Lactation Counselor in FHI 360

General information 

The FHI 360 organization implements a nutrition program aimed at assisting pregnant and lactating women with infant and young child feeding, as well as building the capacity of health facilities to provide high-quality breastfeeding counseling services. FHI 360 implements this project in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

Detailed description of tasks to be performed:

Under the technical supervision of the nutrition program specialist breastfeeding consultant carries out measures to build the capacity of medical workers of public health care institutions ( specialists responsible for feeding infants and young children) by conducting on-site training and providing mentoring support; if necessary, conducts professional consultations on feeding infants and young children for pregnant and breastfeeding women in medical facilities; provides assistance to women in the format of online consultations and through messengers (in particular, using the Telegram application); participates in basic training for health workers on feeding infants and young children (in particular, obstetricians, gynecologists, neonatologists, nurses and midwives), and also provides mentoring support after trainings; coordinates the activities of volunteers of public health programs in communities with the aim of redirecting women in labor to receive professional consultations and further support.

Among the activities that Breastfeeding Consultant such as:

• Build the capacity of specialists responsible for feeding infants and young children in each health facility involved in the project to provide high-quality breastfeeding counseling through regular induction events and mentoring support (in online and offline formats).
• Conduct individual consultations and group consultations on breast feeding, introduction of complementary foods, feeding with mixtures for pregnant women and parturient mothers in health care institutions, in accordance with the "Operational instructions for emergency personnel and heads of infant and young child feeding programs during emergencies", "International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes", "Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards for the Provision of Humanitarian Aid" SPHERE. Provide basic, non-specialized and non-clinical psychological assistance within the scope of consultations.
• Responsible for referralwomen and breastfeeding women in need of psychological support from health care facilities involved in the project to FHI 360 psychologists or other approved service providers. Ensure that mental health topics are included in consultations conducted by professionals responsible for infant and young child feeding in health care settings.
• Identify gaps in the provision of breastfeeding counseling services in supported health facilities and provide recommendations to FHI 360 to address them, particularly in relation to maternal spaces and the child and other operational assistance.
• Responsible for collecting data on breastfeeding counseling in assisted living facilities, entering them into relevant data collection tools (in particular , on the Kobo platform).
• Responsible for providing healthcare facilities with breastfeeding counseling kits, informational and educational materials about breastfeeding, materials with logos of the organization, etc.
• Participate in training for medical workers on feeding infants and young children in emergency situations ), to carry out visits to medical facilities in order to provide mentoring support after training and monitoring the implementation of services from the National Emergency Medical Service.
• Ensure the implementation of referral mechanisms for women identified by community-based public health program volunteers to receive professional breastfeeding counseling in online or offline formats.
• Ensure compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures adopted in FHI 360 in the process of operating and managing the activities of mother and child spaces in health care facilities health.
• Participate in assessing the needs for assistance in the field of nutrition in health care facilities and communities in their service area. 
• Compile and submit weekly activity reports to immediate supervisor
• Attend and actively participate in internal department meetings nutrition programs, trainings and seminars.

Required:

• Qualification of a midwife, nurse, doctor, doula or certified breastfeeding consultant.
• Fluency in the Ukrainian language.
• 0-2 years of breastfeeding consulting experience in Ukraine. 
• Fluency in Microsoft Office programs (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
• Ability to comply with confidentiality requirements in work with patients and beneficiaries.

Preferably:

• Availability of a certificate that allows you to provide breastfeeding consultations.
• Awareness of "Operative guidelines for emergency personnel and managers of infant and young child feeding programs in emergencies", "Humanitarian Charter and minimum standards for the provision of humanitarian aid assistance" (SPHERE), "International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes" and relevant regulations adopted on their basis.
• 2 years of experience in direct provision of medical services.
• Excellent communication skills, ability to show empathy.
• Training/certification in the field of PPE, previous experience in providing psychological assistance within the scope of consulting with the National Disaster Response Force in emergency situations will be an advantage.
• Proficiency in English will be an advantage.
• Readiness and desire to help affected communities and representatives of vulnerable population groups.

Candidates with disabilities are encouraged to apply