The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetime. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

In Syria, WFP provides food assistance to more than 4.6 million people each month. This includes families who require emergency assistance when affected by conflict and displacement and also those who need help to improve their nutrition and food security. WFP supports children across Syria with healthy meals and snacks at school, mothers with nutritious diets, and families and communities with sustainable livelihood projects.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Syria remains the largest and most complex humanitarian emergency globally with up to 10.4 million people displaced internally or rendered refugees. The preliminary 2021 Humanitarian Needs Overview for the Food Security and Agriculture Livelihoods sector estimates that around 14.2 million people are in need of various levels of food, agriculture, and livelihood-related assistance in Syria. Of the total people in need, 1.3 Million people are estimated to be severely food insecure, while a further 1.7 Million food insecure people reside in camps with no alternative livelihood opportunities or coping mechanisms other than humanitarian assistance.

Following the adoption of UN resolutions 2139 and 2165 by the United Nations Security Council, humanitarian actors operating inside Syria from Damascus or across the borders from neighbouring countries organized themselves around a "Whole of Syria" (WoS) approach in an effort to improve the effectiveness and operational reach of their collective responses.

In May 2014, WFP, FAO and NGO partners reached a common understanding on the need to better coordinate food security and livelihood interventions for Syria across all hubs through the establishment of a Whole of Syria coordination role responsible for alignment of all food security coordination issues, including a comprehensive Needs, Response and Gaps analysis. The role is posted in Damascus, with the understanding that the Sector Coordinator in Damascus, Syria maintains primary responsibility for the overall coordination of the food security sector throughout Syria while ensuring that a support structure at WoS level continues to exist in order to ensure an all-inclusive approach to coordination until such a time when cross border operations cease to exist and coordination structures in Gaziantep and NES are not required.

The Food Security Sector Coordinator will report to the Deputy Country Director (Operations) and will supervise a team of specialised staff within the Food Security Sector.

JOB PURPOSE

The function of the Food Security Sector Coordinator is to ensure a timely, coherent and effective food security response by mobilizing stakeholders to respond in a strategic manner to the humanitarian crisis. The Coordinator will operate in an inter-agency environment that requires high standards of accountability and demonstrable leadership, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, and in which the principles of partnership and collaboration are essential. The Sector Coordinator will represent the Food Security Sector in coordination mechanisms and will advocate for mainstreaming the integration of crosscutting issues into the sector's work, especially protection, age, gender, and diversity. He/she will work impartially with all members of the sector and its sub-components and will serve and represent the group as a whole and not as an agency officer.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Agriculture Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience:

At least 8 years of relevant post graduate professional experience, preferably at International level.
Minimum 5 years’ experience in humanitarian response and food security
Knowledge and experience of the humanitarian response in Syria preferable.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English. Intermediate knowledge of Arabic desirable

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Knowledge and expertise in food security modalities
Excellent analytical and writing skills
Excellent teamwork and management skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Good negotiation and problem-solving skills.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

The Food Security Sector Coordinator will provide overall leadership for the implementation of the six IASC core functions of the cluster throughout Syria, including the supervision and coordination of food security sector/cluster coordination in the different coordination hubs across Syria. Specifically:

To drive service delivery by:
- Providing a platform that ensures service delivery is driven by the Whole of Syria Humanitarian Response Plan and transition priorities.
- Implementing common mechanisms to eliminate duplication of service delivery.
- Ensuring that the Food Security Sector covers all identified food security needs of the affected population.
To inform the Humanitarian Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordination Team's strategic decision-making by:
- In collaboration with OCHA, prepare the Food Security Chapter of the Humanitarian Needs Overview based on food security assessments and analysis of gaps.
- Supporting the Food Security Sector or inter-sector level food security needs assessments, including participatory assessments.
- Identifying and finding solutions for (emerging) gaps, obstacles, duplication and cross-cutting issues
To plan and implement the strategy by:
- Provide transparent direction to the development of common funding criteria, resource mobilization and prioritization within the sector for inclusion in appeals and pooled funds processes.
- Provide oversight to 4W collection, collation, and dissemination of IM products to partners.
- Applying and adhering to common standards and guidelines.

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To monitor and evaluate performance by
- Periodically assessing the performance of the Food Security Sector through the utilization of the Cluster Performance Monitoring Tool and ensure that the information generated is then shared with partners for further learning and knowledge management.
- Ensuring that sector coordination mechanisms are adapted over time to reflect the capacities of local actors and the engagement of development partners.
- Ensure adequate reporting and effective information sharing, with due regard for age and sex disaggregation.
Build national capacity in preparedness and contingency planning.
- Drawing lessons learned from past activities and revising transition implementation accordingly
- Serve as a forum devolving operational coordination and problem solving within the various Food Security coordination groups in the region
- Ensuring adequate contingency planning and preparedness for new emergencies and seasonal adaptation of responses at partner level at sub-national level
Advocacy
- Identifying concerns that contribute to HC and HCT messaging and action.
- Undertaking advocacy on behalf of the sector, sector members, and affected people.
- Represent the Food Security Sector in meetings with sectoral and external interlocutors.
- Co-chair sector meetings with FAO or NGO co-coordinator.
- Secure from sector participants, minimum commitments on participation in activities.
- Initiate measures to ensure that Principles of Partnership are fully respected in managing coordination mechanisms.
- Perform other duties as required

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The contract offered provides favorable conditions such as status of UN staff, pension, 2.5 days annual leave per month, 2 days sick leave per month, medical insurance and flexible working arrangements. The remuneration includes:

Rest & Recuperation and Danger Pay allowance currently in place.
Base Salary equivalent to P4 step 1 and post adjustment as per the ICSC - International Civil Service Commission Salary Scales

HOW TO APPLY

Please upload your professional CV in English in PDF format making sure to include the following in your Work Experience:
- Company/Organization name and scope of work of the organization
- Exact Position Title and grade (If UN, state exact grade and level)
- Contract type: part-time, full-time, volunteer, consultant, or freelancer. (If UN, state exact contract modality)
- Start and End date of Employment for each position: From (dd/mm/yyyy) to (dd/mm/yyyy)
- Responsibilities: Main responsibilities that highlight your gained skills and experience
Proof of your work experience will be required in the final stage of recruitment.
Only short-listed candidates will be invited to the next stage of the selection process.
Candidates must get an auto confirmation email once application is submitted.
Follow the links below to submit your application. If the link does not work, copy and paste it in your browser address bar.

Internal candidates application link

https://performancemanager5.successfactors.eu/sf/jobreq?jobId=138422&company=C0000168410P

External candidates application link

https://job-listing.wfp.org/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=138422&company=C0000168410P

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Qualified female candidates are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Apply now

Added 3 years ago - Updated 3 years ago - Source: wfp.org