Nutrition Officer - West Pokot

Employer: Village Enterprise

Industry: Nonprofit/International Development/Social Entrepreneurship

Function: Develop Micro- Enterprises and provide Mentoring activities to Business Owners

Job Title: Nutrition Officer

Position Type: Full time

Reports to: Regional Manager

Contract: 12 Months

Location: West Pokot County

Organization Overview: Village Enterprise’s mission is to end extreme poverty in rural Africa through entrepreneurship, innovation and collective action. Village Enterprise targets the ultra-poor, provides entrepreneurial and financial literacy training, seed capital/startup funds and on-going coaching and mentorship. Since its inception in 1987, Village Enterprise has started over 100,000 micro-enterprises and transformed lives of over 2 million people. 

Position Overview: The NOURISH Program in West Pokot County aims to generate rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of integrating nutrition-sensitive interventions into the traditional UPG program to improve both household economic and nutrition outcomes. By combining proven economic strengthening approaches with targeted health and nutrition sensitization and support, the program evaluates whether addressing economic and nutritional constraints simultaneously can lead to sustained improvements in household economic resilience, maternal well-being, and child nutrition.

Village Enterprise is seeking a candidate who will successfully lead the nutrition component of the program and carry out activities intended to achieve the goal of the program. The candidate will lead the implementation of community-based nutrition interventions aimed at improving the nutritional status of vulnerable households in West Pokot County. The role includes integrating nutrition into poverty graduation programming, delivering behavior change interventions, and managing malnutrition cases through structured case management approaches for children under five and vulnerable women. This is a split, field/office position, requiring ~60% time in the field and ~40% time in the office. A minimum time commitment of one year is required.

Job Description:

Program Implementation: 

•      Implement nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions at community and household levels.

•      Integrate nutrition activities within businesses, Business Saving Groups, and larger graduation activities.

•      Support growth monitoring and promotion (GMP), including MUAC screening.

•      Ensure timely delivery of all nutrition activities in target communities.

Nutrition Case Management

•      Ensure identification and enrollment of malnourished children (using MUAC) into the program and appropriate care pathways.

•      Monitor Community Health Promoters (CHPs) regular follow-up visits for children with acute malnutrition (MAM/SAM) to monitor recovery progress.

•      Ensure provision of tailored counseling to caregivers on feeding practices, hygiene, and home-based care.

•      Track individual cases using structured case management tools and maintain up-to-date records.

•      Support referral of severe cases to health facilities and ensure follow-up after referral.

•      Coordinate closely with CHPs to ensure continuity of care at household level.

•      Monitor treatment adherence and identify early signs of relapse or deterioration.

Community-based nutrition and behavior change

•      Ensure CHPs conduct household-level nutrition counseling targeting caregivers of children under five and pregnant/lactating women and facilitate group sessions on:  Infant and YoungChild Feeding (IYCF) ,Dietary diversity ,Hygiene and sanitation

•      Reinforce key behavior change messages through business mentors, CHPs, and group platforms.

Managing Partnerships

•      Help establish a relationship with County Government health officials, community leaders and other stakeholders.

•      The Nutrition Officer represents the organization at County and sub county level including general meetings with government leadership, humanitarian actors, partners, protocol meetings, as well as sector program meetings in consultation with the Regional Manager

•      Provide Management with reports and feedback from government and partnership meetings as needed within three days after the meeting.

•      The Nutrition Officer provides general support, guidance, and serves as focal point during program planning and reporting.

Vision trip and Donor Visits

•      Represent Village Enterprises’ values and program to donors, Guests and visiting staff

•      Work with Management to arrange field scheduling for visitors, donors and guests

•      Coordinate all preparations at the field level

•      In some cases, work on the weekends to accommodate donor and staff visits

Capacity Building

•      Train and mentor:

o              Community Health Promoters (CHPs)

o              Program mentors and field assistants

o              BSG group leaders

•      Build capacity on both nutrition messaging and basic case management support.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEAL)

•      Track both program-level indicators and case-level recovery outcomes.

•      Maintain accurate records of all cases (admission, follow-up, discharge).

•      Support baseline, midline, and endline assessments (including RCT-related data if applicable).

•      Document lessons, success stories, and case studies.

Coordination & Health System Linkages

•      Collaborate with Ministry of Health Kenya at county and sub-county levels.

•      Strengthen referral pathways for malnutrition treatment (OTP, stabilization centers).

•      Participate in county nutrition technical working groups and review meetings.

Quality Assurance & Safeguarding

•      Ensure case management aligns with national CMAM protocols and organizational standards.

•      Maintain confidentiality and dignity of beneficiaries.

•      Conduct supportive supervision to ensure high-quality service delivery.

Communication

•      Communicate field challenges, opportunities and constraints

•      Provide feedback to supervisors and other line managers through Email, phone, 

•      Participate in Weekly and Partnership meetings by providing field updates and responses to field questions

•      Participate and provide content in program meetings.

Safeguarding

·      Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility at Village Enterprise, and it begins with me

·      Continuously sensitize program participants on safeguarding.

·      Ensure compliance with Village Enterprise’s safeguarding policies

·      Report any incident of safeguarding in program operations for appropriate action/follow up.

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Core Competencies:

•      Dedicated and hardworking

•      Highly self-motivated

•      Easy to interact and engage with various community groups

•      Confident and proactive in pursuing organizational goals

•      Strong technical knowledge of:   IYCF, CMAM and nutrition case management protocols

•      Ability to manage and track individual beneficiary cases effectively.

•      Strong counseling and interpersonal skills for working with caregivers.

•      Ability to work in remote and resource-constrained environments.