Education Sector Coordinator
Title: EDUCATION SECTOR COORDINATOR
Section: Coordination
Date: 14 April 2014
Location: Beirut, Lebanon, with frequent field missions within Lebanon
Reporting to: Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator
Contract type: Individual SSA
Period of consultancy: June 2014 to April 2015 (11 months)
Start date: 01-June-2014
Section: Coordination
Date: 14 April 2014
Location: Beirut, Lebanon, with frequent field missions within Lebanon
Reporting to: Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator
Contract type: Individual SSA
Period of consultancy: June 2014 to April 2015 (11 months)
Start date: 01-June-2014
I.BACKGROUND
The increasing severity of the Syrian conflict, now into its third year, has resulted in a massive influx of refugees into Lebanon from December 2012 onwards with an average of 25,000 new arrivals per month. By end of Jan 2014, Lebanon hosted the largest number of refugees in all of the neighbouring countries (900,000 registered plus those awaiting registration). The number people affected by the crisis in Lebanon is projected, by the end of 2014, to include 1.5 million refugees in addition to an estimated 100,000 Palestine refugees from Syria (PRS) up to 50,000 returning Lebanese who were long-term residents of Syria and up to 1.5 million Lebanese in hosting communities.
UNHCR with the Lebanese Government are responsible for the overall coordination of the emergency response. The Education Sector is currently led by UNHCR and co-lead by UNICEF as agreed in the Letter of Understanding between UNHCR and UNICEF (12 July 2013 – 31 December 2014) and the 2014 Syria Regional Response Plan. Pursuant to its commitment in the LoU UNICEF is seeking to recruit a full-time consultant to support the coordination of the Education Sector in this co-leadership role.
The increasing severity of the Syrian conflict, now into its third year, has resulted in a massive influx of refugees into Lebanon from December 2012 onwards with an average of 25,000 new arrivals per month. By end of Jan 2014, Lebanon hosted the largest number of refugees in all of the neighbouring countries (900,000 registered plus those awaiting registration). The number people affected by the crisis in Lebanon is projected, by the end of 2014, to include 1.5 million refugees in addition to an estimated 100,000 Palestine refugees from Syria (PRS) up to 50,000 returning Lebanese who were long-term residents of Syria and up to 1.5 million Lebanese in hosting communities.
UNHCR with the Lebanese Government are responsible for the overall coordination of the emergency response. The Education Sector is currently led by UNHCR and co-lead by UNICEF as agreed in the Letter of Understanding between UNHCR and UNICEF (12 July 2013 – 31 December 2014) and the 2014 Syria Regional Response Plan. Pursuant to its commitment in the LoU UNICEF is seeking to recruit a full-time consultant to support the coordination of the Education Sector in this co-leadership role.
II.OBJECTIVES
To work in collaboration with UNHCR Education Sector lead and provide the following: •Support country-level leadership and facilitate coordination processes of humanitarian Education actors.
•Provide strategic guidance in the planning and implementation of the sectorial Education response and its technical components in line with response plans and international humanitarian standards.
•Act as interface between humanitarian WASH partners and duty bearers to ensure Education related needs of the affected population are properly covered.
•Ensure prioritization, evidence-based actions and gap-filling to enhance an accountable, predictable and effective Education response to the affected population.
To work in collaboration with UNHCR Education Sector lead and provide the following: •Support country-level leadership and facilitate coordination processes of humanitarian Education actors.
•Provide strategic guidance in the planning and implementation of the sectorial Education response and its technical components in line with response plans and international humanitarian standards.
•Act as interface between humanitarian WASH partners and duty bearers to ensure Education related needs of the affected population are properly covered.
•Ensure prioritization, evidence-based actions and gap-filling to enhance an accountable, predictable and effective Education response to the affected population.
III.SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES
Establishment and maintenance of effective coordination mechanisms
•Ensure appropriate coordination with national authorities to the extent the political situation allows. This will involve liaising and working with relevant government counterparts to support or complement existing coordination mechanisms, where they exist.
-Participate in all education related sector meetings
-Participate in all relevant cross-sectors meetings.
•Identify and establish contact with all other relevant sector stakeholders including national and international organizations, and representatives of affected populations. Invite these stakeholders to participate as partners in the work of the sector as appropriate.
•Convene and facilitate meetings of the sector (and/or joint meetings with another sector), increasing or reducing their frequency as needed but being careful to avoid meeting overload. Ensure that sector meetings are well-managed and action and results-oriented, with decisions clearly communicated to relevant sector partners and stakeholders. Ensure that meetings are managed in line with the Principles of Partnership.
-Co-chair monthly national coordination meetings and ensure minutes are circulated.
-Participate (chair or co-chair if necessary) in some of the monthly sub-national coordination meetings when necessary.
•Facilitate agreement on an efficient division of labor and the assignment of responsibilities amongst sector partners, which takes account of their comparative advantages and complementarities. Designate focal points or working groups for specific issues where necessary.
-Establish and manage temporary technical working groups for the undertaking of specific tasks
-Chair or co-chair monthly and ad-hoc Sector Steering Committee meetings and ensure minutes are circulated to the sector.
•Support the Inter-Agency Coordination body to establish and maintain appropriate cross-sector coordination mechanisms. Represent the sector in cross-sector coordination fora as appropriate.
-Represent the sector at every second monthly cross-sector meeting.
-Represent the sector at every second monthly Inter-Agency meeting.
•Work with the appropriate representatives of UNHCR and UNICEF to ensure that arrangements are made to allow for a proper hand-over of Sector Coordinator responsibilities at the end of a Coordinator’s assignment, to ensure there is continuity and that institutional memory is maintained for the sector as a whole.
-Prepare a hand-over end of mission report.
Preparedness and capacity-development
•If the situation allows, lead early warning, contingency planning, and emergency preparedness efforts for the sector; ensure adequate sector participation in cross-sector early warning, contingency planning and emergency preparedness activities.
-Promote awareness and ensure the Education sector contingency in the (a) Inter-Agency Contingency Plan and (b) UNCT Contingency Plan.
-Ensure update of Education sector contingency stock list every three months or following an emergency.
•Undertake capacity mapping and gap identification exercises to develop a capacity-development strategy for the sector.
•Identify the training needs of sector partners and advocate to lead-agencies, donors or other stakeholders to meet these needs.
Needs assessment, analysis, prioritization and planning
•Organize joint field missions, needs assessments and analysis among sector partners.
•Participate in joint cross-sector needs assessment exercises as appropriate to ensure that identified needs, gaps and priorities are as evidence-based as possible.
•Facilitate the development of an overall sector strategy and response plan (RRP). To the extent possible, ensure the strategy complements government policies and plans.
-Co-lead the Education sector component of the mid-year review of the RRP6.
-Co-lead the Education sector component of the end of year development of the RRP7.
•Ensure that the sector strategy and response plan (RRP) is updated regularly according to evolving needs and that it establishes indicators by which performance of the sector can be measured.
-Co-lead the sector development and/or review of the Education sector strategy.
•Identify issues of mutual interest and identify information, which (i) should be proactively shared with other sectors, and (ii) should be acquired from other sectors to ensure a more effective overall response (cross-sector coordination). Identify potential areas of duplication between sectors so that they can be avoided, and identify potential gaps which may fall between sectors so that they can be addressed through the clear assignment of responsibilities.
•Advocate for the use of participatory and community-based approaches in the planning and implementation of projects. Promote measures, which increase accountability to affected populations and promote the identification of durable solutions.
Transition planning
•Co-lead on the design of appropriate transition strategies for the sector to ensure continuity between the humanitarian response, recovery and development phases and disaster risk reduction initiatives.
Integration of cross-cutting issues
•Raise awareness of and promote the integration of agreed priority cross-cutting issues (e.g. age, environment, gender, HIV/AIDS and human rights) in sector/cross-sector needs assessments, analysis, planning, implementation and monitoring.
Application of standards, guidelines and good practice
•Facilitate discussion and agreement on the use of common standards and tools among sector partners. Promote awareness of, adherence to and update of the sector developed tools.
•Ensure to the extent possible that sector partners use common standards and tools for information collection/sharing and data management, including in needs assessments and monitoring.
•Ensure that sector partners are aware of relevant commitments that the Government has made under international human rights and humanitarian law and promote a response that is in line with these commitments.
Information management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting
•Facilitate adequate reporting and information sharing, both within the sector and with other sectors. This will involve contact list management and collecting 5W information (Who/What/When/Where/to whom) from partners and ensuring it is shared with the sector and other interested parties.
-Weekly and continuous management of national and sub-national contact
-Monthly management of 4W using Activity Info.
•Ensure that updated and relevant sector-specific information is included in general reporting including common web platforms, Situation Reports and other reporting mechanisms.
-Ensure public-ready sector information is uploaded to the UNHCR Web Portal (MoMs, Partners’ assessments, reports, maps, etc.) – monthly or when available;
-Ensure working documents and other resources for the Education sector are uploaded to the Drop Box – monthly or when available;
-Ensure collection, review and collation of I-A weekly news updates;
-Ensure collection, review and input to WASH sector dashboard – monthly or as requested by IA Coordination;
-Prepare I-A monthly meeting sector highlights and action points.
•Facilitate sector agreement on what monitoring activities will be undertaken to review the impact of the sector’s humanitarian response and ensure they are implemented. Make adjustments to the overall strategy and programming as appropriate. Regularly review the functioning of the sector and encourage an atmosphere conducive to raising and addressing concerns.
•Help facilitate real time evaluations.
Advocacy
•Together with sector partners, identify core advocacy concerns for the sector and contribute key messages to the broader advocacy initiatives of the Inter-Agency Coordination body, UNHCR, UNICEF and other relevant actors. Where appropriate, develop a joint sector/ cross-sector advocacy initiative to raise the profile and needs of the sector among in-country humanitarian donors. Encourage all sector partners to include common/sector-wide issues, concerns and messages in their own communication activities. For example: Advocacy note on “Risk of water shortages this summer”.
Resource Mobilization
•Following thorough and transparent consultation within the sector, provide leadership and strategic direction in the assessment and prioritisation of project proposals, activities and initiatives for inclusion in the Regional Response Plan, CERF and ERF requests and other inter-agency funding appeals; ensure that agreed sector strategies and priorities are adequately reflected in appeal documents. Ensure the implementation of the gender marker in appeals.
In line with any agreed guidance for inter-agency funding appeals, establish mechanisms for accountable and transparent financial resource allocation within the sector. Where possible work at the cross-sector level to promote coherence amongst sectors.
Establishment and maintenance of effective coordination mechanisms
•Ensure appropriate coordination with national authorities to the extent the political situation allows. This will involve liaising and working with relevant government counterparts to support or complement existing coordination mechanisms, where they exist.
-Participate in all education related sector meetings
-Participate in all relevant cross-sectors meetings.
•Identify and establish contact with all other relevant sector stakeholders including national and international organizations, and representatives of affected populations. Invite these stakeholders to participate as partners in the work of the sector as appropriate.
•Convene and facilitate meetings of the sector (and/or joint meetings with another sector), increasing or reducing their frequency as needed but being careful to avoid meeting overload. Ensure that sector meetings are well-managed and action and results-oriented, with decisions clearly communicated to relevant sector partners and stakeholders. Ensure that meetings are managed in line with the Principles of Partnership.
-Co-chair monthly national coordination meetings and ensure minutes are circulated.
-Participate (chair or co-chair if necessary) in some of the monthly sub-national coordination meetings when necessary.
•Facilitate agreement on an efficient division of labor and the assignment of responsibilities amongst sector partners, which takes account of their comparative advantages and complementarities. Designate focal points or working groups for specific issues where necessary.
-Establish and manage temporary technical working groups for the undertaking of specific tasks
-Chair or co-chair monthly and ad-hoc Sector Steering Committee meetings and ensure minutes are circulated to the sector.
•Support the Inter-Agency Coordination body to establish and maintain appropriate cross-sector coordination mechanisms. Represent the sector in cross-sector coordination fora as appropriate.
-Represent the sector at every second monthly cross-sector meeting.
-Represent the sector at every second monthly Inter-Agency meeting.
•Work with the appropriate representatives of UNHCR and UNICEF to ensure that arrangements are made to allow for a proper hand-over of Sector Coordinator responsibilities at the end of a Coordinator’s assignment, to ensure there is continuity and that institutional memory is maintained for the sector as a whole.
-Prepare a hand-over end of mission report.
Preparedness and capacity-development
•If the situation allows, lead early warning, contingency planning, and emergency preparedness efforts for the sector; ensure adequate sector participation in cross-sector early warning, contingency planning and emergency preparedness activities.
-Promote awareness and ensure the Education sector contingency in the (a) Inter-Agency Contingency Plan and (b) UNCT Contingency Plan.
-Ensure update of Education sector contingency stock list every three months or following an emergency.
•Undertake capacity mapping and gap identification exercises to develop a capacity-development strategy for the sector.
•Identify the training needs of sector partners and advocate to lead-agencies, donors or other stakeholders to meet these needs.
Needs assessment, analysis, prioritization and planning
•Organize joint field missions, needs assessments and analysis among sector partners.
•Participate in joint cross-sector needs assessment exercises as appropriate to ensure that identified needs, gaps and priorities are as evidence-based as possible.
•Facilitate the development of an overall sector strategy and response plan (RRP). To the extent possible, ensure the strategy complements government policies and plans.
-Co-lead the Education sector component of the mid-year review of the RRP6.
-Co-lead the Education sector component of the end of year development of the RRP7.
•Ensure that the sector strategy and response plan (RRP) is updated regularly according to evolving needs and that it establishes indicators by which performance of the sector can be measured.
-Co-lead the sector development and/or review of the Education sector strategy.
•Identify issues of mutual interest and identify information, which (i) should be proactively shared with other sectors, and (ii) should be acquired from other sectors to ensure a more effective overall response (cross-sector coordination). Identify potential areas of duplication between sectors so that they can be avoided, and identify potential gaps which may fall between sectors so that they can be addressed through the clear assignment of responsibilities.
•Advocate for the use of participatory and community-based approaches in the planning and implementation of projects. Promote measures, which increase accountability to affected populations and promote the identification of durable solutions.
Transition planning
•Co-lead on the design of appropriate transition strategies for the sector to ensure continuity between the humanitarian response, recovery and development phases and disaster risk reduction initiatives.
Integration of cross-cutting issues
•Raise awareness of and promote the integration of agreed priority cross-cutting issues (e.g. age, environment, gender, HIV/AIDS and human rights) in sector/cross-sector needs assessments, analysis, planning, implementation and monitoring.
Application of standards, guidelines and good practice
•Facilitate discussion and agreement on the use of common standards and tools among sector partners. Promote awareness of, adherence to and update of the sector developed tools.
•Ensure to the extent possible that sector partners use common standards and tools for information collection/sharing and data management, including in needs assessments and monitoring.
•Ensure that sector partners are aware of relevant commitments that the Government has made under international human rights and humanitarian law and promote a response that is in line with these commitments.
Information management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting
•Facilitate adequate reporting and information sharing, both within the sector and with other sectors. This will involve contact list management and collecting 5W information (Who/What/When/Where/to whom) from partners and ensuring it is shared with the sector and other interested parties.
-Weekly and continuous management of national and sub-national contact
-Monthly management of 4W using Activity Info.
•Ensure that updated and relevant sector-specific information is included in general reporting including common web platforms, Situation Reports and other reporting mechanisms.
-Ensure public-ready sector information is uploaded to the UNHCR Web Portal (MoMs, Partners’ assessments, reports, maps, etc.) – monthly or when available;
-Ensure working documents and other resources for the Education sector are uploaded to the Drop Box – monthly or when available;
-Ensure collection, review and collation of I-A weekly news updates;
-Ensure collection, review and input to WASH sector dashboard – monthly or as requested by IA Coordination;
-Prepare I-A monthly meeting sector highlights and action points.
•Facilitate sector agreement on what monitoring activities will be undertaken to review the impact of the sector’s humanitarian response and ensure they are implemented. Make adjustments to the overall strategy and programming as appropriate. Regularly review the functioning of the sector and encourage an atmosphere conducive to raising and addressing concerns.
•Help facilitate real time evaluations.
Advocacy
•Together with sector partners, identify core advocacy concerns for the sector and contribute key messages to the broader advocacy initiatives of the Inter-Agency Coordination body, UNHCR, UNICEF and other relevant actors. Where appropriate, develop a joint sector/ cross-sector advocacy initiative to raise the profile and needs of the sector among in-country humanitarian donors. Encourage all sector partners to include common/sector-wide issues, concerns and messages in their own communication activities. For example: Advocacy note on “Risk of water shortages this summer”.
Resource Mobilization
•Following thorough and transparent consultation within the sector, provide leadership and strategic direction in the assessment and prioritisation of project proposals, activities and initiatives for inclusion in the Regional Response Plan, CERF and ERF requests and other inter-agency funding appeals; ensure that agreed sector strategies and priorities are adequately reflected in appeal documents. Ensure the implementation of the gender marker in appeals.
In line with any agreed guidance for inter-agency funding appeals, establish mechanisms for accountable and transparent financial resource allocation within the sector. Where possible work at the cross-sector level to promote coherence amongst sectors.
IV.RESPONSIBILITIES
•Consultant: as noted above.
•UNICEF: The consultant will be based daily in the offices of LCO and will require desk, computer, phone and all the normal equipment a staff member would use for discharge their duties. The consultant will also fall within the UN security system. Travel expenses and DSA to be paid for overnight missions away from duty station as required to meet his deliverables and execute his responsibilities.
•Consultant: as noted above.
•UNICEF: The consultant will be based daily in the offices of LCO and will require desk, computer, phone and all the normal equipment a staff member would use for discharge their duties. The consultant will also fall within the UN security system. Travel expenses and DSA to be paid for overnight missions away from duty station as required to meet his deliverables and execute his responsibilities.
V.TIMING
•Duration of contract: 11 months from signature of contract.
•Timeline for deliverables and activities are as noted in “Scope of work and Deliverables”.
•Duration of contract: 11 months from signature of contract.
•Timeline for deliverables and activities are as noted in “Scope of work and Deliverables”.
VI.REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
•As noted in “Scope of work and Deliverables”.
•Reports to UNICEF Humanitarian Affairs Manager and under the guidance of the Chief of Education.
•As noted in “Scope of work and Deliverables”.
•Reports to UNICEF Humanitarian Affairs Manager and under the guidance of the Chief of Education.
VII.PROFILE REQUIREMENT(REQUIRED)
Academic:
•Advanced university degree in Education or related social sciences field
•Advanced university degree in Education or related social sciences field
Experience:
•Previous experience in Cluster approach as Education Cluster Coordinator.
•Minimum of 5 years of experience in Education, with UN and or NGOs, in developing countries preferably in emergencies. At least 2 years of this experience should be field based dealing with large-scale emergencies or displaced/refugee situations.
•Knowledge and experience in application of international technical guidelines and standards in Education.
•Demonstrated experiences in organising and conducting training activities and information campaign on education related issues.
•Proven technical expertise in the area of education assessments including survey, program implementation, monitoring and coordination.
•A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
•Previous experience in Cluster approach as Education Cluster Coordinator.
•Minimum of 5 years of experience in Education, with UN and or NGOs, in developing countries preferably in emergencies. At least 2 years of this experience should be field based dealing with large-scale emergencies or displaced/refugee situations.
•Knowledge and experience in application of international technical guidelines and standards in Education.
•Demonstrated experiences in organising and conducting training activities and information campaign on education related issues.
•Proven technical expertise in the area of education assessments including survey, program implementation, monitoring and coordination.
•A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Skills: •Ability towards analytical and creative thinking for rapid solutions.
•Good communicator with strong interpersonal and negotiations skills to deal with persons of various cultural and educational backgrounds.
•Proven ability to deal with multiple tasks in a courteous and service-oriented manner in a demanding working condition that often has short deadlines.
•Strive to live up to high ethical and professional standards.
•A team player with service oriented attitudes.
•Proficiency in basic computer software such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint Access, AutoCAD and GIS applications.
•Good communicator with strong interpersonal and negotiations skills to deal with persons of various cultural and educational backgrounds.
•Proven ability to deal with multiple tasks in a courteous and service-oriented manner in a demanding working condition that often has short deadlines.
•Strive to live up to high ethical and professional standards.
•A team player with service oriented attitudes.
•Proficiency in basic computer software such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint Access, AutoCAD and GIS applications.
Languages:
•Excellent knowledge of English (written / oral / comprehension) is essential.
•Excellent knowledge of English (written / oral / comprehension) is essential.
DESIRABLE
•Knowledge of UNICEF program management, project formulation, program cycles and reporting standards.
•Knowledge and understanding of UNHCR refugee response mechanisms and approach.
•Expertise in planning, formulation, implementation, monitoring and reporting on humanitarian operations.
•Proficiency in Arabic. French also an asset.
•Knowledge of UNICEF program management, project formulation, program cycles and reporting standards.
•Knowledge and understanding of UNHCR refugee response mechanisms and approach.
•Expertise in planning, formulation, implementation, monitoring and reporting on humanitarian operations.
•Proficiency in Arabic. French also an asset.
VIII.HOW TO APPLY
Qualified candidates are requested to apply online onhttp://www.undp.org.lb/jobs/index.cfm**, and submit a mandatory FINANCIAL OFFER (all inclusive) in the cover letter.
Deadline: 30-April-2014**
Only candidates who are under serious consideration will be contacted and will receive official feedback. Incomplete applications or received beyond the deadline will not be considered.
UNICEF is a non-smoking environment.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.
Qualified candidates are requested to apply online onhttp://www.undp.org.lb/jobs/index.cfm**, and submit a mandatory FINANCIAL OFFER (all inclusive) in the cover letter.
Deadline: 30-April-2014**
Only candidates who are under serious consideration will be contacted and will receive official feedback. Incomplete applications or received beyond the deadline will not be considered.
UNICEF is a non-smoking environment.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.
How to apply:
APPLICATIONS THROUGH UNDP WEBSITE:
http://www.undp.org.lb/jobs/VacancyDetails.cfm
http://www.undp.org.lb/jobs/VacancyDetails.cfm
Post a Comment