Nutrition Coordinator at Mercy Corps Nigeria

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action – helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Nutrition Coordinator

Reference: ABV/PRO/2020/0041
Location: Gombe
Position Status: Full-time, Exempt, Regular

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic development, and conflict mitigation. With the ongoing insurgency in Northeast Nigeria causing the displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs. As the crisis has persisted, Mercy Corps` strategy has also expanded to address the root causes of the conflict and seek to build the long-term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on governance, the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, youth empowerment and local conflict management.
• MCN is seeking a nutrition coordinator for the on-going USAID/ Feed for Future funded Rural Resilience Activity. The program`s overall goal is to bring long-term sustainable improvements to markets in Northeast Nigeria that promote stability, improved nutritional status and sustainable progress out of poverty. It involves promoting systemic change in agriculture based market systems by removing barriers to entry and drawing in new market players, growing input and other support functions, building the capacities of market actors in accordance with their incentives, and sustaining widespread adoption of farmer/microenterprise group models to boost productivity and quality. It also involves supporting increased economic participation of women, youth and other marginalized groups, building trust and networks between market actors to improve power dynamics, facilitating information flows, and strengthening transparency mechanisms in markets, information and policy.
• Rural Resilience Activity mainstreams nutrition in the various activity components to direct and/ or indirectly contribute to improving the nutrition status among targeted individuals, through developing and strengthening local agricultural market systems that are nutrition sensitive and result in better diets. The activity will improve the food supply chains and food environment to ensure increased production of safe, nutritious, affordable foods that contribute to adequate diets. It will also support activities that aim at improving consumer behavior leading to increased consumer demand and purchase of safe and nutritious foods as well as adoption of recommended maternal, infant, young child and adolescent nutrition.

General Position Summary

• The coordinator is responsible for the Rural Resilience Activity’s nutrition approach.
• She/he will provide field level technical and managerial oversight to the nutrition sensitive activities and their integration in the various technical approaches and sectors of the project.
• He/she will be responsible for working closely with technical managers to embed nutrition sensitivity and specific activities into their program components, ensuring that activities are at scale and implemented in all four (4) states targeted in North East Nigeria (i.e. Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe).
• He/ she will be responsible for the implementation, monitoring technical quality and adapting the approach accordingly, ensuring relevance and reporting on progress.
• The coordinator will provide technical support to the team, develop material for and support in delivery of necessary training, participate in strategic partnership development with private sector actors, and monitor the context and implementation environment.
• He/ she will also take the lead role in field level technical representation.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Technical/ Administrative, Program Quality and Implementation:

• Ensure overall technical management of the nutrition approach.
• Proactively engage with technical managers to apply the program’s nutrition strategy to agricultural and market systems development technical strategies and vocational and soft-skills training approaches. Participate in developing project specific technical strategies, approaches, tools and plans.
• Develop and/or contribute to work plans to guide and monitor implementation of nutrition integration.
• Ensure quality and timely field level implementation of nutrition sensitive activities against set objectives, targets and work plans.
• Participates in analyzing, developing and evaluating initiatives to promote nutrient retention and enhancement along the value chain of promoted markets.
• Facilitate the sharing of nutrition information, materials and best practices across the RRA partners to foster learning related to social and behavior change communication on nutrition programming.
• Coordinate with various Rural Resilience Award sector leads and partners to ensure mainstreaming of nutrition sensitive approaches, monitor implementation of activities and document best practice and success stories
• Conducts field visits, surveys and/ or exchange of information with partners to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and in consultation with activity leadership take timely decisions to resolve issues.
• Ensures quality implementation of nutrition-sensitive activities through staff capacity strengthening, supportive supervision and monitoring.
• Work closely with program MEL staff to ensure monitoring tools will capture change related to the program’s nutrition indicators.
• Oversee the collection and timely reporting of data for the nutrition-sensitive activities in line with internal and donor requirements/ guidelines.

Program Development and Strategic Planning:

• Participate in developing strategic partnerships with the private sector and Government counterparts that enhance sustainable nutrition outcomes.
• Contribute to and support in carrying out analysis of the nutrition situation within targeted areas, and identify opportunities to enhance nutrition sensitivity within project scope.
• Participate in technical assessments, surveys, research etc. to monitor evolving needs, facilitate learning and relevant adjustments in programming.
• Develop fact sheets, briefers, and other materials on nutrition to expand communication and advocacy.

Capacity Building and Supervision:

• Participate in developing capacity building plans and strategies for staff and stakeholders implementing nutrition-sensitive activities.
• In liaison with the sector leads, identify relevant trainings and opportunities to advance knowledge and skills in nutrition programming.
• Ensure appropriate support to the staff implementing nutrition-sensitive activities, make regular field visits and provide targeted feedback.

Coordination and Representation:

• Participate in both internal and external field level technical meetings and coordination.
• Ensure strong coordination with the various program sector leads, Save the Children and other partners and provide regular feedback and updates on nutrition activities.
• Develop new and manage existing relationships with nutrition stakeholders in the areas of operation and potential collaborators for project nutrition activities.

Reporting:

• Leads the preparation of project technical communication pieces related to nutrition and disseminate them to relevant audiences.
• Support the development of quality field-based reports on nutrition-sensitive activities.
• Conduct any other programming responsibility delegated by the supervisor.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all Rural Resilience Activity team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
• to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• None

Accountability:

• Line manager: Deputy Chief of Party
• Technical Supervisor: Mercy Corps Nigeria Nutrition Advisor
• Works Directly With: All Rural Resilience Award Staffs, implementing partners, and participants

Knowledge and Experience

• Preferably, a Master’s degree or any related discipline in Nutrition, Agriculture, Food Science or other relevant science field.
• Minimum (5) years experience in nutrition-sensitive programming, policy or research.
• Substantial experience in nutrition-related social and behavior change programming is required.
• Knowledge of nutrition and food security issues.
• Hands-on experience on designing, planning, implementing and evaluating nutritional behavioral interventions and/or communication campaigns is highly desirable.
• Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team, including cross-cultural teams.
• Able to communicate in English, Kanuri and Hausa

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Application Closing Date
12th November, 2020.