Job Description and Requirements

International Medical Corps never asks job applicants for a fee, payment, or other monetary transaction. If you are asked for money in connection with this recruitment, please report to International Medical Corps at the website for reporting misconduct: www.InternationalMedicalCorps.ethicspoint.com. Please do not submit your CV or application to this website, it will not be considered for review. 

Job Title: Nutrition Counselor FSR # 555 

This position is covering maternity and for a limited period only

Location: Zaatari Camp 

Job Summary

The nutrition counselor will be responsible for the implementation of infant and young child feeding program (IYCF) activities and integrated management of acute malnutrition (IMAM) program activities within the primary health care centers and the health posts in Zaatari camp.

She will provide, promote and support breastfeeding and optimal infant and young child feeding for mothers and children and minimize the risks of artificial feeding in the emergency context in accordance with agency policy and/or the operational guidance on IYCF in any required work location.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function with or without reasonable accommodation.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities 

Technical:

• Assess mothers and their children to identify specific feeding support needs (through Simple Rapid Assessment and Full Assessment of mother-baby pair)
• Assess the knowledge of the beneficiaries before and after counselling sessions.
• Provide tailored one-on-one counseling sessions to mothers, in line with needs discovered in initial assessments, offering practical advice and education on key IYCF issues;
• Provide one-on-one breastfeeding counseling for mothers experiencing difficulties breastfeeding including supporting women with breast conditions and supporting re-lactation;
• Ensure all mothers/caregivers are aware of the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months;
• Provide mothers with practical advice on correct attachment and positioning when breastfeeding and respond to any concerns or local taboos associated with breastfeeding;
• Ensure that mothers are reached with IYCF services as soon as possible after delivery, and followed up frequently as needed

• Assess infants for infant danger signs, growth, and feeding; especially infants nutritionally at risk, to be closely followed up and ensure timely referral at any time a sign of risk is identified.
• Provide appropriate counseling and ensure support is provided to caregivers of targeted infants who have no possibility to be breastfed;
• Discourage and educate mothers on the dangers of feeding bottles
• Provide training, demonstration, on-going guidance and support to provide artificial feeding safely for exceptional cases.
• Liaise closely with the nutrition counselors, on the referred cases for breastmilk examination and eligibility of infant milk formula prescription for exceptional cases, to ensure SOPs are always adopted and cases are closely followed up.
• Liaise with the nutrition counselors and maintain high coordination with the team to ensure close follow up of exceptional cases eligible for infant milk formula prescription.
• Follow-up with defaulter cases eligible for infant milk formula to investigate the reasons and ensure their nutritional needs are met
• Counsel mothers on the appropriate time to introduce complementary feeding and the benefits of continued breastfeeding and respond to any concerns or local taboos associated with complementary feeding.
• Educate the mothers on the quality, quantity, texture and frequency of complementary feeds to promote adequate weight gain;
•  Educate the mothers on food safety and hygiene
•  Provide pregnant women with preparatory counseling for breastfeeding and colostrum feeding, to prevent pre-lacteal feeds and bottle feeding;
• Ensure systematic screening for acute malnutrition among all children under the age of 5 and pregnant/lactating women
• Ensure that all malnourished children are referred appropriately for nutrition support to (SFP/OTP)
• Ensure that anthropometric measurements are recorded and monitored correctly.
• Link with referral routes in the camp to facilitate SAM/MAM children with medical complications’ referral to receive proper medical treatment at the secondary level.
• Ensure that National CMAM Guidelines are followed and implemented in the management of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) girls and boys.
• Ensure that nutrition products (RUTF, RUSF) following the National CMAM Guidelines are given to the patient according to his/her nutritional status
• Through liaison with the nutrition workers, provide effective follow up of all cases – particularly:
  • Ensure the prompt tracing of children who are absent from the program
  • Request specific children to be followed up as required (newly enrolled children, sick children, long stay children / children not gaining weight, children with social problems etc.).
• To ensure that the beneficiaries in the IMAM are discharged when appropriate.
• Ensure that SAM/MAM cases who change their residence are referred to other OTP/SFP sites and ensure the service continuity.
• Ensure systematic disaggregated age/gender data on malnourished girls and boys and PLW’s are recorded correctly and timely reported using standard program reporting tool.
• Maintain proper communication with care givers of girls and boys enrolled in the program
• Maintain good connection with protection, mental health, disability support and WASH routes in the camp to support potential crosscutting needs.
• To support medical nutrition therapy to patients of chronic conditions whenever needed
• Support in arranging food demonstration sessions (on complementary feeding) for the beneficiaries in collaboration with outreach workers, and women support groups.
• Contribute to the development of contextually appropriate IEC materials for local IYCF sensitization.

Reporting and Advocacy:

• Maintain records of mothers and children attending counselling sessions, receiving skilled assessment and support
• Weekly tracking of malnourished children in SFP/OTP
• Maintain records and daily tracking of infant milk formula prescribed
• Reflect data on the milk register tally sheets prescription cards on daily basis
• Maintain records and track prescribed special milk formula and inform the officer and the senior nutrition officer timely on stock records.
• Submit comprehensive periodic, and ad hoc relevant statistical reports and data required by the nutrition officers and senior nutrition officer
• Submit weekly and monthly reporting of activities to the nutrition officers and senior nutrition officer
• Compile and filter weekly rapid assessments from nutrition volunteers and report on weekly basis to nutrition officers
• Record and report any donations or untargeted distributions of infant formula, bottles and teats and other violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes
• Play an active role in advocacy to promote proper IYCF-E Practices, antenatal and post-natal checkups, importance of institutional deliveries, vaccination and growth monitoring

Referral and Coordination:

• Maintain strong coordination with medical staff to support medical nutrition therapy for chronic conditions if needed.
• Refer children for intensive nutritional/medical care as required.
• Liaise with pharmacists, midwives, pediatricians, regarding the prescription of infant milk formula for eligible cases.
• Liaise with the MH team, CP team and follow up closely with them on cases followed-up jointly, to ensure mother-infant best interest.
• Ensure caregivers are aware of available services and advocate prioritization for caregivers, where necessary, in appropriate services and support.
• Refer all pregnant women to the next antenatal care services if not already informed.
• Refer cases for community follow – ups to community nutrition volunteers.
• Visit cases if needed.
• Refer to other services in the camp (Medical, Disabilities, Protection and WASH);
• Reach out to malnourished children in their caravans whenever needed.
• Coordinate with all health practitioners and nutrition volunteers in relevant clinic/location to ensure that all pregnant and lactating mothers are referred to CMAM/IYCF services
• Receive cases referred from the pediatrician and other actors in the camp and manage cases appropriately

Additional Tasks:

• Participate in other IYCF and IMAM program duties as requested
• Ensure a comfortable, calm, environment for counseling sessions and maintain good relationships with the beneficiaries.
• Other duties as assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and are not necessarily all inclusive

Qualifications 

Essential:

• Bachelor’s Degree in human nutrition and dietetics or clinical nutrition.
• One year’s of experience in a similar role.
• Knowledge of optimal IYCF practices, able to support breastfeeding mothers and a willingness to learn.
• Proven capacity of teamwork.
• Excellent communication skills and a willingness to be respectful, kind, sensitive and empathize with all beneficiaries and their caregivers
• Capacity to keep accurate records of activities and report in a timely manner
• Ability to make a work plan and direct work independently to achieve the target.
• Ability to identify problems immediately and initiate improvements if needed with senior management
• Highly organized and has excellent time-management skills
• Good computing skills in Kobo, Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, is required.
• Able to work independently as well as part of a team.
• Able to integrate into a multi-cultural team and cooperate with co-workers.

Desirable:

• Lactation/Breastfeeding qualification
• experience with nutritional management of children with metabolic disorders
• Experience working in humanitarian emergency settings.
• Knowledge of the operational area
• A mother with successful breastfeeding experience.

Child Safeguarding

International Medical Corps is committed to child safeguarding and expects all employees to strictly adhere to the values and principles of the International Medical Corps Child Safeguarding Policy.

Code of Conduct

It is our shared responsibility and obligation to prevent matters involving Sexual Exploitation & Abuse, trafficking in Persons, Child Safeguarding and any suggested violation to our Code of Conduct, which may involve Conflicts of Interest, Fraud, Corruption or Harassment.  If you see, hear or are made aware of any suggested activities then you have an obligation to report.

Compliance & Ethics

Promotes and encourages a culture of compliance and ethics throughout International Medical Corps. As applicable to the position, maintains a clear understanding of International Medical Corps’ and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards.  Conducts work with the highest level of integrity. Communicates these values to staff and to partners and requires them to adhere to these values.

Equal Opportunities

International Medical Corps is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

This job description is subject to periodic review and adjustment in order to achieve International Medical Corps goals in Jordan, and any changes to the job description will be discussed and agreed

“I hereby certify that all the information provided through the application and CV are accurate and the supportive documents are available upon request, any false information provided will cause cancelation of the application and applicant will be subject to legal action”.

Our screening process will be on a rolling basis, once a candidate is selected the announcement will be closed.