IRC began working in Nigeria in October 2012 in response to a widespread flood disaster. Since then, IRC has expanded its program scope and size with the aiming of making the greatest possible contribution to meeting humanitarian needs in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states in North East Nigeria. IRC’s response includes integrated health, reproductive health and nutrition services, protection including women’s protection and empowerment services, child protection, environmental health, economic recovery and development, and education. In 2015, IRC Nigeria developed a five year Strategy Action Plan, which has health and education as high priority program areas.
Scope of work
The Nutrition Coordinator will work closely and under the supervision of the Senior Program Coordinator (SPC) to design and deliver high quality, innovative programs in Nigeria. The nutrition coordinator has a particular focus on driving strategy implementation, leading the nutrition team in designing high quality projects with particular attention to enhance program integration, supporting expansion into newly accessible geographic areas, and increasing IRC’s work on early recovery across the humanitarian and development nexus S/he will ensure timely and effective program delivery, coordination and technical coherence and support, monitoring, evaluation and accountability. The Nutrition Coordinator will provide a focus on country SAP priority outcomes and client responsiveness, and will represent IRC programs to major stakeholders, relevant government authorities and other program partners. S/he will ensure that the Nutrition program will be implemented in accordance with international protocols, guidelines, and best practices.
Responsibilities:
Program quality and development
• The Nutrition Coordinator will be responsible for overall leadership, implementation, and oversight of nutrition program.
• Provide leadership in the development of a coherent strategy for the implementation of innovative and quality nutrition programming informed by the Nigeria context in line with the Nigeria Country SAP strategy.
• Develop strategic frameworks that demonstrate and promote nutrition sensitivity of other sector approaches in both humanitarian and transitional programming in Nigeria.
• Develop and lead in implementing a nutrition capacity building plan for the Nigeria country team, MoH, volunteers, partners etc. including performance planning, on-job training, and coaching.
• Lead the development and use of nutrition intervention implementation frameworks and Standard Operating Procedures including selection of appropriate modalities, service providers, data collection, targeting criteria, beneficiary selection, activity and product quality assurance and monitoring and evaluation ensuring use and compliance with International Rescue Committee standards, international best practices and Ministry of Health and WHO/UNICEF.
• Provide technical and operational guidance for quality and timely implementation of Nutrition interventions against set program objectives, targets, and work plans.
• Coordinate resources and team skills effectively to ensure quality and harmonized implementation of nutrition activities
• Lead in designing and refining the nutrition delivery approaches most appropriate to the Nigeria context and sector standards.
• Coordinate with and support other technical advisors for the inclusion of nutrition-sensitive interventions to address needs across sectors including health, cash, food security and WASH.
• Conduct regular field visits to support and mentor nutrition teams and activities
• Support HR and Nutrition Managers in the recruitment and capacity building of nutrition staffs.
• Contribute to the retention and growth of existing nutrition programming for IRC-Nigeria country program
• Actively design and draft nutrition programme concepts, proposals, and budgets.
• Coordinate the Timely preparation of quality nutrition intervention reports.
• Work collaboratively with MEAL and grants team in the preparation of requisite internal and external donor reports.
• Facilitate systematic/correct supplies requests, distribution plans, consumption reporting from the nutrition programme to the logistics department
• Conduct/Lead/Manage/Oversee nutritional assessment planning, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and reporting, as required.
• Facilitate the development and scheduling of outreach and community activities
• Managing nutrition portfolio and budgets, and ensuring spending, PIM within timelines..
Program Implementation
● Provide leadership to Nutrition staffs in ensuring effective grant start-up, implementation review and close-out meetings are planned and conducted in a timely manner with full participation of all relevant stakeholders from programs and support teams, and that actions are taken as a result.
● Provide leadership for Nutrition managers in the timely and high-quality implementation of nutrition programming and promote regular reviews – both internal and external – and other learning events.
● Provide support to the Country Emergency Team during the scale up of a sudden onset humanitarian response and during the deployment phase
● Ensure program coordination, with other technical coordinators for cross-cutting themes work together effectively according to program work plans.
● Conduct frequent field visits to all nutrition sites for monitoring, quality control and program staff mentoring and coaching.
● Coordinate high-level reporting on country-level indicators such as beneficiary numbers, design for impact indicators, cluster data and other information as needed.
● Ensure that donor reports produced by the programs team effectively demonstrate the impact of IRC’s interventions.
● Ensure program design and implementation is in line with Nigeria SAP strategy and country’s commitments
HR and Staff Management
● Help to drive a culture of ambitious, responsible, and committed leadership amongst nutrition staffs.
● Enhance the performance management for nutrition staffs both direct and indirect line management
● Support nutrition program staff through close attention to staff care, mentoring, and development.
● Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
● Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options, and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
Representation and Advocacy
● In coordination with the other technical leads develop and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders in Nigeria including local communities, donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors.
● Ensure IRC active representation and participation in the relevant clusters/sectors coordination
● Develop strategic partnerships with local organizations.
● In coordination with the SPC and other technical leads assist in organizing donor visits by supporting staff in the smooth design and running of field visits.
Key working Relationships
Position reports to: Senior Program Coordinator-Health
Position directly supervises: Senior Nutrition Managers and Managers.
Other internal contacts: Health coordinator, WASH Coordinator, Technical coordinators for (Safety, Education and ERD), SMT, M&E, Grants, Consortium Coordinators, Finance, HR, Supply Chain, Safety and Security, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Field Coordinators and Base Managers.
Job requirements
Essential
● Master’s degree preferably in Health, Nutrition, with extensive experience in Nutrition programming.
● Experience managing programs at least 5-10 years continuous experience with technical design and implementation of nutrition programming, 2 years must be in a humanitarian response in a complex context with international NGOs.
● Should possess minimum 5 years of international assignments experiences in humanitarian and development work and designing projects in complex emergencies.
● Experience managing humanitarian relief and/or transitional programs in areas affected by large scale displacements due to conflict and chronic food and nutritional insecurity
● Demonstrated experience in program management, project design and use of project design tools
● Demonstrated experience in supervising expatriate and national staff, and in mentoring of national staff and with strong commitment to staff capacity development; Demonstrated qualities of leadership, sensitivity to cultural settings, communication skills, commitment, and sound judgment
● Commitment to women’s rights and IRC’s vision, mission, and values, including sensitivity to cultural settings
● At least 5 years continuous experience with technical design and implementation of nutrition programming, 2 years must be in a humanitarian response in a complex context with international NGOs
● Proven technical competence in CMAM, MAMI, IYCF-E and Surge approaches in complex humanitarian emergencies
● Demonstrated theoretical knowledge and applied experience using integrated approaches and systems thinking.
● Demonstrated experience of capacity strengthening for improved nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programming.
● Experience with use of relevant sector assessment tools (e.g., SMART, SQUEAC, rapid needs assessments – including IYCF-E -, KAP and Barrier Analysis)
● Experience in negotiating and establishing partnerships for implementing nutrition interventions.
● Demonstrated competence in finding solutions to complex problems and delivering results Strong influencing and representation skills with multiple stakeholders
● Strong program/technical and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills.
● Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties.
● Aptitude to adapt to a different context regarding security, culture, climate, or health issue, demonstrated by experience outside of country of origin
● Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
● Fluency in English required. Hausa and Kanuri are an asset.
● Female candidates with local understanding of the context and culture are highly encouraged to apply
● Willingness to travel in the field at least 50% of your time
Desirable
Experience of CMAM surge programming
Specific security situation/ housing
The Nutrition Coordinator will be based in Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria with travel throughout the sites where IRC has a presence. The security situation in North East Nigeria continues to be volatile with security level at 3 (orange); candidates should be prepared to implement programming in insecure environments. This is a non-accompanied position, and the Senior Program Coordinator will live in shared housing.
Standards for professional conduct: The IRC and IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in The IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces a range of policies, including on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.
More Information
- Job City Maiduguri, Nigeria
