Food Security Cluster/Sector Coordinator

Job Title: Food Security Cluster/Sector Coordinator

Duty Station: Caracas, Venezuela

Expected Start Date of Assignment: 01 – 03 – 2022

Reports to: Name: Mr Alexis Bonte Title: FAOR, Venezuela

FUNCTION PURPOSE
The Food Security Cluster/Sector Coordinator (CC) is one of the core Food Security Cluster (FSC) Coordination team members and plays a vital role in ensuring timely, coherent and effective food security interventions by mobilizing stakeholders to respond in a coordinated and strategic manner to a humanitarian crisis. The role of the Food Security Cluster Coordinator, as set out in the IASC Generic Terms of Reference and the main core functions, is to lead food security coordination along with the support team (includes an Information Management Officer (IMO), but may vary according to country specific situation) and a wide range of stakeholders in:

1. Supporting service delivery
2. Informing strategic decisions of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and Humanitarian Country Team (HCT)/Country Management Team (CMT)
3. Coordinating, Planning, and implementing Cluster strategies, including contingency planning and preparedness
4. Monitoring and Evaluating Cluster/Sector performance
5. Building national and FSC members capacity in preparedness and contingency planning
6. Advocacy
7. Accountability to affected people

The Food Security Cluster/Sector Coordinator will work impartially with all members of the FSC and represents the group as a whole, and not a specific agency. S/he will work closely with the UN Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator and the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) or their designated official as required.

REPORTING LINES
The FSC-CC reports jointly and equally to the FAO Representative and WFP Country Director.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

• Contribute to the HNO and lead the process for the FSC through identification of needs, severity, geographical scope, and Persons in Need, with the support of the IMO and in consultation with the cluster partners
• Undertake planning and strategy development by contributing to the HRP and lead the process for the FSC through coordinating the design of the response strategy and logframe, in consultation with the cluster partners.
• Lead the review of FSC partners projects submitted on the HPC online system, based on the agreed inclusion criteria (where relevant).
• Establish and maintain appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanisms: ensure inclusion of key partners at national and sub-national level, organize regular cluster meetings, as required.
• Establish and maintain Technical Working Groups to support partners in key thematic areas (ex: agriculture, livestock, cash, targeting, etc.) or key thematic emergencies (e.g. Cyclone response, besieged areas, etc.)
• Ensure an inclusive governance structure for the FSC (including co-leadership of national authorities where possible, Strategic Advisory Group, NGO co-chairing, etc.)
• Ensure timely, inclusive and regular information sharing and discussion with the cluster partners through various modalities including cluster meetings, email dissemination of cluster products (dashboards, maps, assessments, etc.). Ensure monitoring of the response implementation and reporting (including capitalization documents)
• Facilitate / lead needs assessment & analysis, support in conducting surveys such as EFSA /CFSAM/SMART, secondary data review, and dissemination of available information (inventory / repository) to partners
• Ensure that available information is analysed in a coordinated manner and utilised for decision-making at different levels (e.g. Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) or Cadre Harmonisé (CH) – country specific)
• Ensure mainstreaming of cross-cutting and cross-sectoral issues (e.g. gender, age, HIV and AIDS, human rights, disability, environment, early recovery, protection, nutrition) and appropriate participatory and community-based approaches in cluster/inter-cluster needs assessments, analysis, planning, implementation and monitoring
• Ensure the use and application of common standards (e.g. SPHERE standards and CHS), and harmonization of programmatic responses (SOPs on modality of delivery, Minimum Expenditure Basket, minimum assistance package)
• Contribute to country level contingency planning and coordinate cluster/sector-wide emergency preparedness and response
• Ensure the development of regular food security reports (Sitreps, Bulletins, newsletters, etc.)
• Participate in various coordination forums including Inter-cluster, technical working groups (e.g. Cash WG) and other relevant clusters, especially Nutrition, WASH, Health, and Protection
• Undertake advocacy and resource mobilization on behalf of the FSC partners in a neutral and impartial manner. Engage different country based pooled funding schemes processes (identification of needs and required interventions, due diligence, review of projects, monitoring of implementation of project, etc.).
• Identify funding for the FSC team in order to have a running FSC, in close collaboration with the CLAs. Actively track FSC funding status in consultation with CLAs to ensure continuity of operations
• Identify capacity gaps and needs and provide training and capacity building opportunities to FSC partners
• Together with the FSC-IMO, support gFSC initiatives, e.g. CCPM (Cluster Coordination Performance Monitoring), global cluster annual overview, the Global Network Against Food Crises, etc.
• Supervise the IMO and provide guidance to the co-chair and other Cluster team members, and ensure a smooth and inclusive relationship of the Cluster team with all partners and CLAs
• Ensure IM functions are undertaken regularly and timely by the IMO
• Report regularly to CLAs including NGOs co-chair, where existing.