health and nutrition teams within Save the Children and with key stakeholders. Additionally, they will work closely with the MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning) team to collect, process, and verify reports/forms and maintain program/project databases.

Scope of the Role

• Reports to: Health Coordinator
• Dimensions: Save the Children has been actively operating in Kenya since the 1950s, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian programs delivered directly and through local partners. Current programs focus on various areas including child protection, child rights governance, education, health, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods, nutrition, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene). Save the Children has a significant operational presence in several Kenyan regions, including Bungoma, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa, Mandera, Turkana, and Wajir, with additional outreach in Kakamega, Kisumu, Migori, and Kitui. The organization established a project office in Madagascar in 2016, whose operations are managed by the Kenya CO.
• Staff reporting to this post: None

Key Responsibilities

Programme:

• Provide technical support to the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the implementation of integrated community case management and its integration with uncomplicated acute malnutrition programs.
• Support the training and mentorship of Community Health Volunteers in the implementation of Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM).
• Contribute to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)-related activities within the ACCEPT project.
• Organize and coordinate training activities in consultation with County health authorities.
• Compile activity reports and ensure their timely submission to the supervisor for further processing.
• Collaborate with the MoH to strengthen the delivery of Community Health Services and the linkage between the community and healthcare facilities.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Participate in the design, development, and implementation of an M&E (Monitoring and Evaluation) framework for health-related activities.
• Document the implementation process, lessons learned, case studies, and best practices to facilitate widespread dissemination of information.
• Collaborate with the MEAL team to ensure that project performance is monitored and quality standards are maintained.
• Coordinate regular project monitoring and supervision in collaboration with the Sub County community strategy focal person and community health assistants, ensuring adherence to established standards.
• Ensure the compilation of high-quality and timely activity and monthly reports for the project.
• Collect and manage complaints and feedback in close coordination with the MEAL team.

Supervision:

• Develop a comprehensive plan for supervising all field health activities, ensuring that the implementation aligns with monthly work plans.
• Support regular review meetings with the Sub County community strategy focal person and community health assistants.

Development of Health Education Training and Counselling Materials:

• Participate in the design or adaptation of suitable health education and promotion methods and tools, pre-testing them with the team and community members.
• Collaborate with the health education department at the Ministry of Health to adapt and produce appropriate health education materials.

Network and Coordination:

• Identify areas of synergy with the Ministry of Health and other agencies implementing health activities at national and community levels.
• Develop a comprehensive plan of activities within the identified areas of synergy with the above-mentioned stakeholders.

Community Mobilization Activities:

• Establish strong links and maintain effective relationships with existing community structures, including mother-to-mother support groups, community units, youth groups, village elders, and religious leaders.
• Support community dialogues and action days.

Community-Health Facility Referral System and Linkage:

• Collaborate with the Ministry of Health to strengthen a referral system at the community level and implement activities to enhance the linkage between the community and healthcare facilities.

Behaviors (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Takes personal responsibility for decisions, efficient resource management, and achieving Save the Children’s values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable for fulfilling their responsibilities, giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing necessary development for improved performance, and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for personal development, and encourages their team to do the same.
• Shares their personal vision for Save the Children widely, engaging and motivating others.
• Thinks strategically and globally, considering the future.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships with the team, colleagues, members, external partners, and supporters.
• Values diversity and sees it as a source of strength.
• Approachable, a good listener, and easy to communicate with.

Creativity:

• Develops and promotes innovative solutions.
• Willing to take calculated risks.

Integrity:

• Honesty and encourages openness and transparency.
• Demonstrates the highest levels of integrity.

Competencies

Leading:

Delivering Results: Takes personal responsibility and holds others accountable for achieving ambitious goals for children. Continuously improves own performance and that of the team/organization.

Developing Self and Others: Invests time and energy in actively developing self and others to help realize their full potential, building the organization’s capability for the future.

Leading and Inspiring Others: Demonstrates leadership in all work, serving as a role model for Save the Children values and articulating a compelling vision to inspire others to achieve goals for children.

Thinking:

Problem Solving and Decision Making: Makes effective, considered, and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organization and making appropriate judgments.

Applying Technical Expertise: Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards, promotes and shares best practices within and outside the organization.

Innovating and Adapting: Develops and implements innovative solutions to adapt and succeed in an ever-changing, uncertain work and global environment.

Engaging:

Working Effectively with Others: Collaborates effectively to achieve shared goals, thrives on diversity of people and perspectives. Knows when to lead, when to follow, and how to ensure effective cross-boundary working.

Communicating with Impact: Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence, promotes dialogue, and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust with others.

Networking: Builds and uses sustainable relationships and networks to support the work of Save the Children.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in health sciences (Nutrition, Nursing, Public Health) or equivalent.
• At least three (3) years of work experience in health programming, including monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience in community mobilization within a development context.
• Experience working with the Kenya Community Health Strategy is advantageous.
• Good understanding and experience working with MOH (Ministry of Health) and county health departments, health stakeholders, opinion leaders, and the integration of donor-funded programs into county plans.
• Experience in training and capacity building.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of organizations.
• Experience in and commitment to using participatory approaches.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with a willingness to be respectful, kind, sensitive, and empathetic towards children.
• Good knowledge of the nutrition and health field.
• Strong presentation and persuasion skills.
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and adaptable when faced with difficult and challenging working conditions.
• Prepared to live and work in an environment with uncertain security conditions.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently and stay in the field.
• Strong research and data analysis skills.
• Proficient in report writing and computer skills.
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values, and principles.