Job Description

Position title       :            Nutrition Officer (1)

Reporting to       :            Nutrition Coordinator

Location               :            Berdale

Job summary:

The Nutrition Officer is expected to provide a high standard of promoting optimum health and preventive health care, thereby contributing to a safe, efficient and effective service to patients and to improve nutritional status of children and pregnant and lactating women. The Nutrition Officer will closely work with and report directly to the Nutrition Project Coordinator. They will also work with all SOS Children’s Village Hospital departments including EPU department, MCC department, Pharmacy department, Laboratory department and Nursing School department. The Nutrition Officer will carry out the implementation of the project activities, provides support to colleagues and works under the technical guidance of the supervisor.

Responsibilities:

• Provide supervision of the nutrition program implementation in the field, Organize and coordinate the team’s work plans
• Assisting the nutrition coordinator to provide technical support to nutrition team in the implementation of essential nutrition services: Moderate acute malnutrition, supplementary feeding programme, infant and young child feeding, micronutrient supplementation, community mobilization and other preventive services.  
• Plan and organise OTP/SFP at designated distribution sites in liaison with nutrition coordinator
• Complete order forms for the logistics team of material, medicine and food requirements for each site for the week in advance
• Re-define team composition as necessary – either during distributions (to avoid bottle-necks) or after discussion during team meetings
• Work closely with the teams to ensure all children are measured correctly
• Ensure all criteria are respected and understood by the teams, including admission, discharge and transfer to and from the various components of the programme
• Ensure comprehensive health checks and treatment according to the agreed protocols
• Review the forms completed by staff to ensure completion, accuracy and coherence
• Undertake individual evaluations with the team
• Ensure adequate availability of all medical and food supplies for each distribution, input in to creation and maintenance of a monthly distribution plan and ensure stock is pre-positioned as planned with Nutrition Programme Manager and logistics team check the daily tally of the SFP statistics
• Check the accuracy and consistency of weekly report of the tally of statistics for each site (one form per site per week)
• Summarize the data per site and send report to the Nutrition coordinator weekly and monthly
• Report any progress and any problems in a timely manner
• Support training of Community Nutrition Workers and other potential partners in all aspects essential nutrition services
• Organize nutrition and health education sessions in the community and liaising with nutrition staff and community members to monitor IYCF activities in Project Operational areas
• Oversee and provide support in screening, registration and admission of children in the nutrition program
• Establish and operate community mobilization and referral system for nutrition services. Create referral links for access to other services beneficial to the beneficiaries but not provided in the SOS supported nutrition program.
• Liaise with other SOS Somalia sectors to explore opportunities for integration and effective working.
• Strength planning, M&E and logistics systems with regards to nutrition activities.
• Monitor Nutrition stocks and supplies in the distribution sites and SOS warehouses and liaise with finance and logistics officers in the program to ensure that stocks are ordered and delivered in time.
• Assist the Programme Manager in monitoring the nutrition situation in SOS’s areas of work including participating in nutrition assessments, surveillance and program reviews and ensuring equality of these activities as required.
• Ensuring that all program components meet humanitarian standards.
• Supervise, appraise and identify staff training needs
• Prepare the different formal reports through the nutrition report templates and as per approved procedures and maintain accurate records.
• Represent SOS in the cluster meetings and liaise with the other potential partner in nutrition programme i.e. MoH, UNICEF, FSNAU, WHO and other NGOs (local and international), Cluster coordination meetings.
• Assist the programme Manager in the regional office timely report submission.
• Assist in the development of training materials and modules.
• Performing any other responsibilities deemed appropriate by the Line Manager

Experiences and Qualifications

Job competencies:

Essential         

• Degree in Public Health, Nurse, Nutrition or another technical relevant technical discipline
• Minimum 3 years of progressive professional experience in Managements of Nutrition, or had work with Nutrition Partner for nutrition Projects
• Excellent command in Somali and English
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
• Ward Management Skills
• Basic Knowledge and experience Nutrition
• Proactive, result oriented, independent, able to identify and carry out duties with minimum supervision

Child Safeguarding Policy:

SOS Children’s Villages Somalia holds strict child safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy for conducts of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring decisions will give due emphasis to assessing candidates’ value congruence and thorough background checks, police clearance reference check processes. SOS Children’s Villages organization is committed to safeguarding the rights of the children and therefore, is expected that every individual who joins with SOS Children’s Villages Somalia understands his/her responsibility in protecting and keeping children always safe

Skills Required

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