Merlin Kenya Nutrition Coordinator Job

Programme: Merlin Kenya/Somalia Nutrition Programmes

Responsible To: Deputy Country Director for Programmes

Location: Kenya and Somalia

Start Date: ASAP

Duration: 12 Months

Salary: £26,850 - £27,600 per annum dependant on relevant experience

Benefits: Insurance cover, accommodation, R&R, and annual leave entitlement of 24 days per annum rising to 30 days at the completion of 12 months of continuous employment with Merlin.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date.

Please note this is an unaccompanied position.

Merlin International Profile

Merlin specialises in health, saving lives in times of crisis and helping to rebuild shattered health services. Each year, Merlin helps more than 15 million people in up to 20 countries.

Context and Background

Merlin has been incorporating community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) into its primary health care programmes for the last two years. This inclusion of a nutrition treatment component into existing primary health care projects, in conjunction with the respective Ministries of Health, has seen success in a total of six countries in central and east Africa. It is Merlin’s intention to capitalise on this experience, improve the quality of service and capture the lessons of this integration for further improvement and replication.

Merlin has been working in Kenya since 1998 and in Somalia since 2002. In Kenya Merlin is currently operational in two regions: western and northern Kenya and in three zones of Somalia: Somaliland, Puntland and South Central.

Merlin projects in Kenya range from the implementation of nutrition and emergency preparedness programmes; HIV care, treatment and VCT services; malaria prevention and control; disease outbreak responses and delivery of emergency nutrition and health support to displaced populations.

In Somalia Merlin is implementing a nutrition programme in addition to HIV/AIDS, TB and primary health care programmes.

The nutrition experience within Kenya and Somalia has had considerable success in the process of integration of these services within existing local structures. Merlin’s work in Kenya and Somalia provides ample opportunity for providing lessons to the regional programming portfolio.

Main purpose of the role

The Nutrition Coordinator is responsible for leading the nutrition team and providing technical support and capacity building of the team for successful planning and implementation of programme activities.

The Nutrition coordinator will work closely with Health Coordinator, Operational Coordinator and Programme Coordinator for program development. The Nutrition Coordinator will also work closely with the Country Health Coordinator to provide input into proposal development and country level strategies as required.

Overall Objectives (scope)

This position demands both the technical knowledge and the work experience, needed to coordinate a nutrition programme. The nutrition coordinator will be responsible for ensuring management of the nutrition programme is executed in line with international humanitarian standards and donor guidelines with the assistance of the Country Health Coordinators and deputy country director for programmes.

This position demands an ability to manage, organise and support all aspects of the programme; including other agency liaison, training and supervising regional and local staff using techniques and tools available and appropriate to Kenya and Somalia.

Responsibilities

Programme

• Ensure that the implementation of the nutrition programmes conform to internationally accepted standards and country guidelines
• Provide support and supervision on nutrition activities to those staff implementing health and nutrition programmes in Kenya and Somalia.
• Provides guidance to staff implementing and nutrition programmes on the integration of a nutrition component into the overall primary health care programmes and curative services.
• To take a lead role in expansion of Merlin’s nutrition programming in Kenya and Somalia.
• In collaboration with partners (MoH, WFP and UNICEF) support field sites with the organization of the logistics of food commodities.
• Together with Project health coordinators and country health coordinators ensure proper communication, coordination and harmonization of tools with the different stakeholders involved in food/nutrition activities
• Providing technical leadership and support for conducting nutrition surveys in all project sites, prepare report and generate discussion within the nutriton coordinators forums for any issues which needs to be addresed jointly.

Training and capacity building

• To assess the training needs of nutrition staff and develop a training programme to meet these needs.
• Conduct training of community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) for project staff and MOH counterparts implementing health and nutrition programmes in Kenya and Somalia.
• Ensure the establishment and strengthening or nutrition monitoring activities and train health staff (Merlin and partners) in case detection and referral mechanisms.
• Conduct and train health staff on surveys, causal analysis and other assessments of nutritional status of target groups.

Coordination

• To liaise, according to Merlin distribution of responsibilities, with the Ministry of Health and other agencies (UNICEF, WHO, and WFP) to ensure appropriate provision of service and use of resources.
• To keep the project health coordinators and Country Health Coordinators appraised of all activities and any difficulties that may arise.
• To report properly and in a appropriate time all relevant nutritional information required for the comprehensive development of the nutrition programmes
• Representing Merlin in Nutrition Cluster and other relevant Nutrition related meetings

Administration

• To assist in compiling Project Proposals
• To assist in compiling the nutrition activities inputs to donor project reports, with assistance from the appropriate staff.
• Maintain proper systems of filing and ensure that the field office has all relevant technical material on site.

Security

• Full adherence to Merlin Kenya and Somalia Security procedures.
• Full adherence to Merlin Kenya and Somalia field communication protocols and standard operating procedures, informing fellow team members and the Program Coordinator immediately of any security incident.
• To behave at all times in a manner which positively promotes Merlin and its work and actively maintaining Merlin’s acceptance strategy in Merlin operational areas

Person Specification

Essential

Qualifications, experience and competences

• B.Sc/M.Sc or equivalent in Nutrition or related degree.
• Work experience in CMAM and conducting nutrition surveys
• Programme development and management in a Humanitarian and/or emergency situation.
• Teaching and/or training experience.
• Demonstrated analytical and conceptual skills to plan projects, timetable agreed activities and oversee staff activities.
• Good team player, flexible and capable of working with a multinational country team.
• Ability and willingness to travel to rural locations and live in sometimes basic conditions.
• Appreciation of and sensitivity to local culture.
• Ability to function and manage in situations of uncertain security.
• Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken Eglish
• Confident and proficient in the use of MS Office
• Experience of establishing strong working relationships with colleagues from different functions and cultures
• Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload and multiple tasks in a fast paced environment with tight deadlines
• Experience of proactively identifying and addressing issues
• An understanding of and commitment to Merlin’s mission and values

Desirable

Qualifications, experience and competences

• Previous experience working for an international NGO in developing countries.
• Previous experience in Sub Saharan Africa.

To apply for this position

Applications should be sent to the address below on or before 02/06/2011

Merlin Kenya / Somalia Programme.
P.O. Box 3350 – 00200,
Nairobi

Or via e- mail to: recruitment@merlin-eastafrica.org

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