District Coordinators at Nutrition International

NUTRITION INTERNATIONAL (NI)

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

POST: DISTRICT COORDINATORS: MCHINJI, MANGOCHI & MZIMBA NORTH

POSITION PROFILE

1. IDENTIFICATION

Position Title: District Coordinators (Mchinji, Mangochi and Mzimba North)

Reports to/Position Title:Senior Program Officer
Location: Malawi
Date Prepared :April 04, 2025
Date of last review by Manager: April 17, 2025

2. INTRODUCTION

Nutrition International (NI) works as a government ally supporting over 60 countries in Africa and Asia to deliver high impact and cost-effective child survival interventions. NI partners with governments in strengthening health systems to unlock their potential in delivering lifesaving interventions targeting the most vulnerable and marginalized children. For nearly 15 years, NI has been supporting the Vitamin A Supplementation program in Malawi through Vitamin A capsule donation. In recent years, NI responded to the disruption of the health system caused by Covid 19 by providing technical and operational support to the ministry of Health. This entailed providing expert and programmatic supportto MoH to transition from campaign mode of delivering VAS to routine mode using existing primary health service delivery platforms.

Through this support, NI targets reaching over 400,000 children in Mangochi, Mchinji and Mzimba North with a standard package of interventions as outlined in the National guidelines for integrating Vitamin A Supplementation into Routine Child Health and Nutrition Service.

Malawi continues to face significant challenges in child nutrition and health, despite registering some improvements over the years. According to the results of the Demographic and Health Survey (2024)1, Malawi has registered a reduction in under-five mortality rate, which has dropped from 64 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016 to 48 deaths per 1,000 in 2024. The results also indicate a decline in both infant and neonatal mortality rates. However, other child health and nutrition indicators have not improved. For example, the proportion of children aged 12-23 who are fully immunized has decreased from 81% in 2010 to 67%. Additionally, stunting, a key indicator of child growth and nutritional status, has slightly increased from 37% in 2016 to 38% in 2024. The prevalence of stunting in Mangochi (40.6%) and Mchinji (41.5%) is above the national prevalence while in Mzimba (36.9%) it is slightly below the national prevalence.

Additionally, Infant and Young Child Nutrition indicators have shown a similar trend, for instance, nationally, about 68% of newborn babies were initiated on breastmilk within the first 1 hour after birth and only 60% of children under the age of 6 months were exclusively breastfed. This poses a significant risk on the growth and development of children in Malawi.

Furthermore, the delivery of quality healthcare in Malawi is hampered by both systemic and emerging conditions. Malawi’s health system faces several challenges impacting child health and nutrition, including socioeconomic disparities, healthcare access barriers, resource limitations, and sustainability concerns.

Children from the poorest households in Malawi, who make up most of the under-five population are
less likely to receive care from trained healthcare providers when ill. Some of the contributing factors
include poor health care seeking behaviors, cultural and traditional constraints, and long distances to health facilities. Caregivers from rural and remote areas, in particular, face challenges due to inadequate transportation and poor road infrastructure, leading to delays in seeking timely care. In addition, Malawi’s healthcare system is strained by a shortage of trained professionals, who are not adequate to serve the entire population in their communities, this has resulted into low coverages.

Despite having robust nutrition policies, Malawi allocates insufficient domestic funding for their implementation. Analyses from 2016 to 2023 reveal that nutrition budget allocations at both national and district levels fall significantly short of the targets, with over 95% of nutrition activities funded by external donors. This heavy reliance on external funding raises concerns about nutrition amongst government priorities, the sustainability of nutrition programs and the government’s capacity to maintain them independently.

Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach, which includes building the capacity of service providers to efficiently and effectively address nutrition and health services leaving no one
behind, provision of adequate resources to support district level operations and increased investment in nutrition and child health programs through advocacy and partner collaboration.

Nutrition International is committed to ensuring the provision of necessary support to Ministry of Health by promoting equitable and optimum uptake of services through strengthening the implementation of nutrition and health services in the 3 districts of Mangochi, Mzimba and Mchinji.

3. OVERALL, PURPOSE/BROAD FUNCTION:

NI seeks to recruit three(3) full-time employees who will serve as NI district level coordinators and provide direct technical support to District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) in implementing a standard package of interventions, which includes, Immunizations, Vitamin A supplementation , Zinc and Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) co-packs for management of diarrhea , and nutrition screening to all eligible children including those in the hard-to-reach/ unreached communities.

The NI District Coordinator will represent NI and support the planning, implementation, and monitoring of nutrition and child health interventions at the district level. This role involves working in close collaboration with DHMTs, community stakeholders, and other partners to ensure effective delivery of services aimed at reducing child morbidity and mortality with special focus on planned activities agreed between NI, Ministry of Health and the district.

Specifically, the coordinator will be required to:

• Support the development of annual, quarterly, and monthly work plans for all district level agreed activities between NI and ministry of health in collaboration with DHMTs.
• Work in collaboration with DHMTs to ensure sustained and equitable program coverage through adequate and equitable provision of services in all targeted areas.
• Prompt and initiate program review at district, cluster and health center levels through regular progress review meetings, continuous monitoring and supervision and course correction.
• Ensure accountability in the provision of child health and nutrition services through budget and expenditure tracking of resources from NI
• Provide regular update on district level child health and nutrition landscape

4. KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

PROGRAM COORDINATION

• Collaborate and coordinate with decentralized relevant structures at district level in the planning
  and implementation of project activities.
• Participate and make technical contributions in key coordination meetings organized by the district health management leadership and ensure health and nutrition interventions are prioritized and aligned to national priorities.
• Ensure visibility of nutrition international activities at community and district level.

CAPACITY BUILDING

• Facilitate training and capacity-building activities for healthcare workers (Community Nurse and Midwives, Nurses and Clinicians) community health workers and volunteers on the delivery of a standard package of interventions.
• Provide ongoing mentorship and support to ensure effective service delivery and adherence to
  national VAS and other relevant guidelines.

MONITORING, REPORTING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING

• Using the District Health Management Information System, supporting the collection and analysis of program related data and use the findings to inform DHMT for prompt decision making
• Support evaluations and assessments to measure program impact and identify areas for improvement.
• Document lessons learnt during implementation and share the findings with relevant stakeholders.
• Prepare and submit timely reports to Nutrition International and other stakeholders as required.
• Prepare and share regular updates on district level related opportunities and risks for child health and nutrition programs

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

• Work in collaboration with DHMTS to ensure continuous availability and proper management of
  commodities (Zinc/ORS co-packs and Vitamin A capsules) in all designated service delivery points.
• Work hand-in hand with supply chain partners at district level to ensure updated stock reports are reviewed and timely submitted using open LMIS.
• Participate in drug and therapeutic committee meetings and provide appropriate recommendations based on field experience.

5. EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

EDUCATION

• At least a bachelor’s degree in human nutrition, nursing/midwifery or public health from a recognized institution.

EXPERIENCE

• Proven and demonstrable experience in implementing child health and nutrition activities at district level for a minimum of 5 years.
• Must have updated knowledge of child health and nutrition policies and guidelines in Malawi.
• Must have strong analytical, technical and reporting skills.

6. Language Skills:

7. Travel Requirements:

The coordinators will undertake this work in Malawi and in one of the following districts: Mangochi, Mchinji and Mzimba North. Coordinators will be required to travel up to 50% of the time within the district of work and out of duty station when required. All travel required under this assignment will be provided by Nutrition International.

Possession of a valid motorcycle riding license and access to a roadworthy motorcycle with current
insurance is preferred, due to the extensive geographical coverage required for this role.

 

Method Of Application

Applications should be submitted by email to: [email protected], with a copy to
[email protected] and [email protected], before close of business on 28th April 2025.

Only complete applications will be reviewed.

• Up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) with monthly rate indicated and other foreseen costs included.
• A cover letter detailing how applicant fits the profile.

Nutrition International is committed to gender equality. Applicants are required to indicate how they will ensure that gender equality considerations are included in the provision of technical assistance.
This position is open to Malawian nationals or persons with necessary permits to work in Malawi. Nutrition International is committed to the fundamental principles of equal employment opportunity.

Women are encouraged to apply.

NOTE: This job description can and will be amended as required from time to time at Nutrition International’s discretion in accordance with its operational requirements.