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General Description of GOAL Programme
In July 2005, GOAL responded to the Niger crisis by distributing emergency food supplies to the most vulnerable, where, as a result of drought and locust infestation, over 3.6 million of the 11.5 million population faced critical food shortages
While GOAL’s initial mission in Niger was to address the emergency food crisis, we also recognised that many of the problems underlying the acute malnutrition were due to abject poverty. As a result GOAL incorporated its emergency response with recovery and relief interventions. Having entered our third year in Niger, GOAL is now looking toward strengthening our multi-sector development interventions and early warning systems, while maintaining and improving our emergency response capacity.
GOAL Niger focuses on both the poorest and the most vulnerable in communities, addressing both the causes and effects of poverty by seeking to increase the access of women, marginalised children and youth to a secure future. This includes food security, access to water, curative and preventive nutrition services, education and sustainable livelihoods. If the programme is to be considered a success, it must have a measurable long-term impact. To this end GOAL Niger focuses on building the capacity of partners and beneficiary communities to address their own poverty issues.
The overall objective of GOAL’s programmes in Niger is to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable communities in the Zinder Region by addressing the underlying causes of malnutrition, including poverty and household food insecurity, poor maternal and childcare practices, inadequate health services, limited access to water and poor access to inadequate education facilities.
General Description of Role
GOAL's nutrition department operates Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) sites and Outpatient Therapeutic Centres (OTCs) which treat cases of moderate and severe non-complicated acute malnutrition in the Mirriah Department of Zinder. The main aims of the current programme are to support the integration of these SFP/ OTCs into the local government health centres so that they are able to treat malnutrition and to further develop community outreach. From June 2008 the focus of the programme will shift from curative to preventative nutrition interventions in order to support the improved knowledge, attitude and practice needed to reduce malnutrition and related disease.
The Nutrition Coordinator will supervise all aspects of emergency and development nutrition programmes implemented by GOAL and oversee partner organisations implementing nutrition activities including health promotion in Niger. They will provide technical support and advice to improve programmes quality, efficiency and impact. Finally, they manage, support and train teams of nutritionists, health workers and survey/assessment workers to effectively implement relevant activities as required by GOAL Niger.
Overall Objectives of Role
- Enable GOAL Niger to provide timely and appropriate nutrition interventions based on an assessed and verified need.
- To ensure effective and timely response of partners to respond to emergencies with technical support in nutrition interventions and programmes monitoring.
- Ensure quality programming by GOAL Niger, with all nutrition interventions adhering to international and Nigerien standards in nutrition.
Key Responsibilities
GOAL Emergency and Development Nutrition Programmes:
- Coordinate and oversee all emergency and development nutrition interventions.
- Ensure the timely implementation of the recommendations given by GOAL’s technical support team.
- Carry out assessments of where we can feasibly implement CTC capacity building projects in conjunction with the MoH.
- In conjunction with relevant key figures, conduct the necessary investigative work to determine where and what the most appropriate complimentary development nutrition interventions should be in concordance with other sectors.
- Coordinate with other departments on the GOAL Early Warning Systems data collection tool with the National Early Warning Mechanism (SAP). Also coordinate on agreed emergency response actions
- Develop a work plan to enable the practical realisation of these interventions in a timely manner.
- Provide technical advice to nutrition programme field supervisors.
- Plan and conduct training/capacity building exercises with the relevant teams or national GOAL counterparts, in order to ensure the highest level of service.
- Regularly monitor the ever changing nutritional context in government-approved GOAL working regions using the survey and assessment teams to conduct regular MICS and FGD surveys. Following GOAL and GoN guidelines to provide appropriate quantitative data in all development nutrition sites, and qualitative data collection to monitor changing causes of problems identified – Ensure use of GOAL standard impact indicators
- Oversee ongoing monitoring and evaluation of development programme activities with an emphasis on quality implementation, impact (in relation to behaviour change) and cost-effectiveness, and provide guidance to strengthen and improve the programme as appropriate – process indicators.
- Assist in project review and documentation of lessons learnt for wider dissemination as requested by CD.
- Liaise with the water/sanitation, schools and livelihoods teams to ensure comprehensive programming of nutrition activities within development programmes sites. Integration of programme activities as per the GOAL Niger Country Strategic Plan
- Actively participate in wider programme planning activities and in the development of site exit strategies.
- Liaise with the Ministry of Health, relevant UN departments and other NGOs in relation to nutrition programme issues and policies.
- Explore the development of partnerships with local NGOs and community groups to increase the scale and reach of our work
- Feed in to representation priorities for GOAL at national nutrition coordination meetings, and participate in nutrition working groups for policy formation when possible .
- Contribute to weekly and monthly report to Dublin HQ as well donor reports.
- Maintain a database of all nutrition programme data, and with nutrition field supervisors, monitor data to assess impact of the programmes.
- With GOAL nutrition advisors, adapt nutrition programme approaches and policies to fit the changing environment.
- Facilitate visits from donor representatives and other official visitors, when requested to by the CD, and provide information as required.
- Ensure that GOAL’s nutrition programmes adhere to international and Nigerien standards in nutrition.
- Ensure that nutrition programme direction fits with GOAL’s Mission Statement.
- Abide by GOAL’s Standards of Integrity at all times.
- To follow GOAL Security Guidelines and ensure that all staff line-managed by you do the same
- To ensure that wherever possible, data collection and reporting follows GOAL international standards and guidelines
- Develop new programme concepts and directions, advise on the nutritional elements of other project proposals.
- To manage the multi-disciplinary team in line with good performance management practice
- To manage/recruit department staff in accordance with GOAL Niger human resource policy
- To ensure national staff counterparts are developed and the role remains one of coordination
- Any other duties as reasonably requested by the CD.
Requirements
- B.Sc./M.Sc. or equivalent in Nutrition or related degree.
- 3+ years of overseas experience in humanitarian assistance programs.
- Extensive experience in design, planning, management and coordination of nutrition programs.
- Good computer skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel and PowerPoint, SMART, Epi-Info and/or other relevant statistics packages.
Skills & Competence
- Experience and skills in training staff
- Demonstrated analytical and conceptual skills to plan projects, timetable agreed activities and oversee staff activities.
- Experience with mentoring and building the capacity of local staff.
- Strong management skills and proven experience in managing teams.
- Strong organisational skills and an ability to plan projects, timetable activities, and monitor budgets.
- Excellent communication skills, preferably with experience in developing and writing proposals.
- Good human resource management skills and logistic skills.
- Awareness of community-based approaches to improving nutrition and food security.
- Proven experience in liaising with government officials, other NGOs, donors and UN agencies.
- Understanding of development and relief issues.
- Appreciation of the aims and objectives of GOAL.
- Outgoing personality with excellent communication skills.
- 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.
- Excellent written and spoken English and French.
- Ability to function and manage in situations of uncertain security.
This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available. GOAL reserves the right to change this document.
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