District Nutrition Officer (Memba District) Full-Time

PATH is an international organization that drives transformative innovation to save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms—vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations—that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health.

The Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) is a global U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) cooperative agreement to introduce and support high-impact health interventions in 24 USAID priority countries in health with the ultimate goal of ending preventable child and maternal deaths (EPCMD) within a generation. MCSP engages governments, policymakers, private sector leaders, health care providers, civil society, faith-based organizations and communities in adopting and accelerating proven approaches to address the major causes of maternal, newborn and child mortality and improving the quality of health services from household to health facility level.

Mozambique is one of the 24 USAID priority countries. MCSP has a new multi-year Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Death (EPCMD) program in Mozambique that incorporates health system strengthening interventions at the central, provincial and district levels, as well as facility and community-level technical support for the implementation of quality, high-impact reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCH+A) interventions. Because malnutrition is a significant underlying cause of maternal and child deaths, key nutrition interventions, often called Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA), will be integrated into services and activities at both the facility and community levels. The project focuses on two provinces in the central and northern regions of the country (Sofala and Nampula). MCSP implementation in Mozambique is led by Jhpiego, in concert with Save the Children, JSI, and PATH.

Jhpiego leads in the technical areas of maternal and reproductive health, malaria, and HIV. The partners assisting in the implementation of the project in the major technical areas include Save the Children (leads newborn health programming), John Snow, Inc. (leads child health and immunization activities), and PATH (lead for nutrition).

The MCSP nutrition component and activities will take place in Nampula Province, at both the facility and community level. Because of its experience in implementing community-based nutrition activities in Mozambique, Save the Children will implement the day-to-day nutrition activities at the community-level while facility-based nutrition activities will be led by PATH. The Nutrition Officers, who will be PATH employees, will provide support to and build the capacity of health facility staff in nutrition, monitor the technical quality and implementation of the facility and community component of the project. The Nutrition Officers will also provide technical assistance in nutrition to activists/ volunteers working at the community level and ensure quality of implementation and review monitoring data. These Nutrition Officers will be supervised by the MCSP Nutrition Advisor, who will assist in coordinating with Save the Children and the MCSP Provincial Management Team on all activities.

PATH is hiring District Nutrition Officers (DNOs) who will carry out nutrition activities in the districts, including mentoring and support to nutrition activists, providing technical assistance to nutrition service providers within district health directorates and health facilities, coordination of MCSP nutrition activities in the district in collaboration with District Community Nutrition Officers.

The main responsibilities:

The District Nutrition Officer will carry out nutrition activities in his/her district, including:

Provide nutrition technical assistance to district health directorate.
With Community District Nutrition Officers, strengthen the linkages between APES, nutrition activists and nutrition volunteers at the community level, and coordinate technical assistance provided by MCSP nutrition team.
Support nutrition mentoring of health staff, with MCSP District Nutrition Supervisors, in antenatal care, postnatal care, and well and at-risk infant and young children.
Support on-the-job training of health staff, with MCSP District Nutrition Supervisors, to improve content and quality of nutrition counselling of caregivers of infant and young children, pregnant and lactating women on: anemia, maternal diets, infant and young child feeding, breastfeeding, vitamin A supplementation and other nutritional conditions· Ensure overall nutrition quality for facility and community nutrition activities.
Support and strengthen nutrition data collection in collaboration with district health directorate.
Support integration of nutrition services into other maternal and child health services in the districts· In collaboration with the district health directorate, strengthen referral linkages between community and health facility level nutrition services.

Accountability:

Responsible for decision making, manages resources efficiently, reaches and serves as a role model for MCSP
Accountable for quality of mentoring, and monitoring the quality of implementation of activities at the health facility and community levels

Ambition:

Sets ambitious and challenging goals for himself/herself, takes responsibility for own personal development and encourages others to do the same Future-oriented, strategic thinker

Collaboration:

Builds and maintains effective relationships with his/her team, colleagues, members and government and the community
Strong communication and coordination skills

Creativity:

Develops and encourages new solutions

Integrity:

Honesty, encourages openness and transparency

Required Skills

Three years’ experience in working in nutrition and/health programs
Qualified as Nutrition Technician, Medical Technician, Preventive Medicine Technician, or Nurse
Knowledge of the key national nutrition policies and strategies in Mozambique
Familiarity with evidence-based nutrition interventions and best practices that will be the focus of this project.
Strong skills and experience in working with the officers/institutions of the Mozambican government at the district level.
Fluent in Portuguese and Emacua.
Experience in training and mentoring staff.
Skills to conduct local trainings.
Ability to meet deadlines.
Must have legal authorization to work in Mozambique.

This position remains open for applications until 23rd January, 2018

PATH is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce where diversity is valued.

PATH is an equal opportunity employer. Every qualified applicant will be considered for employment. PATH does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, age, national origin, marital status, disability status, political ideology, military or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.