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Nutrition Coordinator

Samaritan's Purse Ethiopia
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Role description

Open Position: 2 Contract Duration: May 31, 2027

DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING

JOB SUMMARY

The Nutrition Coordinator oversees the daily operations of Samaritan’s Purse’s Nutrition Program in program area, ensuring consistent delivery of high quality, culturally sensitive nutrition services in alignment with Ministry of Health standards and SP protocols. The role provides technical leadership to nutrition teams, maintains strong food safety and confidentiality practices, and ensures accurate documentation, supply readiness, and effective monitoring of program implementation and budgets. The position also coordinates closely with government counterparts, nutrition clusters, and partner organizations to strengthen service delivery and overall program impact.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Provide overall leadership to the team, ensuring delivery of nutrition interventions, including management of acute malnutrition (SAM/MAM), Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), and micronutrient supplementation aligned with Samaritan’s Purse (SP) standards, Ethiopia Ministry of Health protocols, organizational values, and universal food safety practices.
  • Lead and supervise multidisciplinary nutrition teams, offering guidance, coaching, and timely intervention to maintain high standards of care
  • Supervise OTP and TSFP activities ensuring adherence to national CMAM protocols and proper management of therapeutic and supplementary feeding programs.
  • Participate actively in daily nutrition program operations, responding to emerging needs of beneficiaries and staff to ensure smooth service delivery.
  • Ensure all nutrition counseling and communication practices are culturally sensitive and respectful of community norms.
  • Uphold strict beneficiary confidentiality and ethical practice at all times.
  • Oversee and ensure accurate screening, admission, follow-up, and discharge of malnourished children and pregnant/lactating women using standard anthropometric and clinical criteria.
  • Oversee growth monitoring and promotion activities, ensuring accurate anthropometric measurements and appropriate counseling for caregivers.
  • Strengthen community-based nutrition activities including outreach screening, defaulter tracing, and community mobilization for early identification of malnutrition cases.
  • Oversee daily readiness of the nutrition teams, ensuring availability of essential supplies, therapeutic foods, and functional equipment.
  • Support the Nutrition Program Manager in monitoring the performance, maintenance, and logistical needs of mobile nutrition units, equipment, and food commodities.
  • Ensure accurate, complete, and timely documentation, including nutrition data collection, validation, and reporting.
  • Identify and promptly communicate any programmatic complications, errors, or unusual trends to the M&E and Nutrition staff.
  • Strengthen and maintain robust reporting, monitoring, and evaluation systems, ensuring consistent use of M&E tools in collaboration with M&E staff.
  • Contribute to data driven decision making by ensuring high quality data collection and analysis from nutrition activities.
  • Provide technical mentorship, on the job training, and dissemination of updated nutrition protocols to enhance staff competency and service quality.
  • Foster a supportive team environment that encourages learning, accountability, and professional growth.
  • Promote a safe and protective environment for beneficiaries and staff by reinforcing safeguarding principles and ensuring adherence to SP’s SEAH (Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment) policies and code of conduct.
  • Ensure all team members understand and comply with organizational and governmental nutrition regulations.
  • Represent SP in coordination with Nutrition Clusters, local government authorities, INGOs, NGOs, and other stakeholders within the program area.
  • Strengthen collaborative relationships to enhance service integration and program impact.
  • Perform additional tasks as assigned.
EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE NEEDED
  • BSc in Nutrition, Nursing, Public Health, MPH or relevant degree.
  • 4 -5 years of experience in clinical leadership.
  • Has experience as Health Coordinator or Leadership, preferably in a low-resource setting.
  • Previous work experience in a humanitarian setting.
LANGUAGE
  • Proficiency in English and Amharic
  • Knowledge of the regional language required
  • Knowledge of any other national language is a plus
SKILLS REQUIREDTo perform this job successfully, an individual must be willing to abide by Samaritan’s Purse’s code of conduct and understand the principals of Samaritan’s Purse’s values, as well as be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
  • Attention to detail, anticipation and follow up are core values of the job function.
  • Possesses strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
  • Must be a self-starter and internally driven to success and hard work.
  • Possesses strong cross-cultural communication skills, both written and verbal.
  • Must be a humble team player
  • Ability to be flexible and adaptable.
  • Willingness to travel in and out of the field.
  • Must have analytical and report-writing skills.
  • High level of integrity and stewardship
  • Committed to the SP values and ethics
  • Proficient in making clinical decisions in the care of the patient population serving.
REASONING ABILITYAbility to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral diagram, or schedule form. PHYSICAL DEMANDSThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk and run; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.WORK ENVIRONMENTThe work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
  • The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can be exposed to loud noises around the maintenance and construction workshops.
  • May travel in country with exposure to communicable diseases, hot and humid weather conditions.
  • Work in a security context that is fluid
SAFEGUARDING COMMITMENTThe employee is required to carry out his/her duties in accordance with Samaritan’s Purse Safeguarding policy and Code of conduct.Employee should remain alert and responsive to any child and adult safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills, which will enable him/her to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child and adult safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct his/herself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy.
nutrition
Clinical Nursing, Public Health, Psychology
Attention to detail