Programme Officer – GESI and Nutrition (2)

Concern Worldwide is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries

Founded in 1968, Concern Worldwide works in 25 countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean with its headquarters in Ireland. Active in Malawi since 2002, Concern’s vision, our mission and our work are all defined by one goal – ending extreme poverty, whatever it takes. Concern strives for a world free from poverty, fear and oppression. Our culture is values driven and we believe that our people are central to all that we do and are key to delivering on our goal of Reaching the Furthest Behind First. We are committed to ensuring a workplace where everybody feels valued and are enabled to succeed in their work and contribute to delivering on our mission.

Concern invites applications from interested candidates qualified for the following temporary positions:

Programme Officer – GESI and Nutrition (2 Vacancies)

Contract Type: Five (5) to Six (6) Months Temporary Contract

Duty Station: Chikwawa (1 Vacancy) or Nsanje (1 Vacancy)

 Job Summary

Reporting to the Programme Manager, the Programme Officer (GESI and Nutrition) will be responsible for ensuring that project activities prioritize nutrition-sensitive approaches and gender equality and social inclusion and protection. S/he will build community, staff and partner capacity in nutrition best practices as well as protection and safeguarding including prevention of exploitation and abuse policies and frameworks.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure that all project activities prioritize gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, especially in beneficiary selection, food distribution, and community engagement.
• Promote the participation of women in decision-making processes within community structures.
• Conduct gender awareness and sensitization sessions with project staff, beneficiaries, and local stakeholders to challenge harmful gender norms and promote inclusive practices.
• Ensure that nutrition-sensitive programming is integrated into the project, with a focus on preventing malnutrition among children under five, pregnant and lactating women and other vulnerable groups.
• Provide technical support to field teams in promoting essential nutrition messaging during food distributions, including promoting breastfeeding, proper infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, and balanced diets.
• Conduct community nutrition education and awareness-raising sessions, working closely with Health Surveillance Assistants and local health structures to identify and support malnourished children and mothers.
• Monitor the integration of gender, protection, and nutrition-sensitive approaches throughout project implementation and provide recommendations for improvement.
• Ensure regular reporting on gender, protection, and nutrition activities, capturing progress, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Collaborate with the donor, district councils, local health structures, and other partners to ensure alignment with national gender, protection, and nutrition policies and frameworks.
• Provide capacity-building sessions for project staff, VDRMCs, and community stakeholders on gender, protection, safeguarding, and nutrition best practices.
• Ensure that staff and volunteers understand their responsibilities under PSEA policies and are trained in recognizing and responding to protection risks.
• Ensure the implementation of robust safeguarding mechanisms, including the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) policies, across all project activities.
• Work closely with field staff to identify and mitigate protection risks, ensuring that vulnerable groups such as women, children, elderly, and people with disabilities are prioritized and protected during food distributions.
• Oversee the management of Complaints and Feedback Response Mechanisms (CFRMs), ensuring that protection-related complaints are properly documented and resolved in a timely and confidential manner.
• Liaise with local protection service providers and refer protection cases, including GBV survivors, to appropriate support services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Gender Studies, Social Work, Public Health, Nutrition or other relevant fields.
• At least 3 years of experience working in gender, protection, or nutrition-related roles within humanitarian or development projects.
• Demonstrated experience in implementing gender and protection mainstreaming strategies, including knowledge of PSEA policies and protection systems.
• Experience in nutrition programming, particularly with vulnerable groups such as children under five and pregnant and lactating women.
• Strong knowledge of community engagement and sensitization approaches.
• Excellent communication skills in both Chichewa and English.

How To Apply

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should send their CV (Maximum 3 pages and including three professional referees) and Cover Letter to malawi.hr@concern.net with the subject of the email as “Programme Officer – GESI and Nutrition – Chikwawa” or “Programme Officer – GESI and Nutrition – Nsanje” depending on the location being applied for. The deadline for applications is Sunday, 7^th September 2025. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Due to the urgency to fill these positions, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis, interviews conducted on a rolling basis and we may offer the position before the closing date. Any offers shall be subject to donor funding confirmation.

Concern is an equal opportunities employer. Qualified women are particularly encouraged to apply.

Concern does not charge for any kind of recruitment.