Technical Field Officer- Health & Nutrition

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION FOR TEHCNIAL FIELD OFFICER, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

Position Information
Position Title: Technical Field Officer- Health & Nutrition
Duty Station: Mogadishu, Somalia
Reporting Directly: To Health and Nutrition Officer
Liaise with Programme Manager
Duration: 5 months and renew depend on fund availability
Directly Reporting Staff: Health Facility Supervisors
1. Organizational Context and Scope of Work
YouthLink Somalia is a local humanitarian NGO operational in South and Central Somalia. YouthLink works to
enable the poor and vulnerable communities to improve livelihoods and build their resilience through long
term development including health and nutrition live saving programmes. YouthLink is committed to
increasing access to health and nutrition services in urban IDP communities in Banadir region. Through fixed
and mobile health and nutrition services, YouthLink Health facilities provide treatment for SAM and essential
maternal and child health services in line with EPHS standards. The Technical Field Officer will support the
implementation and the oversight of Health and Nutrition in Banadir facilities
2. Job Summary:
The Technical Field Officer will support the implementation of health and nutrition activities in
Mogadishu, with a particular focus on internally displaced persons (IDP) settlements. Key responsibilities
include supervising routine field operations, managing short-term mobile clinic projects, and providing
technical guidance to ensure compliance with donor requirements and standards. The officer will also
strengthen the technical capacity of field staff and collaborate closely with the Health and Nutrition
Officer, Program Manager, MEAL team, logistics personnel, partner technical teams, and facility-based
staff. The role demands a solid understanding of key health indicators and donor program logframe, as
well as the ability to operate independently with minimal onboarding. With over 75% of time spent in the
field, the officer must demonstrate strong technical and operational expertise, particularly in IDP or
informal settings, and be able to perform effectively under pressure, respond to urgent needs, and engage
constructively with diverse perspectives. Additionally, the officer will support health systems in
anticipating and managing spikes in acute malnutrition by strengthening the CMAM Surge approach—
building local capacity, monitoring thresholds, coordinating timely responses, and promoting sustainable
integration into national health and nutrition plans.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Program Implementation and Supervision
• Coordinate the launch and scale-up of IMAM services in line with national protocols and WFP standards, ensuring their integration into routine health service delivery.
• Develop detailed micro-plans and activity schedules with defined targets, timelines, and responsibilities for each implementation site.
• Monitor implementation progress, identify operational challenges, and resolve bottlenecks through collaborative, real-time problem-solving.

• Conduct regular quality assurance visits to OTP/TSFP sites to verify adherence to admission, treatment, referral, and discharge protocols.
• Provide continuous technical support and mentorship on IMAM case management protocols (e.g., for SAM/MAM children and PLWs), including correct use of MUAC, WHZ scoring, and appetite tests.
• Lead after-action reviews following surge periods to assess response effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
• Gather qualitative insights from facility teams and district stakeholders to inform surge analysis and planning.
• Adjust response thresholds and triggers based on evaluation findings and seasonal trends.
• Facilitate regular reflection and learning sessions with district-level partners and health teams.
• Develop case studies and learning briefs to highlight successes, challenges, and field innovations.
• Contribute findings and best practices to national-level technical discussions to improve CMAM Surge guidance and influence policy development in Somalia.
2. Program monitoring
• Conduct Routine Field Monitoring Carry out regular field visits to health facilities, outreach sites, and nutrition service points to verify the quality-of-service delivery, compliance with protocols and document observations and provide actionable feedback to improve performance.
• Validate Data Quality & Completeness to the assigned facilities by closely working with facility-level staff to ensure that nutrition-related data (e.g., admissions, recoveries, defaulters) are complete, timely, and consistent. Support data verification through spot-checks, data audits, and triangulation techniques.
• Analyze Key Performance Indicators, regularly analyses core IMAM and health indicators—such as SAM/MAM cure rates, coverage trends, and defaulter rates—to generate insights on service effectiveness and emerging gaps. Use dashboards and visual tools to communicate trends.
• Contribute to daily/weekly and monthly reports about the overall program implementation and other related context information.
• Track performance against targets and support adaptive programming to the target supported health facilities
• Monitor thresholds and caseloads using dashboards and charts of CMAM Surge and other indicators
• Coordinate CMAM surge response plans when thresholds are crossed to the support health faclities and other partners in the area for collective and multisectoral response.
• Ensure tools, supplies, and trained staff are in place for surge periods for actionable response
• Utilize CMAM Surge dashboards and threshold charts to detect early warning signs and response plans
3. Capacity Building and Staff Development
• Conduct training needs assessments for health facilities and community-based staff.
• Monitor the effectiveness of capacity-building efforts through pre/post assessments, feedback loops, and performance evaluations to the assigned facility staff
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and quality improvement within facility health teams including qualified staff, CHWs and other support staff
• Participate in planning and implementation of organizational staff training as per work plans.
• Develop and disseminate user-friendly job aids, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and technical guidelines aligned with national protocols.
• Support the development and implementation of clinical competency assessments.
• Collaborate with donor partner, Ministry of Health and implementing partners to harmonize training materials and ensure consistency use of the technical standards.

4. Coordination
• Assist health facilities in analyzing trends and adjusting surge thresholds based on seasonal patterns and real-time data
• Coordinate regularly with local health authorities, district officials, IDP camp leaders, and other relevant stakeholders in the field.
• Facilitate community-level coordination by working closely with local leaders and outreach structures to support ownership, culturally appropriate messaging, and active local engagement.
• Lead joint planning and supervision by developing shared work plans, conducting integrated supervision visits, and ensuring timely follow-up on key action points.
• Collaborate with outreach teams to raise community awareness on nutrition and health practices.
• Promote inclusive participation of women, caregivers, and vulnerable groups to increase access and service uptake.
• Strengthen referral pathways and follow-up systems between communities and health facilities to ensure continuity of care.
• Support emergency response efforts by participating in rapid needs assessments, coordinating
response planning, and mobilizing resources in collaboration with humanitarian actors.
• Ensure that CMAM Surge activities are aligned with national health strategies, protocols, and early warning systems.
• Oversee the application of CMAM Surge tools (e.g., threshold charts, dashboards) to monitor caseloads and activate timely responses.

Skills and qualifications

Role Holder Requirements
Education
• Educated to at least a degree level in Public Health, Medicine or a related subject, preferably with master’s degree in health service management
Experience and Skills
Essential:
• At least three years’ experience of health & nutrition-related programme implementation
• Familiar with national Health and Nutrition early warning systems
• Experience in training and supervision of health workers
• Knowledge of the National policies EPHS framework
• Hands on training skill on innovative nutrition approach i.e CMAM Surge and Family Mauc
• Experience in health system strengthening especially District heath management teams
Other Skills
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability and willingness to interact successfully and respectfully with people at all levels and from all
backgrounds.
• Ability to work under pressure and without constant supervision.
• Flexibility and ability to carry out additional duties and tasks as required and adapt to a changing
operational environment.
• Innovative and pro-active with a positive attitude.
Core Values: Integrity, Excellence, Participation, and Innovation

How to apply

How to apply
Interested candidate, who meet the above requirement, should apply by submitting their applications (cover letter, and CV and contacts of three professional reference) by email: admin@youthlink.so, with the subject line “Technical Field Officer”. The closing date for application is on July 20th, 2025, in the subject line of your email.” Applications and CVs submitted after deadline will not be considered.
YouthLink Somalia is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals. We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted. This post is urgent; job applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position may be filled before the application deadline

YouthLink Code of Conduct
YouthLink has an organisational Code of Conduct (YL CoC). This has been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of YouthLink staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and the standards of behaviour expected of them.
In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organisation to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with YouthLink’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with YouthLink will be expected to sign the Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of YouthLink Code of Conduct and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of the policy.