Education Cluster Coordinator, P-3, Kinshasa, DRC

Contract

This is a P-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 120,483 USD and 157,764 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

For every child, a champion

UNICEF has been achieving important progress on education, child rights, nutrition, and WASH in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Challenges remain, though, and in spite of its vast physical size and limitless natural resources, the DRC poses a complex operational environment in terms of infrastructure challenges. Child poverty is widespread, and according to a recent UNICEF study, 80 percent of children aged zero to 15 years old face at least two major deprivations. Join our team and help tackle these issues, making sure every child has a champion.

The cluster approach ensures clear leadership, predictability and accountability in international responses to humanitarian emergencies by clarifying the division of labour among organizations and better defining their roles and responsibilities within the different sectors of the response. It aims to make the international humanitarian community better organised and more accountable and professional, so that it can be a better partner for the affected people, host governments, local authorities, local civil society and resourcing partners.

How can you make a difference?

Job organizational context: The Education Cluster Coordinator based in Kinshasa, DRC with missions to sub-cluster field offices reports to the L5 Chief of Emergency.

Purpose for the job: On behalf of UNICEF, the Country Lead Agency for the Education Cluster, and in support of the Government, the purpose of this post is to provide leadership and facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective response by participants in the DRC Education Cluster.

Under the guidance and general supervision of the Emergency section chief (Level 5) and zwith technical linkages with the Education section, the Education Cluster Coordinator ensures the management of the DRC national education cluster.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Coordination of humanitarian education actors in DRC

2. Needs analysis, planning and strategy development

3. Application of standards, monitoring and reporting

4. Advocacy and resource mobilization

5. Networking and partnership building

6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

7. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

1. Coordination of humanitarian education actors in DRC

• Ensure appropriate coordination between all Education humanitarian partners (national and international NGOs, the ICRC/International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, etc ...), through establishment/maintenance of appropriate coordination mechanisms at the national and local level; Ensure that education coordination mechanisms are adapted over time
• Strengthen pre-existing sectoral coordination through increased predictability and accountability; Ensure effective links between Education cluster at national level and eduation cluster in the hubs; Support Education clusters in Hubs in coordination of Education partners, including by building capacities/mentoring designated hub cluster coordinators
• Ensure effective links with other Cluster/sector groups
• Build complementarity of partner actions: avoiding duplication and gaps;
• Ensure adequate resources are mobilized and are equitably allocated for the effective functioning of the cluster and its response;
• Maintain flexibility within the cluster to respond to changes in the operating environment, evolving requirements, capacities and participation;
• Effectively use and transfer information to, from and between cluster participants and other stakeholders; Maintain information on all current and potential education partners, their capacities and areas of work (including Who, What, Where and by When).
• Be accountable to the affected population through effective and inclusive consultative and feedback mechanisms;
• Ensure effective communication, reporting, engagement and coordination between the national and sub-national levels.
• Support the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis to ensure that evidence guides UNICEF DRC’s education in development and emergencies programmes/projects.2. Needs analysis, planning and strategy development

Ensure predictable Education in Emergency action by:

• Developing agreed Education needs and gaps analysis involving all relevant partners and ensuring that these are adequately reflected in the overall country strategies including the Humanitarian Needs Overview and Hubs Operational Plans
• Developing agreed Education response strategies and action plan that directly support realization of the HC/HCT strategic priorities and ensuring that these are adequately reflected in the overall country strategies including the Humanitarian Response Plans and the Hubs Operational Plans
• Supporting and building capacities of Education clusters in Hubs to improve their contribution to the inter-sectoral operational plans and ad-hoc response plan while ensuring alignment with national Education strategy
• Drawing lessons learned from past Education in Emergency activities and revising strategies and action plans accordingly;
• Providing strategic guidance in the planning and implementation of the education cluster response and its technical components in line with the DRC humanitarian response plan, common standards and guidelines.
• Clarifying funding requirements, prioritization, and cluster contributions to HC’s overall humanitarian funding considerations (Flash Appeal, CAP, HF, CERF)
• Ensuring adequate Education in Emergency related contingency planning and preparedness for potential significant changes in the nature of the emergency;
• Ensuring effective and comprehensive integration of relevant cross-cutting issues, including age, gender, environment and HIV/AIDS;

3. Application of standards, monitoring and reporting

• Ensure that Eduation cluster participants are aware of relevant policy guidelines, technical standards and relevant commitments including those that the Government concerned authorities have undertaken;
• Ensure that Education responses are in line with existing policy guidance, technical standards, and relevant Government policies;
• Monitor and report on activities and needs and measure performance against the cluster strategy and agreed results, recommending corrective action where necessary (including monitoring of HF funded project)
• Ensure adequate monitoring mechanisms are in place (with OCHA support) to review impact of Education interventions and progress against response plans. This specifically needs to include an analytical interpretation of best available information in order to benchmark progress of the emergency response over time
• Ensure adequate Education impact reporting and effective information sharing (with OCHA support) to demonstrate the closing of gaps.

4. Advocacy and resource mobilization

• Identify key Education in Emergency advocacy issues, including resource requirements, and develop advocacy note/presentation
• Contribute to key messages to broader advocacy initiatives of the HC, HCT, ICN, UNICEF and other actors;
• Advocate for donors to fund priority Education activities (including Education cluster coordination) while at the same time encouraging Eduation actors to mobilize resources for their activities through their usual channels.

5. Networking and partnership building

• Participate in inter-agency discussions on education, representing the interest of the Education Cluster in discussions with the Humanitarian Coordinator as well as donors on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy.
• Interact with other clusters humanitarian actors, government counterparts, and relevant authorities for operational planning, engagement, and active contribution of operational partners.

6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of education cluster members and to support delivery of coherent education response.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best practices in education coordination. Assess, institutionalize, and share best practices and knowledge learned.
• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives for partners at national and sub-national level to enhance the competencies of partners to deliver education in emergencies response.
• Mentor and reinforce capacities of Education cluster coordinators in the hubs to enhance quality of Education cluster coordination at sub-country level

7. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

20% of the Education Cluster Coordinator’s time will be allocated towards supporting the education section.

• Provide technical support to the education section on emergency programs, including providing inputs to proposals, donor reports, evaluations and studies.
• Participate in strategic programme discussions on education program. Formulate, design and prepare programme proposals for education, including in emergencies preparedness and response ensuring alignment with the DRC country program document, Humanitarian Action for Children and Humanitarian Response Plan.
• Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use.

Qualification of Successful Candidate

Education:

An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, economics, or Social Sciences fields relevant to international development.

Experience:

A minimum of five years of professional experience in education programme planning and/or education coordination emergency contexts.

Strong analytical, organizational and writing skills required. Experience in cluster coordination required

Experience working in complex crises and fragile states desirable.

Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in French and English is required. Knowledge of local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

Technical competencies must be demonstrated in the following areas:

• Understands the rationale behind Humanitarian Reform, its main components and recent developments including the Transformative Agenda.

• Understands, uses and adapts the tools, mechanisms and processes developed as part of Humanitarian Reform

• Demonstrates commitment to Humanitarian Principles

• Demonstrates commitment to Principles of Partnership

• Communicates, works and networks effectively with a wide range of people to reach broad consensus on a well-coordinated response, and demonstrates leadership where required

• Thinks and acts strategically and ensures that cluster activities are prioritized and aligned within an agreed strategy

• Demonstrates commitment to the cluster and independence from employing organization

• Builds, motivates and leads the cluster coordination team

• Understands key technical issues for the cluster sufficiently well enough to be able to: engage with cluster participants; make full use of their experience and knowledge; guide strategy and plans; communicate and advocate on important issues

• Understands policies and strategies to address issues related to resilience: risk analysis and risk management, education in conflict situations, natural disasters, and recovery for CO and RO based post and where relevant,

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

Remarks:

* Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

* Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

* The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.

* Employment is conditional upon receipt of medical clearance, any clearance required, the grant of a visa, and completion of any other pre-employment criteria that UNICEF may establish. Candidates may not be further considered or offers of employment may be withdrawn if these conditions are unlikely to be met before the date for commencement of service.