Job Description

BACKGROUND

FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research and technology — creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today's interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 70 countries and all U.S. states and territories.

Alive & Thrive (A&T) is a global nutrition initiative to save lives, prevent illness, and ensure healthy growth of mothers and children. From 2009–2014, A&T demonstrated that rapid improvements in infant and young child feeding (IYCF) are possible in settings as diverse as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Viet Nam. In 2014, A&T began working in Burkina Faso, India, Nigeria, and throughout the Southeast Asia region, expanding its scope to include maternal and adolescent nutrition, and using agriculture and social protection programs as delivery mechanisms for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN). Currently, A&T is leveraging its robust network and knowledge base to strengthen systems and build capacity in these and other countries across Africa and Asia, and disseminate innovations, tools, and lessons worldwide. A&T is managed by FHI 360 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other donors.

The overarching goal of A&T is to accelerate effective coverage at scale of key nutrition interventions in priority geographies. In Bangladesh, A&T will contribute to this goal through strengthening systems for MIYCN interventions by providing technical assistance to government, development partners, and other stakeholders to accelerate delivery.

The Upazila Nutrition Extension Officer will drive A&T’s efforts in two upazilas of Chattogram to assist the GOB to achieve nutrition-related disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs), and contribute to replication and scale up at the division and national level, in collaboration with the World Bank and UNICEF. A&T’s intervention in Chattogram will address the most crucial barriers to effective delivery of MIYCN counseling in government systems. A&T will test approaches to effect such changes in the two upazilas in which the Upazila Nutrition Extension Officer will operate, as well as four others. Interventions will include: 1) ensuring use of the right content and tools; 2) setting up centers of excellence to showcase what is possible and address key issues (such as counselling following C-sections); 3) improving managers’ performance in the execution of a comprehensive performance improvement cycle for frontline workers and frontline managers; 4) developing partnerships to improve referral to facilities; and 5) utilizing a quality improvement (QI) methods to jointly identify with frontline managers and facilities small doable actions to improve performance, test them, and decide whether to replicate them.

MAJOR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

The Upazila Nutrition Extension Officer will be responsible for the day-to-day execution of A&T’s MIYCN systems strengthening interventions in his/her two focal upazilas. This will involve testing

interventions at the upazilla and facility levels utilizing QI methods when appropriate, implementing highly performing interventions in the two upazilas, supporting other Upazila Nutrition Extension Officers to replicate the interventions in their geographies, and collaborate with A&T Divisional Managers to ensure effective diffusion of those interventions across Chattogram, and assist the A&T Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation Officer- Chattogram in the execution of related monitoring efforts. Execution of all of those activities will require significant interactions with government and non-government partners. The Upazila Nutrition Extension Officer is responsible for managing relationships with government Health and Family Welfare service providers, front line workers and supervisors at the facility and upazilla levels, as well as with relevant Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and other private partners.

The Upazila Nutrition Extension Officer will report to the A&T Divisional Manager, and maintain a functional relationship with the A&T Government Liaison and Partnership Specialist. He/She will work closely with the A&T MLE Officer- Chattogram, among other A&T team members.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain constant and intensive liaison with the Community Clinics, Union Health & Family Welfare Center and Upazila Health Complex & Family Planning Office
• Support organization of and/or participate in the monthly review meetings and support field workers and supervisors to update to the government upazila health manager
• Provide technical Assistance in the training on MIYCN of the health service providers
• Facilitate government counterparts to maintain logistics and facilitate distribution of the supplements, communication material, job-aids, memos, circulars to the front-line workers via the government system
• Facilitate the activities of all the government health field level service providers that support increase in the MIYCN intervention coverage.
• Assist Upazila health & family planning authorities with monitoring and tracking progress of key intervention indicators by preparing graphs, charts and maps as specified by supervisor
• Undertake on-the-job capacity building of system functionaries via discussions in review meetings and field visits.
• Provide technical assistance to frontline workers and frontline managers on use of quality improvement (QI) methods to improve quality and coverage of MIYCN interventions, including monitoring of QI efforts
• Provide technical assistance to GOB H&FP supervisors to use supervision checklists
• Facilitate CHCP to Document Community meetings/Community mobilization/Community Group (CG)/Community Support Group (CSG) meetings held by types of audiences.
• Support union level Govt. Health & Family planning Staff to incorporate MIYCN agenda in union level coordination meeting
• Facilitate to functioning of union level coordination meeting at union porishod and include the topic of nutrition as a priority agenda in the meeting.
• Support the health workers in utilization of MIYCN communication materials.
• Facilitate CHCP to Group Discussions along with other sensitization meetings among the members of the community, as required.
• Facilitate improving the monitoring mechanisms and assessing integration of key indicators in the HMIS along with the UNICEF District Nutrition Officer and A&T MLE Officer- Chattogram.
• Support in the preparation of the training and monthly meeting reports including expenditure statements (if supported by A&T).
• Be responsible for the overall monitoring and reporting system.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationship with relevant government and non-government partners, including notably NGOs, nutrition-sensitive sectors, including upazila and union-level officials from Agriculture; Livestock and Fishery; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
• Maintain the complete list of assigned upazilas with all socio and demographic information and union/ward/CC wise target population of the PW, 0-6 month child and 7-23 month child.
• Any other duties assigned by A&T office.

EXPERTISE AND COMPLEXITY:

• 4-5 years working experiences in (a) managing projects, preferably in the health sector. (b) facilitation of implementation of community level activities on social behavior change and capacity building issues; (c) facilitation of training/orientation workshops for government and other partners; (d) implementation of government programs (e) 3-4 years of working with data information systems
• Experiences in facilitating implementation of community-based interventions related to maternal, child health or nutrition program in Chattogram and must be permanent resident in Chattogram Divisional HQ.
• Working experiences with other international organizations would be an added advantage

Education: Masters Degree or equivalent in health, nutrition, management or related field or sufficient experience in managing health/ nutrition projects/ programs in the field.

Skills:

• Working knowledge of the government health system and experience of working with the government health service providers and managers.
• Proficiency with a variety of Micro software applications (e.g. MS word, MS excel, power point)
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Ability to work independently as well as in cooperation with a multi-cultural team
• Ability to think creatively and strategically

Reporting

The Upazila Nutrition Extension Officer will report to the A&T Divisional Manager and maintain a functional relationship with the A&T Government Liaison and Partnership Specialist. He/She will work closely with the A&T MLE specialist, among other A&T team members.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Equipment to be used: Computer, telephone, calculator, and/or similar devices
Typical physical demands: Works in a typical office setting with frequent field travel to project sites
Working conditions, including travel and overtime: The job demands extensive traveling, almost daily to the villages within the assigned upazilas. Travel extensively in the two upazilas of the priority division for planning and advocacy activities.

This job description summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

Applications can be sent to: Tohidul Islam/ Admin & Operations Officer at tislam@fhi360.org.

Application Deadline: March 31, 2019