Job Title: STRONG Nutrition Officer
Department: Programming/STRONG Project
Band: 7
Reports To: STRONG Program Manager II
Country/Location: Rwanda, (Kigali) with 25% Field Trips
About CRS
Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, nutrition, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.
Catholic Relief Services has been present in Rwanda since 1960, and currently implements projects in nutrition, WASH, agriculture, youth entrepreneurship and peacebuilding. The Country Program has over 80 staff and implements its projects through local and international partners, with strong coordination/collaboration with Government of Rwanda Priorities.
Background
CRS is preparing to implement a global project that will address critical nutrition needs of adolescent girls and young women, with an emphasis on a multi-regional perspective and incorporating a significant goods delivery component. This five-year program will be implemented across seven countries including: Guatemala, India, Liberia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Timor Leste, and Zambia. Activities in the seven countries will contribute to the achievement of global results, targets, and indictors under one global award managed by a central Senior Management Team. In Rwanda, this program will be implemented in five districts with the highest anemia rates amongst women (DHS 2020). namely Kayonza, Rwamagana, Nyarugenge, Rulindo, and Nyamasheke districts.
Job Summary:
As a member of the Sustainable, Targeted, Responsive Approach to Optimize Nutrition and Growth (STRONG) for Adolescent Girls and Young Women project team, under the guidance of the STRONG Project Manager, you will facilitate the achievements of the project’s objectives by coordinating, monitoring, and reporting all project activities implemented by CRS partner(s) aiming at serving the poor and vulnerable. Your coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that the project for which you are responsible applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.
Roles and Key Responsibilities:
- Organize and lead the implementation of all nutrition related project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan (DIP) in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, GoR’s the policy/strategy, and good practices.
- Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
- Coordinate and oversee working relationships with all local project stakeholders, especially those who are intervening nutrition component, and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact related to nutrition indicators.
- Supervise and perform ad-hoc inspections of various processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures.
- Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partners.
- Support the STRONG Project Manager to develop related project teaching materials as well as implement training of partners and government staff, health providers on the latest nutrition programming competency to promote key nutrition approaches.
- Supervise and support community-level capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards.
- Oversee the implementation of a community-based nutrition approaches focusing on inclusive nutrition with a focus on Adolescent and Young mothers as well as households with children under 6, pregnant lactating mothers.
- Support partners’ staff to ensure the functionality of village nutrition school (VNS) with all target program participants.
- Collaborate with project ME officer to supervise the data collected by partner staff and ensure data accuracy in the project reports.
- Conduct regular technical supportive supervision and onsite coaching to project stakeholders to ensure implementation of project activities per DIP.
- Contribute to the accountability towards central and local governments through supervision and assistance to partners in the preparation of program evaluations.
- Collaborate efficiently with other STRONG project staff to ensure that the supported communities are thriving and adopt best practices that lead them to thrive.
- Ensure project documentation for assigned activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and donor requirements.
- Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and documentation of case studies and promising practices.
- Review implementing partners’ reports and provide feedback for improvement.
- Ensure a good relationship with all project stakeholders including districts officials, Health providers and other stakeholders involved in nutrition activities.
- Perform any other task assigned by relevant supervisors.
Basic Qualifications Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in human nutrition and dietetics is required.
- Minimum of 2 years of work experience in project support, ideally in the field of nutrition, public health, food security programs for NGO.
- Additional experience may substitute for some education.
Required Languages
Fluency in English (written and spoken) and Kinyarwanda. French is a plus.
Travel
The position is Kigali based. Must be willing and able to travel to the field, in five target districts, up to 25 % of the time.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Analysis and problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound judgment.
- Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners.
- Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented
- Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.
- Experience in training and supporting the implementation of nutrition activities.
- Staff supervision experience a plus.
- Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.
- Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.
- Builds & Maintains Trust
- Collaborates with Others
- Open to Learn
- Leads Change
- Develops & Recognizes Others
- Strategic Mindset
- Personnel Accountability
- Acts with Integrity
Supervisory Responsibilities: None
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: STONG Project Manager and other STRONG staff i.e. Project Officer, MEAL Officer, other Nutritionists of different CRS projects, Head of Programming, CRS finance and Procurement staffs.
External: Implementing partners, district technical staff, district level relevant technical working groups including DPEMs, other nutrition actors in the districts.
How to apply
Interested and qualified candidates should complete the attached application form, Self -Declaration Clause and submit them together with one page Cover letter plus updated CV (maximum three pages) all in/as one document – via email only to: RW_HR@crs.org not later than Friday September 29th, 2023, at 5:00pm.
Please, include below statement in your cover letter:
“By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics.”
Also include your full names and title “STRONG Nutrition Officer @ Band 7” in the subject line. Due to anticipated high interest in this post and the expected number of applicants, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Kigali September 19th, 2023.
Hans Fly
Country Representative
