Food Security Sector Coordinator at Food and Agriculture Organization Of the United Nations

Vacancy Announcement: 180004
Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria
Organizational Unit: FRNIR
Type of Requisition: Consultant
Grade Level: N/A
Duration: 11 months

Organizational Setting

• In Nigeria, FAO co-leads the Food Security Sector both at state and federal levels, together with WFP. Over the past four years, FAO provided co-leadership and coordination of food security and needs assessments in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe especially. The Food Security Sector is directly involved in the government led coordination mechanisms led by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning who set up an inter-sectoral Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) for strategic and planning matters.
• The ECC led the coordination between the government and the international stakeholders for the development of the Humanitarian Need Overview (HNO) and the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). The Food Security Sector also actively participates in the Coordination mechanism led by the Presidential Committee for Northeast Nigeria Initiative (PCNI) for operation and monitoring purposes.

Reporting Lines

• The Food security Sector Coordinator will work under the general supervision of the FAO Representative and the WFP Country Director in Nigeria and the direct supervision of the FAO Deputy Representative and the WFP Deputy Country Director, and in close collaboration with the FAO Programme and Liaison Officer and the gFSC Country Focal Point.
• 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.

Technical Focus:

• The objective of a country-level Food Security Sector is to ensure a timely, coherent and effective food security response by mobilizing stakeholders to respond in a strategic manner to a humanitarian crisis.

Tasks and Responsibilities
The role of the Food Security Sector Coordinator, as set out in the IASC Generic Terms of Reference for Sector Leads at Country Level, is to lead and facilitate this process through:

• Inclusion of key humanitarian partners (government, national and international NGOs, UN agencies);
• Establishment and maintenance of appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanisms;
• Coordination with national/local authorities, state institutions, local civil society and other relevant actors;
• Ensuring appropriate participatory and community-based approaches;
• Ensuring appropriate attention to priority cross-cutting and cross-sectoral issues (e.g. gender, protection, age, HIV and AIDS, human rights, environment and early recovery);
• Undertaking needs assessment and analysis;
• Harmonization of food basket/transfer values and targeting approaches;
• Coordinating sector-wide emergency preparedness;
• Undertaking planning and strategy development;
• Ensuring the application of appropriate standards;
• Ensuring monitoring and reporting;
• Undertaking advocacy and resource mobilization;
• Undertaking training and capacity building; and
• Provision of assistance or services as a last resort subject to access, security and availability of funding.
• The Food Security Sector Coordinator will work impartially with all members of the Food Security Sector and serves and represents the group as a whole, not an agency.
• He or she will work closely with the UN Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator or their designated official as required.

Minimum Requirements
Candidates will be assessed against the following:

• Advanced university Degree in Food Security, Agriculture, Economics or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in humanitarian response at a mid- or senior level including in the food security sector.
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian

FAO Core Competencies:

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills:

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work
• Ability to work and plan at strategic as well as operational levels.
• Understanding of the international humanitarian response architecture, including coordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform and action, and funding mechanisms (e.g. Humanitarian Response Plan Process, Central Emergency Response Fund and Flash Appeals).
• Facilitation and communication: experience of high level coordination and chairing of meetings; ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders and develop consensus and joint working; excellent English communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Coping with pressure: ability to work productively in a pressurized environment and to maintain visibly high levels of morale in difficult circumstances.

Additional Selection Criteria:

• Working knowledge of the language in the country of deployment.
• Experience  in the country or region of deployment.
• Formal training in Cluster co-ordination or previous Cluster experience.