Food Security & Livelihood Coordinator (National Position)

General job description

The Food Security & Livelihood Coordinator will lead and enhance the quality of the Food Security & Livelihood programme. This role includes representing Action Against Hunger in various external meetings, strengthening and developing programming in Syria, building team capacity, and leading the development of the FSL strategy in collaboration with technical coordinators and support teams.

Key activities

Objective 1: (Provide strategic leadership to the FSL programme design and technically support implementation)

• Provide strategic leadership with focus on strengthening the quality of the FSL programme encompassing emergency response, preparedness, resilience, and early recovery.
• In close coordination with other technical sectors, provide leadership and technical support to the FSL team to reach a solid contextual understanding of community’s needs with special attention to the most vulnerable groups’ needs, as well as power dynamics.
• Responsible for leading the design and drafting technically – sound FSL project proposals for funding including coaching FSL team members on conducting needs assessments and project design.
• Contribute to the development of multi-sectorial programming including the country strategy thorough understanding and contextualizing the links between FSL and the other sectors (WASH, Health and Nutrition), as well as between FSL and cross-cutting issues, including gender, protection, environment, and conflict sensitivity as they impact H&N programming.
• Work closely with the MEAL team to enhance accountability, ensure that feedback and lessons learned feed into programme adaptation, design technical methodologies to effectively monitoring and evaluating the FSL programme.
• Provide strategic and technical advice to implementation teams to envisage creative solutions to the delivery and monitoring of FSL services, in both accessible and inaccessible areas.
• Identify opportunity for action-based research aiming at improving FSL programming, piloting innovation projects and seeking collaboration with appropriate institutions.

Objective 2: (Capacity Building)

• Participate together with the HR Department and line managers in the recruitment of FSL staff.
• Technical matrix-manage the FSL team.
• Contribute to the identification of capacity building needs for FSL team members and develop learning opportunities using the most appropriate approach.
• Support technical capacity building assessment, planning and initiatives of relevant external stakeholders (LNGOs, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform).
• Participate in the promotion of a correct and efficient information flow between FSL team members and other members of the AAH Syria mission.
• Conduct technical FSL capacity assessments of local organizations collaborating with AAH and contribute to their capacity building.

Objective 3: (Reporting and Capitalization)

• Lead the FSL components of monthly sitreps, ensure the accuracy of Clusters 4Ws, reviewing internal and external reports including donor reports.
• Document lessons learned, best practices and case studies to shape in-country strategies and programmatic approaches and contribute to broader sector learning; conduct lessons learned workshops on technical themes.
• Capitalize all the FSL project experiences and lessons learned.

Objective 4: (Contribute to programme quality standards)

• Develop guidelines and tools for key intervention identified in AAH-Syria Technical Programmatic Framework, to ensure AAH, CORE Humanitarian Standard, SPHERE standards and any other relevant international standard is followed during the whole project cycle
• Uphold humanitarian principles and AAH principles at all stages of FSL programming, and provide pragmatic guidance to the FSL team on this matter to support their principled decision making
• Effectively collaborate with other technical departments and field-based teams to ensure the integration of the FSL programme within the whole programme as per AAH’s standards
• Provide technical support to operational staff for the implementation of FSL activities in Syria – including ensuring coherence, standardized approaches, programme quality, and integration with other sectors across the FSL programme.
• Ensure that the programme is inclusive of marginalized and vulnerable individuals and communities, that it promotes the full and equal participation of women and that accountability to affected communities is central to the ways of working.
• Develop cross cutting themes framework (gender, protection, environment, conflict sensitivity) within the FSL portfolio
• Coach and support the FSL team in ensuring cross cutting themes are embedded in the implementation: safeguarding, protection and gender mainstreaming including risk analysis, conflict sensitivity mainstreaming and environmental considerations are taken into account.

Objective 5: (Coordinate with support Departments)

• Coordinate with support departments in the planning and technical support of FSL interventions and budgets
• In coordination with the safety and security department, keeps in mind the security constraints of the area of operations for the design and implementation of the programs.
• Coordinate with Logistics to ensure that FSL-related procurement, tendering, and contracts are of adequate technical standards, cost effective, timely and appropriate to the context.

Objective 6: (Representation and Coordination)

• Actively participate in FSL cluster meetings and relevant technical working groups.
• Effective coordination with external humanitarian FSL actors intervening on regular and emergency interventions.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key FSL stakeholders at technical level, including donors, government authorities and international agencies.

Candidate description

• University (Bachelor and/or Master), Agriculture, Agronomy, Economics, Food Processing or other relevant field.
• Solid project cycle management knowledge
• Proved experience in proposal writing and strategic planning.
• Technical knowledge in implementing FSL interventions
• Good experience in reporting.
• Strong Knowledge of the Middle East context, and specifically Syrian context is desirable.
• Previous experience in the humanitarian field (at least 2 years) in a Coordinator Level.
• Good experience in working with local/national partners, Ministries, experience in implementing FSL interventions and capacity building for partners
• Experience with ACF and/or in the Middle East context is desirable
• IT systems: Microsoft Office, Spreadsheets, and databases
• Excellent level in English

Remuneration package

Contract period: 12 months renewable base on Action Against Hunger fund and performance.

Salary/benefits: According to Action Against Hunger’s salary scale and terms and conditions.

Duty station: Damascus

– Candidates may be contacted for other suitable positions within Action Against Hunger.

– Due to the high-number of application received, only potential applicants will be contacted.

-Applications will be assessed and vacancy might be closed before the end of the announcement as per qualifications availability.
– The organization is committed to the principles of non-discrimination and diversity and is particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of qualified people.

In the process of recruitment, selection and appointment Action Against Hunger implement a range of procedures and actions including Criminal Background Checks/ International vetting/Certificate of good conduct to ensure children and vulnerable adults are safeguarded and abuse is prevented