Nutrition Referent Advisor,
Barcelona
Médicos Sin Fronteras (MSF)
Closing date: Tuesday, 7 March 2017
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MSF OCBA is looking for a Nutrition Referent Advisor
GENERAL CONTEXT
Médecins Sans Frontières is an international independent medical-humanitarian organization, which offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation (MSF Charter).
The MSF movement is built around five operational directorates supported by 21 sections, 24 associations and offices worldwide. MSF OCBA is one of those directorates. The operations are implemented by field teams and the mission coordination teams; together with the organizational units based in Barcelona, Athens and decentralised in Nairobi, Dakar and Amman. The field operations are guided and supported by 4 Operational Cells, the Emergency Unit and other departments supporting operations, between them the Medical Department.
The MSF Medical Department of the Operational Centre Barcelona-Athens (MSF-OCBA) is composed of two units: the technical advisor unit which is formed by referent advisors of different areas and specialties[1]; the medical-operational unit which is formed of polyvalent Cells-based health advisors and mobile positions. The Medical director is in charge of the overall management of the department with the support of the heads of the three specialists’ teams and the head of the medical-operational unit detached to the Operations, and an Assistant.
MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE POSITION
S/he will contribute to define medical-nutritional interventions and strategies, also protocols to implement quality nutritional programmes to treat acute malnutrition in different contexts of nutritional situations (food insecurity, crisis, etc.), and to design alternative models to tackle acute malnutrition (or others types of undernutrition) in contexts where malnutrition is endemic, recurrent or seasonal in coordination and collaboration with other staff(s) or referents involved.
The successful applicant will be based in Barcelona. The work will be carried out in the framework of the Strategic plan 2014-2017, the operational policy and OCBA annual plans as well as the Medical department plans, working in close collaboration with other technical advisors involved to contribute to a more transversal, integrated and holistic support to the polyvalent medical staff in the cells and the teams in the field and operations department in general at HQ level. S/he will be responding to the needs of OCBA missions.
PLACEMENT WITHIN THE ORGANISATION
The Referent will be hierarchically and functionally accountable to the Head of Referents – Team B (Tropical & Neglected Diseases; Community mobilization & Health Promotion; Nutrition; HIV-AIDS & TB; Mental Health; Pediatrics (2); Emerging diseases referent; Malaria Community / Decentralized packages;). Functionally linked and supporting Medical polyvalent (TESACO/ Desk HQ), Medical Coordinators (missions) and Project Medical Referents (projects), as the rest of the referent advisors of the Medical department.
While in the field, he/she works under the regular hierarchical and functional structures of the missions, while keeping communication with the Medical Department.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS
- Definition, follow-up and technical-strategic advice to the field projects
- S/he provides technical advice to define nutritional projects/programmes (his/her presence may be required at Project Committees for their approval).
- S/he supports defining nutritional activities, resources to fill the identified needs, when opening a new nutritional program, or when undertaking new nutrition-related activities within regular project (e.g. support to TB, HIV-AIDS, Kala-zar projects or others).
- S/he participates in the follow-up of nutritional projects/programmes and activities in support to medical-health advisor of the corresponding Operational Cell.
- S/he provides periodic update on nutritional aspects and knowledge to Operational Cell staff and to other medical personnel when needed.
- S/he provides updated working tools to manage nutrition-related activities.
- S/he conduct field visits for nutritional assessments/surveys and/or to provide technical support to regular nutritional projects/programmes
- S/he will brief and debrief field medical staff whose profiles include nutrition-related components, medical coordination team and occasionally to members of Operational Cells and Emergency Unit.
- Participate in the roster of Medical Guardia
- S/he follows actively, monitor and evaluate the service provided by telemedicine.
- Research and updated support for new strategic orientations for nutrition-related projects/programmes
- S/he participates in the production of technical working-tools for Nutrition and Food Security, in coordination with the MSF intersectional Nutrition Working Group (e.g. nutrition modules/guidelines, protocols, food security guidelines, and/or other interventions models (e.g. supplemental distributions or targeted distributions)
- S/he follows up early warning systems (FAO; Alertnet, FEWSNET, HJPN. etc) and disseminates the alerts to the Operational Cells.
- S/he supports production of scientific articles or presentations within the nutrition framework.
- S/he participates in designing and follows up relevant operational research studies implemented at field level. Example in Niger (Decentralised and comprehensive Preventative and Curative paediatric packages, MUAC 120) and India (MUAC) are planned or on-going.
- S/he follows the evolution of innovation evidence-based advances in nutrition by following-up scientific publications, participating in international events and forums.
- S/he participates in networking with external partners and stakeholders in joint research projects, when relevant, and under the request of the Medical Director.
- S/he participates in the MSF intersectional Nutrition Working Group, and in other international platform or forums
- Training, communications-networking and representation of MSF
- S/he determines the training needs related to nutrition in collaboration with the Training Unit, and following the needs identified by Operations and Medical Departments.
- S/he participates as Facilitator–Trainer in sectional (OCBA) and international MSF courses that include nutrition components (MedCo course, PSP, Nut e-learning course, PPD etc.).
- S/he organizes and participates in conferences, congresses, workshops, forums, or nutrition meetings when requested by the Medical Director.
- S/he participates, at the request of the HR Department, in the selection of people who are to carry out nutrition-related activities as well as their follow-up and evaluation.
- S/he supports the Communication Department when communicating on nutrition-related activities (interviews with press and other media)
- S/he participates in MSF magazines and leaflets when dealing with nutrition-related issues.
- S/he produces and distributes information relating to our programmes and specific issues
- S/he is in charge of the internal and external circulation of certain documents or reports concerning our programmes (nutritional and mortality surveys, etc).
SELECTION CRITERIA
Education and experience
- Medical Doctor with Nutrition postgraduate/experience; Nurse with nutrition postgraduate/ experience; or Nutritionist.
- Minimum three-years field experience working in nutrition program in developing countries with MSF or other humanitarian agencies and/or NGOs. Experience in emergency response, an added value
- Experience in planning, implementing, analysing and diffusing nutritional assessments, evaluations, surveys (SMART) and respective mortality studies.
- English, French are all essential to manage the portfolio of the countries. Spanish language skills is an added value or eagerness to learn Spanish.
- User skills of Excel, ENA for Smart and NutVal
Others
- Availability to travel two to three-week visits to the field (approximate frequency: 4/year), including MSF international meetings.
Competencies
- Commitment to MSF’s Principles
- Cross-cultural Awareness
- Behavioural Flexibility
- Analytical Thinking
- Strategic Vision
- Results and Quality Orientation
- Service Orientation
- Initiative and Innovation
- Teamwork and Cooperation
CONDITIONS
- Position based in Barcelona–Spain, at the Médecins Sans Frontières OCBA Headquarters.
- Full time job
- Minimum commitment with the position of 3 years
- Annual gross salary: 35,608.10 € (divided in 12 payments) + Secondary Benefits based on MSF - OCBA Reward Policy
- Starting date: 27th of March 2017
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, all applicants should please send their CV and cover motivation letter under the reference “Nutrition Referent Advisor” to recruitment-bcn@barcelona.msf.org.
Please submit your CV and cover letter in ONE file and name the file with your LAST NAME.
Closing date: March 7th, 2017
Replies will only be sent to short-listed candidates.
Médecins Sans Frontieres, as a responsible employer, under article 38 of “Ley de Integración Social del Minusválido de 1982 (LISMI)” invite those persons with a recognized disability and with an interest in the humanitarian area to apply for the above mentioned position.
[1] Since January 2016 the Medical Referent Advisor positions are organized in 3 teams:
- Team A: Hospital management (Head); Nursing care & hygiene ; Gynecology-Obstetrics; Sexual & Reproductive Health; Surgery; Anesthesiology; Internal Medicine & Emergency care (adults); Pediatrics (1);
- Team B: Tropical & Neglected Diseases; Community mobilization & Health Promotion; Nutrition (Head a.i.); HIV-AIDS & TB; Mental Health; Pediatrics (2); Emerging diseases referent; Malaria Community / Decentralized packages;
- Team C: Laboratory-Diagnostics (Head); Pharmacy management & Product Selection; Pharmacy quality assurance & Prequalification of Suppliers; Epidemiology & HMIS; Learning / Knowledge Management; Vaccination and outbreaks response