Nutrition and Livelihoods Officer

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

About the programme

The IRC is to implement the Nourish and Grow: Cash for Nutrition and Youth Livelihoods in Palabek Refugee Settlement in Lamwo District, northern Uganda project. The project will address the challenges of widespread food insecurity and malnutrition in Palabek among the refugees especially among the children young women, young mothers and youth with disabilities.

The project responds to these challenges through two linked outcomes. First, it will support nutrition and food security for pregnant and breastfeeding women, who will receive four months of cash for nutrition, nutrition education, and screening and referral through existing health facilities. Their households will also be supported to establish kitchen gardens, start income-generating activities and join savings associations. Second, it will strengthen youth livelihoods for young people aged 15-24, at least half of them young women, who will receive one-off start-up capital and training in entrepreneurship and financial literacy, and will join Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).

Job Overview

The Nutrition and Livelihoods Officer is the lead technical and day-to-day manager on the ground for cash assistance project in Palabek Refugee Settlement. S/he will turn the plan into on-time, accountable delivery by managing the work plan, budget and procurement, tracking progress, flagging risks early, and holding monthly reviews with the finance manager. S/he will supervise and coach volunteers, prepare monthly updates and donor reports, and keep project files audit-ready. Working with participants, community leaders, the Office of the Prime Minister, WFP, health facilities and IRC’s finance, supply chain and MEAL teams, s/he will verify pregnant and breastfeeding women for safe, traceable cash payments, deliver nutrition education, set up kitchen gardens, and coordinate screening and referral of malnourished children and at-risk women. You will also enroll young people aged 15-24, at least half of them young women, and support them to start or expand income-generating activities, run VSLAs and build financial literacy, adapting activities so young mothers and youth with disabilities can take part fully.

S/he will work with the MEAL team on baselines, endlines and routine data collection, run post-distribution and post-training monitoring, manage community feedback channels, and document lessons for IRC and the donor. Throughout, you will apply IRC’s Way of Work, safeguarding and PSEA policies and the Client Responsiveness approach, reduce risks of fraud, diversion and exclusion through transparent targeting and spot checks, ensure documentation meets IRC and donor requirements, and refer any protection or safeguarding concerns through the right channels.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Project management and delivery

• Lead delivery of the 10-month work plan, budget and procurement plan. Track progress against targets and flag risks early.
• Hold monthly activity, cash and spending reviews with the finance manager.
• Supervise and coach volunteers: set clear tasks, review their work and support their development.
• Prepare monthly progress updates and donor narrative reports and contribute to the final report.
• Keep project files complete and audit-ready, including participant lists, payment records and distribution reports.

Nutrition and food security

• Work with community leaders, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) settlement team, the World Food Programme (WFP) and partners to identify and verify 400 pregnant and breastfeeding women. Prioritize food-insecure households not receiving WFP assistance.
• Ensure cash payments are accurate, timely, safe and traceable, working with IRC finance and the cash specialist.
• Plan and deliver nutrition education on dietary diversity, maternal, infant and young child feeding, hygiene and using cash for food.
• Lead the set-up of kitchen gardens: select households, distribute seeds and tools, run demonstrations and follow up on results.
• Coordinate screening and referral of acutely malnourished children and at-risk women through existing health facilities, and track whether referrals are completed.
• Work closely with health facility staff, village health teams and nutrition partners so the project complements ECHO VITAL, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), RESET and other responses.

Youth livelihoods

• Identify and enroll 400 young people aged 15–24, at least 50% of them young women. Prioritize out-of-school youth, young mothers and young people with disabilities.
• Support participants to plan, start or expand an income-generating activity and to manage their capital transfer.
• Form, train and mentor youth groups in village savings and loan association (VSLA) methodology, distribute VSLA kits and deliver financial literacy training.
• Provide follow-up coaching and market linkages, and monitor business survival, income and savings.
• Adapt activities so young mothers and youth with disabilities can take full part, for example through flexible timing, accessible venues and childcare arrangements.

Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning

• Work with the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) team on the baseline and endline, and support household and youth interviews.
• Collect and review routine data against the outcome indicators: Food Consumption Score, reduced Coping Strategies Index, minimum dietary diversity for women, youth engagement in income-generating activities, change in monthly income and increased savings.
• Run post-distribution and post-training monitoring, and use the findings to adjust activities.
• Set up and manage community feedback and complaints channels, and make sure every issue is answered and followed up.
• Document lessons and good practice for IRC and the donor.

Safeguarding, protection and compliance

• Apply IRC’s Way of Work, safeguarding and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) policies, and the Client Responsiveness approach in all activities.
• Reduce the risks of fraud, diversion, exclusion and tension between refugee and host communities through transparent targeting, clear communication and spot checks.
• Ensure cash, procurement and financial documentation meet IRC and donor requirements.
• Refer protection and safeguarding concerns through the right channels and report incidents promptly.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to: Field Coordinator, Palabek

Directly Supervises:

• Community Volunteers

Internal Contacts:

Program Managers and Officers, Database Officer, ICT Officer, Partnerships Manager, HR, Field Coordinator

External Contacts:

Beneficiaries, partner organizations, local and national government authorities.

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in nutrition, public health, agriculture, economics, social sciences, development studies or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience managing nutrition, food security or livelihoods projects in a humanitarian or refugee setting, preferably in Uganda.
• Hands-on experience with cash assistance, Cash standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) including targeting, registration, payment monitoring and complaints handling.
• Experience with VSLA or other community savings methods, and with youth livelihoods, start-up support or financial literacy training.
• Working knowledge of nutrition messaging, infant and young child feeding, kitchen gardening and referral to health services.
• Experience with monitoring data and indicators such as FCS, rCSI and dietary diversity, and with simple reporting to donors.
• Strong skills in training, facilitation and coaching adults and young people, including people with disabilities.
• Fluent English, written and spoken; speaks Acholi or another language used in Palabek and Lamwo.
• Good computer skills, including Excel and mobile data collection tools.

Preferred

• Master's degree or specialized training in nutrition, livelihoods or market-based programming.
• Previous work in Palabek or another refugee settlement in northern Uganda, with knowledge of OPM and UNHCR coordination.
• Experience with gender-sensitive and disability-inclusive programming.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed on rolling basis

                        Deadline for receiving applications is 25th November 2026.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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