The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking a Nutrition Nurse to join our team in Afghanistan. In this critical role, you will support an integrated Nutrition, Health, and MHPSS response aimed at reducing excess child morbidity and mortality in high-risk provinces. You will be responsible for delivering high-quality nutrition services using an integrated approach.
What You'll Do
- Maintain open, professional team relations, providing guidance and mentorship to enable staff success.
- Provide nutrition support and on-the-job training to other mobile clinic staff.
- Proactively monitor team safety and security, reporting concerns promptly.
- Screen and promote nutrition services for all U5 children visiting health facilities.
- Classify all U5 children into well-nourished and Acute Malnutrition (SAM & MAM) categories.
- Enroll acutely malnourished children into OPD SAM/MAM programs.
- Provide nutritional treatment to enrolled children according to IMAM protocols.
- Perform history taking, physical/medical examinations, and appetite tests for beneficiaries.
- Conduct anthropometric measurements during follow-up visits and ensure nutritional follow-up.
- Prescribe routine medication according to approved protocols and manage non-responding beneficiaries.
- Refer SAM beneficiaries with complications to higher health centers.
- Ensure and validate medical examination at discharge, checking all procedures are completed.
- Record all necessary information on existing reporting tools (registration books, cards).
- Provide health and nutrition education to caregivers on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, hygiene, and illness prevention.
- Prepare materials for field work and maintain equipment and supplies properly.
- Update all reporting tools daily and maintain a good filing system.
- Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly reports using standard tools.
- Promote breastfeeding skills and 1000 days of life messages to mothers and caretakers.
- Provide Key IYCF messages during GMP for children under 2 years.
- Organize group sessions on basic 1000 days of life messages.
- Refer patients to proper services based on needs and support nutrition/health education sessions.
- Promote and actively participate in GEDI initiatives to build team engagement, inclusion, and diversity.
- Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue, and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and promote IRC values.
What We're Looking For
- Graduate medical nurse from a recognized institute with at least 2 years of experience in health and nutrition.
- Previous experience working in health nutrition activities (OPD, TFU, pediatric unit).
- Good organization, planning, and reporting skills.
- Ability to manage the working environment according to local culture.
- High flexibility in deployment, possible with Mahram.
- Must be a team player with excellent interpersonal skills, able to work under pressure with patience and diplomacy.
- Ability to be innovative, flexible, adaptive, and willing to work out of hours.
- Ability to live and work under difficult, high-pressure situations.
- Ability to lead, train, supervise, and facilitate other nursing staff and community health workers.
- Communication and reporting skills.
- Fluency in Pashto, Dari, and English.
- Ability to work constructively with all others regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, race, tribe, or cultural background.
Nice to Have
- Knowledge of the intervention area.
- Ability to develop and promote effective collaboration within and across units.
- Computer skills (MS Word, Excel, Access, and Internet).
Work Mode
This is a local-country position based in Afghanistan.
The IRC is committed to a culture of Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. We are an equal opportunity employer.
