Established in 1915
with Helen Keller as a founding trustee, Helen Keller International (HKI) works
to save the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
Headquartered in New
York City, HKI currently conducts programs in 21 countries in Africa and Asia
as well as in the United States. HKI is known for sustainability, reliability,
efficiency and the highest level of technical expertise in fighting and
treating blindness and malnutrition.
The hallmark of the
organization’s work is its proven effectiveness in developing, testing and
scaling-up health interventions, and integrating them within government and
community structures. HKI is initiating program activities in Kenya and intends
to build the program incrementally from a strong program base.
HKI is collaborating with NCBA/CLUSA to respond to the USAID Request for Application (RFA) Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands-Improving Resilience (REGAL – IR) Project in Kenya.
HKI is collaborating with NCBA/CLUSA to respond to the USAID Request for Application (RFA) Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands-Improving Resilience (REGAL – IR) Project in Kenya.
The project objective
is to enhance resilience of communities in five arid districts in Northern
Kenya.
REGAL will use a
Community-Based Natural Resource Management Approach that strengthens
communities, local community-based organizations and government capacity to
better manage natural resources.
The Nutrition Manager will be part of the Senior Management Team of the project and work closely with the project team, local communities, and local government authorities/technicians to identify opportunities that build nutrition awareness and reduce the incidence of acute malnutrition (wasting) among under five children in the targeted districts.
The Nutrition Manager will be part of the Senior Management Team of the project and work closely with the project team, local communities, and local government authorities/technicians to identify opportunities that build nutrition awareness and reduce the incidence of acute malnutrition (wasting) among under five children in the targeted districts.
S/he will use
research-based Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials and
relevant Behavior Change Communication (BCC)methodologies to promote behavior
change within communities that support improved nutrition practices.
The Nutrition Manager
will draw from different internal project specialists and external consultants
to develop an integrated approach to building nutritionawareness based on the
Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA) framework and will include home-based food
production, meal preparation, as well as improved hygiene and sanitation
practices that reduce the incidence of diarrhea.
The Nutrition Manger
will work through communities, local and national government institutions to
jointly design, implement, monitor and evaluate nutrition activities to
strengthen capacity for sustainable results.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities
- Manage
the nutrition component of the Regal-IR project and represent HKI as a
member of the Senior Management Team for the project; participate in the
design and implementation of internal management systems for the project;
- Ensure
that gender gap analyses and research evidence informs the designs of all
nutrition activities;
- Ensure
that REGAL-IR activities are done in partnership and complement ongoing
activities supported by other projects (APHIA-Plus, UNICEF, WFP, etc);
- Collaborate
with project staff and key stakeholders to identify opportunities, project
designs and activities that contribute to improve nutrition practices;
- Together
with project staff and other stakeholders in the government and communities,
assess the nutritional status through research and informed baseline
surveys; Develop project designs that ensure the highest potential for
sustainable success in reducing the incidence of malnutrition;
- Provide
nutrition technical assistance to project staff provincial and district
government counterparts, non-governmental partners and other stakeholders;
- Coordinate
and manage the use of research data to develop/refine BCC materials;
- Ensure
the pre-testing and revision of all BCC materials developed in areas of
nutrition, homestead food production and Hygiene/sanitation; ensure that
all BCC materials have technically correct messages and are in line with
government policies.
- Develop
planning to introduce new BCC materials for use in the training identified
partners within the government and communities. Develop and introduce
appropriate tools for monitoring and evaluating BCC interventions through
key stakeholders.
- Design
training programs (including need assessment, training curricula, lesson
plans, and training materials) related to nutrition and lead the
development of monitoring and evaluation plans following the trainings.
- Collaborate
with agriculture and animal husbandry staff in organizing and conducting
research and surveys, that inform nutrition activities in home-based food
production;
- In
collaboration with the project team, implement evidence-based project
designs in home-based food production that meet micro-nutrient
requirements to improve diet quality;
- Work
with Nutrition, Agriculture and Livestock training Officers and other
Program Officers in all aspects of training development, including
training curricula, lesson plans, and training materials;
- Supervise
the performance of HKI staff working within the nutrition component of the
Regal-IR project;
- Ensure
accurate and timely project and financial reporting that comply with donor
requirements for the project;
Qualifications and Experience
- Master’s
degree in Nutrition or related field with strong practical experience in
implementing nutrition programming, at both the government and the
community levels;
- At
least 6 years of related field experience in nutrition programming (e.g.,
micro nutrients,infant and young child feeding and women’s nutrition),
including strong quantitative analytic skills; experience in programming
nutrition initiatives through home-based garden, an advantage;
- Practical
experience with behavior change communication strategies in support of
nutrition programs necessary;
- Demonstrated
track record in undertaking and supporting data collection, analysis and
report and article writing, including publication in peer-reviewed
journals.
- Strong
technical knowledge of nutrition and food security programs and issues in
the developing world, particularly in Kenya, including demonstrated
ability to track and disseminate new developments in the field;
- Demonstrated
ability to effectively interact and communicate with government, academia,
and other stakeholders in Kenya at the national, provincial and district
level.
- Excellent
oral and written English. Demonstrated ability to read, analyze and
interpret complex documents, and to prepare presentations and articles.
- Excellent
oral and written Kiswahili an advantage;
- Strong
interpersonal skills in dealing with external contacts, as well as
internal Colleagues;
- Demonstrated
team leadership skills that motivate staff and build team cohesion;
- Proven
planning and organizational skills;
- Computer
Literate in MS Operating Systems, MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel,
PowerPoint);
- Experience
with Epi-info and SSPS an advantage;
How to apply:
If you meet the above requirements, please send a detailed CV, Application letter stating clearly the position that you are applying for as the subject line (Nutrition Manager REGAL – IR), names and contacts of three references, a daytime telephone/ mobile contact to rkatana@hki.org by the close of business on 15th June 2012.
If you meet the above requirements, please send a detailed CV, Application letter stating clearly the position that you are applying for as the subject line (Nutrition Manager REGAL – IR), names and contacts of three references, a daytime telephone/ mobile contact to rkatana@hki.org by the close of business on 15th June 2012.