Food Security and Agriculture Sector Coordinator

World Food Programme

Position description

The Food Security and Agriculture Sector Coordinator (SC) 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 Sector coordinator resembles closely the role of the Cluster Coordinator, as set out in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Generic Terms of Reference and the main core functions, which is to lead food security coordination along with the support team (includes an Information Management Officer (IMO), and field level coordinators) and a wide range of stakeholders in:

• Facilitating a timely, coherent effective and coordinated food security response by mobilizing stakeholders in a strategic manner
• Enhancing coordination through the reinforcement of linkages and synergies between relevant food security actors as well as between humanitarian and development partners
• Ensuring that food security is appropriately represented in the overall humanitarian response
• Supporting service delivery
• Informing strategic decisions of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and Humanitarian Country Team (HCT)/Country Management Team (CMT) and LCRP coordinators
• Coordinating, Planning, and implementing Cluster strategies, including contingency planning and preparedness
• Monitoring and Evaluating Cluster/Sector performance
• Building national and FSC members capacity in preparedness and contingency planning
• Advocacy
• Accountability to affected people

The Food Security and Agriculture Sector Coordinator will work impartially with all members of the Food Security sector and represents the group as a whole, and not a specific agency. S/he will work closely with the UN Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator, the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Inter-Sector team of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP).

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Within delegated authority and under the supervision of the Representatives and Country Directors of WFP and FAO Lebanon, the Food Security Sector Coordinator will be responsible for the following duties:

• Contribute to the LCRP food security and agriculture sector situation analysis and the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) (when applicable) 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 sector/ cluster partners.
• Undertake planning and strategy development by contributing to the LCRP and other response plans and lead the process for the FSC through coordinating the design of the response strategy, logframe and budget, in consultation with the sector partners. Prepare annual work plan for the sector and prioritization of activities when needed.
• Lead the review of partners appeal under the LCRP, and FSC partners projects submitted on the Humanitarian Project Cycle (HPC) online system, based on the agreed inclusion criteria (if applicable).
• Establish and maintain appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanisms: ensure inclusion of key partners at national and sub-national level, organize regular sector meetings, as required.
• Establish and maintain Technical Working Groups to support partners in key thematic areas (ex: agriculture cooperatives, value chains, M&E, targeting, etc.) or key thematic emergencies (e.g. emergency response in agriculture with C&V, etc.).
• Participate and actively contribute to intersectoral and interagency coordination forums under the LCRP and other responses, and to other relevant sectors.
• Ensure an inclusive governance structure for the sector and according to LCRP and other responses coordination mechanisms (including co-leadership of national authorities where possible, Strategic Advisory Group, NGO co-chairing, Sector Core Group and Steering Committee, etc.). Organise and lead relevant meetings.
• Lead the field food security coordinators to ensure high quality coordination at local level.
• Ensure timely, inclusive and regular information sharing and discussion with the sector partners through various modalities including meetings, email dissemination of sector products (static and interactive dashboards, maps, assessments, etc.).
• Ensure monitoring of the response implementation and reporting (including monitor and follow-up with the IMO on timely Activity Info updates; producing Quarterly and End of Year reports (Dashboards) summarizing achievements, challenges and lessons learnt; provide inputs to end of year reports and monthly SITREPs, intersector situation analysis and business continuity plans, among others); provide information and inputs to LCRP and other responses review and evaluations and other information sharing requests when needed.
• Facilitate needs assessment & analysis, support in conducting surveys secondary data review, and dissemination of available information (inventory/repository) to partners.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Ensure mainstreaming of cross-cutting and cross-sectoral issues in collaboration with relevant sectors (e.g. social stability/conflict sensitivity; protection mainstreaming including child labour in agriculture; gender; environment, etc) .
• Ensure the use and application of common standards in collaboration with relevant sectors (e.g. SPHERE standards), and harmonization of programmatic responses (SOPs on modality of delivery, composition of food parcels, minimum assistance package, C&V schemes for farmers)
• Contribute to country level contingency planning
• Undertake advocacy and resource mobilization on behalf of the partners in a neutral and impartial manner. Engage different country based pooled funding schemes processes such as the Lebanon Humanitarian FUND (LHF) (identification of needs and required interventions, due diligence, review of projects, monitoring of implementation of project, etc.).
• Identify capacity gaps and needs and provide training and capacity building opportunities to partners (i.e service mapping and referrals; specific themes such as child labour in agriculture)
• Provide expert advice and support WFP, FAO, and its partners on matters pertaining to food security and agriculture strategies, policies, programmes.
• Together with the sector IMO, support gFSC initiatives, e.g. CCPM (Cluster Coordination Performance Monitoring), global cluster annual overview, etc.
• Supervise the IMO and provide guidance to the co-chair and other team members, such as field coordinators, and ensure a smooth and inclusive relationship of the team with all partners and co-leads.
• Ensure IM functions are undertaken regularly and timely by the IMO
• Report regularly to co-leads including NGOs co-chair and line ministries, where existing.
• Other responsibilities as requested.

Qualifications

Education:

• University degree in food security, agriculture, economics, humanitarian affairs or related field.

Experience:

• At least eight years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in food security sector/cluster management, emergency response, emergency assistance, and/or strategic/operational aspects of national, bilateral or multilateral food aid.
• Willingness and ability to work in difficult environments, in often stressful time- critical situations
• Experience in coordination of multiple stakeholders. Formal training in Cluster/Sector coordination or previous Cluster/Sector experience is a plus.
• Experience of the country or region of deployment is desirable.

Languages:

• Proficiency in English and knowledge of another official UN language (with working- level proficiency in French, Spanish or Arabic desirable).

ESSENTIAL TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Ability to work and plan at strategic and operational levels.
• Understanding of the international humanitarian response architecture, including humanitarian principles, coordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform and action, and funding mechanisms (e.g. Humanitarian Programme Cycle – HPC, Central Emergency Response Fund and Flash Appeals, Pooled funds).
• Ability to express and summarise ideas orally and in writing in a diplomatic and inclusive manner
• Ability to organise workshops, meetings and to present outcomes on behalf of a group of stakeholders
• Familiarity with food security concepts and frameworks, assessment, survey, and monitoring and evaluation tools and methodologies

Application instructions