Nutrition Specialist - SRP

Nutrition Specialist - SRP

• • Frequent travel to Buhera and Tsholotsho, Based in Harare, Zimbabwe
  • Contract

Company Description

Nutrition Action Zimbabwe a locally registered PVO operating in Zimbabwe. The organization’s primary focus is combating malnutrition in all its forms, through effective implementation of quality programming for both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programming. NAZ seeks to recruit for a Nutrition Specialist to support the Sustainable Roots Program (SRP).

The Sustainable Roots Program is a nutrition promotion program funded by The Light Foundation implemented in Buhera and Tsholotsho districts of Zimbabwe for a 5-year period.

The program seeks to support rural communities to increase nutritional status of women, children, and their households by promoting production and consumption of traditional and local foods. The program will apply regenerative agriculture, soil and water and sustainable use of forest products to meet dietary and health needs. The SRP program will support communities with improved access to water for domestic and productive use and will work closely with Government Departments to ensure appropriate and synergistic implementation.

The program is implemented by a consortium led by CARE Zimbabwe and implementing partners - Organization of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP) and Nutrition Action Zimbabwe (NAZ).

Job Description

The Nutrition Specialist will provide overall nutrition technical expertise for the consortium be responsible for leading the implementation of NAZ activities in support of the SRP project. The Specialist will provide technical guidance and support to Nutrition Officers and Gender Officers, ensuring the achievement of sustained project outcomes. The role will include leadership for the NAZ team on the project ensuring effective delivery of quality programming of nutrition activities integrated with food security, gender and behaviour change programming in the project.  This involves documenting processes and lessons learned to enable continuous improvement of approaches and achievement of results.

The role will collaborate closely with provincial and district-level stakeholders for alignment of strategies, coordinating activities, and fostering effective local-level implementation. Additionally, the role includes responsibilities for work planning, which encompasses developing schedules and monitoring progress to ensure timely and efficient delivery of the planned activities and outputs. The specialist will participate as part of the project management structure ensuring that nutrition outcomes for the project are achieved and aligned to the overall project outcomes.

Objective 1: Ensure implementation of project activities as defined in the project document.

• Technical Support:

• Serve as the lead nutrition resource person for the project ensuring that all nutrition activities are harmonized with key consortium approaches.
• Lead implementation of project activities in partnership with FNSCs and other governance structures and stakeholders.
• Provide technical guidance on the roll out of technical trainings (ToT) on the Care Group Methodology, SAA and Male engagement for project staff per the agreed consortium approach.
• Monitor community training for technical areas and develop a strategy to improve and maintain quality.
• Provide guidance and support for the community-level recruitment of project participants for groups including Care Groups
• Provide technical support/backstopping to project staff.
• Support the provision of training, technical assistance, and demonstrations to households.
• Organize and lead sensitization meetings with provincial stakeholders on the Care Group methodology, SAA and male engagement approaches in the project.
• Develop workplan for and implement regular review meetings for technical area.
• Lead the development of different tools needed for proper implementation of the project.
• Routinely monitor the quality of training for project beneficiaries.
• Monitor project implementation and provide technical support to project staff and stakeholders and beneficiaries.
• Provide technical input and analysis in developing project deliverables such as the annual work plan and quarterly reports and other reports required by the donor.
• Support SRP MEAL processes for Nutrition by providing technical input on designing, reviewing, monitoring and evaluation of nutrition indicators and targets.
• Contribute to project work planning, performance management, and strategic communications including the design and support of behavior change campaigns as it relates to nutrition.

Objective 2: Ensure timely routine reporting of the project activities.

• Produce timely reports for internal consortium use and contribute to donor reports.
• Participate in weekly/ monthly project meetings.
• Consolidate weekly, monthly and quarterly reports (narrative and quantitative) for technical areas.
• Ensure that activity and training reports are compiled.
• Compile statistical data and draft appropriate reports on activities.
• Analyze nutrition situation and prevailing trends and provide constructive written feedback.
• Participate during project assessments as may be determined by the project consortium.
• Documentation of best practices for learning purposes and increase project visibility.

Objective 3: Supervise and manage staff under your responsibility.

• Provide day-to-day management of staff directly under his/her responsibility (Nutrition Officers and Gender officers).
• Set objectives with staff under his/her direct management and appraise their performance in accordance with NAZ performance management policies, identifying areas where they require support and capacity development.
• Ensure that all project policies and procedures are followed for staff directly under his/her responsibility.

Policy compliance – Mandatory Reporting Policy (MRP):

• Comply with all NAZ policies.
• Assist where necessary in undertaking activities that aim to prevent the occurrence of sexual abuse and exploitation of beneficiaries by NAZ and other humanitarian workers.

Confidentiality:

• Ensuring the non-disclosure of any information whatsoever relating to the practices and business of NAZ acquired in the course of duty, to any other person or organization without authority, except in the normal execution of duty

Note:  The role of the Nutrition Specialist cannot be limited to the specific duties and tasks detailed herein.  The success of NAZ’s mission is the highest priority and all issues which arise must be addressed accordingly. Therefore, the Nutrition Specialist will be required to manage all unforeseen issues and circumstances and remain flexible to perform other duties, as and when required.

Qualifications

Required

• Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Food Sciences, Social Behaviour Change and related fields.
• Postgraduate qualification in a related field is an added advantage.
• 4-5 years’ experience in community development.
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of gender, age, and other locally significant socio-cultural factors in the context of food and nutrition security and resilience programming in Zimbabwe.

Desired

• Working experience of at least five years in Nutrition sensitive programming, working with rural communities promoting consumption that fosters optimal nutrition.
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating learning and knowledge-sharing processes, in establishing and managing dynamic feedback systems to capture ideas and mobilize communities.
• Ability to foster collaboration amongst diverse groups and communities is required.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships and productive working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex and complicated ideas into easily accessible and understandable concepts and/or messages
• Experience with assessment tools and processes for rural community projects within a development context
• Excellent, high-level, demonstrated written and oral communications skills in English is required.
• Proficiency in computer skills including experience of MS Word, Excel, MS Office Project,

Preferred

• Should be able to work with minimal supervision.
• Should be computer literate (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).
• Ability to work and offer technical support in remote areas.
• Team player
• Good communication skills
• Good facilitation and training skills
• Good knowledge of the local languages and culture

Additional Information

NAZ does not tolerate Fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Applying

Kindly use this smart recruiters platform link to fill in your application and attach any relevant  supporting documents not later than 25th of October 2024: Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. This is a rolling and urgent recruitment and candidates will be shortlisted as they apply.

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