Position title:

Nutrition and Behavior Change Officer

Department/Division:

Programs

Title of supervisor:

Health and Social Protection Senior Program Manager

Start date:

Immediately

Length of Opportunity:

12 Months

Number of Positions Open:

5

Purpose of the job:

The Nutrition and Behavior Change Officer will specifically be responsible for the coordination, implementation, monitoring, and documentation of Abarinzi b’imikurire myiza project whose objective is to improve Maternally, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) practices through the creation of evidence-based peer support models derived from existing best practices and social support individuals or systems already in place in Rwandan households or communities. He/she will work closely with all stakeholders at the sector, cell, village level and all peer to peer support groups in the community to ensure all the child feeding practices and behaviors are captured and all programme services are timely delivered, utilized and beneficial to the target population.

Specific job duties:

1. Serve and empower the existing local leaders in the identified cells to ensure effective implementation and coordination of the programme key strategies and approaches aimed at improving nutrition through modelling peer support systems focused on disseminating positive practices already practiced by positive deviant households in the communities.
2. Identify existing peer support systems and practices (in households and communities, respectively) that may be leveraged to improve nutrition practices.
3. Identify positive deviant actors who are or might become linked to these peer support systems.
4. Identify and document positive deviant child feeding practices and behaviors of these actors and equip them to provide peer support by sharing their good practices through identified support systems.
5. Lead the field testing and roll-out of the peer to peer support intervention at the community level.
6. Joint planning and program reporting with existing local community leaders.
7. Ensure project related queries raised by beneficiaries are addressed timely, reported, and documented.
8. Follow up on the expected results of the project activities and interventions implemented on a quarterly basis.
9. Timely submit monthly narrative and financial reports.
10. Prepare and manage the monthly budget to ensure all spending is transparent and provides value for money.
11. Support community leaders and other partners to develop training tools, curriculums and ensure smooth capacity development activities as per the plan.
12. Document lessons learnt, challenges, and best practices and share lessons to the sector, cell leaders, and supervisor.
13. Coordinate with community leaders on all community-based assessments.
14. Carry out other activities assigned by and mutually agreed on with your supervisor.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Minimum Bachelor  Degree in Human Nutrition, Social and Behavior Change for Nutrition, Public Health, social sciences, clinical psychology, agronomy, development studies, or an equivalent related degree.
•  Ability to know how behaviors change, and how SBC strategies can be applied in the design of peer to peer support models.
• Know a list of evidence-based, nutrition-specific practices that have the greatest potential impact on the nutrition of mothers and children under 5 years.
• Ability to maintain performance expectations in conditions with limited resources.
• Strong interpersonal skills are vital.
• Strong capacity building and facilitation skills
• Ability to work with minimum supervision, and to deal with problems/issues promptly and efficiently
• Excellent written and spoken Kinyarwanda
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Competent in the use of Microsoft Office

Experience required:

• 3 years’ experience in the implementation of community-based programs, preferably in evidence-based nutrition-specific practices, social protection, human nutrition or any other area as mentioned above.
• Prior experience working with Maternal, Infant, young children Nutrition projects or peer to peer support models.
• Experience working with community leaders at all levels.

Physical demands:

Willingness to live and work in one of these districts Rubavu, Kicukiro, Burera, Nyamagabe, and Gatsibo.

Work environment:

Field-based with required visits to Kigali as guided by supervisors.