Nutrition Officer

Nutrition Officer

Location: Surkhet, Karnali
Direct report: 6 Kitchen staff
Report to: Associate Manager – Health and Wellness

“A world where every child is safe, educated, loved” – KVSS

Kopila Valley Sewa Samaj (KVSS) is a non-profit NGO registered in Surkhet, Nepal to provide support for children and families in our community. Our mission is to change the world by empowering Nepal’s children. KVSS programs include a residential children’s home, Kopila Valley School (KVS) for inclusive quality education, women’s empowerment, sustainability, health and wellness, and a family development program. We provide our students a free education, educational materials, health treatment and medicine, counseling, and a place to live. With our innovative future program, we strive to provide our children with career guidance, and scholarships for further studies. Our children’s home provides a safe, loving, and stable home for children in extreme cases of need when all other options have been exhausted. We do this with our funding partner BlinkNow Foundation and in close ties with the local government and communities.

Position Summary: Nutrition Officer of Kopila Valley Sewa Samaj, Nepal is responsible for ensuring the nutrition of the children and employees of the organization. This position will coordinate with the organization’s various functions including education, agriculture and food sourcing, and community engagement. The employee should have patience and passion for working with children. This is a full-time position and a long-term role in shaping the sustainable future of Kopila Valley, Surkhet, and Nepal, and will work in close coordination with the funding partner BlinkNow Foundation.

Responsibilities:

1. Ensure health and nutrition on campus and all facilities of Kopila Valley
2. Engage with the community for the supply of nutritious food and promote sustainability.
3. Guide the students and employees in practicing and promoting nutritious food habits.

Detailed responsibilities:

Ensure Health & Nutrition on campus and facilities of Kopila Valley

• Create and maintain a work schedule for all nutrition-related activities and routines and make sure that it is followed.
• Oversee the kitchen management by ensuring that the lunch schedule/time is properly managed, seasonal menu change is prepared and communicated to the team members, and cleanliness, hygiene, and safety are maintained in and around the kitchen.
• Support the procurement process to ensure that the organization receives organic produce directly from the farmers in sufficient quantity, monitor the quality and quantity of incoming food items, and report quality issues to the supplier immediately to address them.
• Ensure that the food supplied at school is cooked adequately, strictly following the menu and cleanliness guidelines, ensuring zero wastage and adherence to the organization’s food policy.

Engage with the community for the supply of nutritious food and promote sustainability.

• Monitor local farmers regularly to ensure that the food we are buying is organic.
• Attend farmers’ group meetings at least once a month to understand their plans and activities and to guide and promote organic food production.
• Organize training for the farmers by connecting with the government or other external resources on sustainable farming.
•  Visit the farmland to find the details of the produce every season.
• Document the best practices of community development through sustainable farming.

Guide the students and employees in practicing and promoting nutritious food habits.

• Organize Nutrition Education Programs for students and employees for raising awareness of nutritious food habits.
• Work closely with the school team to integrate nutrition education into the classroom, curriculum, and everyday life of the students and teachers.
•  Work closely with the FDP team to integrate Nutrition education into the community and guardians.
•  Manage the food and nutrition team by developing daily schedules and duty charts, monitoring and evaluating their work, and providing in-house and external training for their professional growth.
• Work with the manager and coordinate with the sustainability coordinator, school leadership, and organization operations to ensure the food policy is up to date and is followed strictly.

Additional expectations

1. Build positive working relationships and environment in the organization by bringing solutions to the discussion table.
2. Demonstrate professionalism in all interactions and execution of duties including ensuring confidentiality as per the organization’s protocols.
3. Report to the manager weekly, and as needed in case of urgent activities.
4. Build and maintain a strong relationship with the leadership team of KVSS and BlinkNow Foundation to ensure the continued success of our joint projects.
5. Demonstrate strong work ethics, compassion, and professionalism and exhibit a high level of integrity towards the organization.
6. Arrange and attend regular staff meetings both within and outside the Health & Wellness team.
7. Communicating regularly, this includes responding to messages and emails promptly.

Must have:

1. Educational: at least Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, or social science with training in Nutrition
2. Experience: At least 2 years’ experience
3. Skills and Abilities: Ability to manage kitchen staff, passionate about and cares for children and vulnerable populations, works collaboratively and independently with the least supervision required. Ability to prepare action research reports.

4. Language: A good communicator, and fluent in English and Nepali