Reference:KK/HNC/MW
Country: Republic of Malawi
Job Title: Health and Nutrition Coordinator
Contract Grade: B
Contract Length: Two year
Accompanied / Unaccompanied: Accompanied
Exact Job Location: Lilongwe
Reports To: Assistant Country Director - Programmes
Responsible For: Coordination of overall health and nutrition programme in Malawi, technical support for health and nutrition activities, and direct line management of health and nutrition Programme/Project Managers
Liaises With: Country Director; FIM and Education Coordinators; ACD-S, logistics, finance, and HR staff, Concern Malawi programme teams; Maternal and Newborn Health Advisor (HQ), Nutrition Advisor (HQ)
Job Purpose:
The Health and Nutrition Programme in Malawi currently consists of a portfolio of large and small projects, across three districts, encompassing sexual and reproductive health, youth health services, and nutrition. The Health and Nutrition programme focuses on prevention of undernutrition, and on improving access to high quality sexual and reproductive health services, through direct implementation, partnership, and advocacy.
The Health and Nutrition Coordinator provides overall strategic, technical and management leadership to the Health and Nutrition (H&N) sector in Concern Malawi, ensuring that the highest standards of programme implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting are attained. In addition to overseeing district-level programmes in Nkhotakota and Mchinji, the H&N Coordinator takes an active role in advocacy and coordination, contributing to national efforts around the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) movement and the CSO Nutrition Alliance (CSONA), and other key working groups.
In addition, the Coordinator will lead and further develop the H&N programme sector portfolio through an innovative approach to learning, programme design, identifying opportunities, and securing resources within the H&N programme.
2. MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategy and Programme Development:
· Contribute to the finalisation of a health and nutrition strategy for Concern Worldwide Malawi, and ensure the successful implementation of the strategy.
· Provide strategic and technical advice to health and nutrition managers, programme staff, and partners, in line with current best practice, national policies, and Concern Worldwide strategies.
· Ensure the continuation and growth of the H&N programme portfolio by identifying potential opportunities, leading project design and proposal development processes in response to donor funding opportunities.
· Identify potential local partners, contribute to the finalisation of partnership agreements, and manage and ensure the effective achievement of partnership arrangements
· Follow up with in-country donors, UN and international NGO partners on the status and progress of H&N proposal applications.
· Maintain strong working relations with donor H&N sector technical advisors in Malawi.
· Maintain strong working relationships with other international NGOs activein the H&N sector in order to maximise opportunities to enter into consortium based proposal submissions to donors.
· Maintain close working relations with appropriate members of Concern’s technical advisory and advocacy units in Dublin, especially the Health and Nutrition Unit.
Programme Coordination and Management:
· Provide direct line management for health and nutrition Programme/Project Managers, and oversee the management of all health and nutrition staff
· Prepare annual budgets and technical narratives; review management accounts on a monthly basis and feedback on the project management accounts
· Undertake regular and detailed reviews of implementation progress against plans and budgets. Where necessary revise plans and budgets to maintain programme quality and progress.
· Actively promote inter- and intra-team discussion, communication, and sharing of lessons learned.
· Coordinate health and nutrition programmes with other Concern programmes, in collaboration with the ACD-P and Programme Managers, to identify synergies and possibilities for integration of activities.
· Review staff structures and job description roles and responsibilities to ensure optimal human resourcing of the H&N sector programmes. This entails initiating the timely recruitment of appropriately qualified and experienced H&N programme staff, and assisting with short-listing and interviewing potential candidates.
· Implement Concern’s performance management systems to monitor, maintain and improve H&N staff and team performance.
· Carry out capacity building, coaching, and on-the-job mentoring to strengthen the skills and capacity of Concern Malawi managers and programme staff in nutrition and health related issues.
· Lead development of programme plans, tools, and activities.
· Ensure that the Concern Worldwide Logistics and Procurement policies are followed in all areas of programme delivery, and that donor rules and regulations are adhered to.
· Ensure H&N programme budget utilisation and asset management are in full compliance with Concern’s administrative and financial policies and procedures.
· Develop Terms of Reference for local consultants, oversee consultant selection, and ensure that consultancy deliverables are achieved
Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting:
· Devise and maintain results based systems for monitoring and evaluating program results, to better demonstrate H&N programme outcomes and impacts.
· Support effective learning and the transfer of knowledge within Malawi, across sectors, and to other country programmes
· Lead the development and delivery of high quality and innovative H&N strategies for information and communication management.
· Consolidate and submit high quality monthly, quarterly and annual internal and external reports on time.
· Design tools and lead data collection for baseline, mid-term, and endline assessments, selective an appropriate mix of tools and approaches.
Representation:
· Document lessons learned from programming and operational research through publications in journals, reports, and other channels.
· Ensure that lessons learned and best practices are shared widely and used to improve programme quality (design and implementation).
· Represent Concern Worldwide in national and international forums, technical working groups, and committees.
· At a national level maintain strong working relationships with key H&N actors and decision making bodies.
· Strengthen Concern’s H&N sector innovation and learning by forging and strengthening partnership relations with appropriate international, regional and national research institutes.
Other:
· Actively participate in the Country Office Senior Management Team (SMT).
· Support the implementation and review of a Country Office strategic plan and other organisation strategies and plans as needed
· Support and supervise health and nutrition trainees or interns as necessary
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:
ESSENTIAL
· A third level degree in Public Health, Nutrition, Maternal and Child Health, or related fields
· At least five years practical experience and demonstrated skills in the design and management of various high impact health and nutrition interventions in developing countries
· Experience in managing staff, with particular skills in building and leading strong teams of national staff
· A proven track record in project design and proposal development
· Experience in building relations with donors and securing external donor funding
· Knowledge and experience of various models of health and nutrition interventions
· Experience in monitoring and evaluation of country level health and nutrition programmes
· Ability to prepare, monitor, and ensure accurate delivery of project budgets and workplans
DESIRABLE
· Experience in coordinating health and/or nutrition surveys and data management/analysis
· Competence using quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods for programme planning, monitoring and evaluation and operational research.
· Experience of high level organisational representation, especially maintaining technical relationships with international donors, the UN, International Research Institutes and International NGOs and Government representatives
· Experience in advocacy at the national and/or international level and demonstrated ability to translate programme experiences to policy
· Specific knowledge of best practice and new innovation in maternal, sexual, and reproductive health
· Experience with youth-friendly health approaches
· Good understanding of the causal framework for undernutrition, and experience with approaches for preventing undernutrition
· Understanding of effective approaches for Social and Behaviour Change
· Experience in working with government stakeholders, particularly in developing and influencing policy
· Experience in training and facilitation
Special Skills, Aptitude or Personality Requirements:
· The ability to synthesize complex technical and programmatic issues into concise communications
· Strong analytical and problem solving abilities
· Excellent English communication skills (verbal and written)
· Strong leadership skills and ability to manage change effectively
· Excellent communication and presentation skills, including fluency in written and spoken English
· Delegation, time management and prioritizing skills and coping with broad range of demands
· Highly adaptive work style
· Willingness to travel for at least 25% of working time
· Ability to work to tight deadlines
· Empathy with Concern’s Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives
How to apply:
All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date.
CV’s should be no more than 4 pages in length.
All candidates who are short-listed for a first round interview will be notified via email after the application deadline.
Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.
Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.
Concern receives a substantial amount of funding from external donors each year. Increasingly donors are introducing requirements whereby future funding is conditional on Concern ensuring that the names of any new employee or volunteer do not appear on terrorism lists generated by the European Union (List of person, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC No. 2580/2001 applies), the US Government (Office of Foreign Assets Control list of specially designated Nationals and Blocked Persons) and the United Nations (Consolidated List). Any offer of employment (either paid or voluntary) with Concern Worldwide will not be made pending a clearance check being conducted on the applicant. For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.
Concern Worldwide is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
