Education Cluster Coordinator, P-4, Baghdad, Iraq, #102518

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

Organizational Context and Purpose of the job

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Job organizational context

In Iraq, humanitarian organisations – both UN and non-UN have functioned under the cluster approach since the Level 3 (L3) emergency was declared in 2014. The cluster approach ensures clear leadership, predictability and accountability in international responses to humanitarian emergencies by clarifying the division of labour among organizations and better defining their roles and responsibilities within the different sectors of the response. It aims to make the international humanitarian community better organised and more accountable and professional, so that it can be a better partner for the affected people, host governments, local authorities, local civil society and resourcing partners.

This post will thus function under this approach, with clear responsibilities for coordination as designated by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Humanitarian Coordinator and on behalf of UNICEF as the co-leader (with Save the Children) of the IASC Education Cluster for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), and the Education Sector for the Syrian refugees in Iraq.

The post will also function in close collaboration with the Save the Children Cluster Co-Coordinator and the Federal Government of Iraq (GOI) and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), who have responsibility for the overall quality of education delivery in Iraq. 

The post is expected to synergize the work of the Education Cluster Partners (UN Agencies, NGO, Civil Society Organisations etc.) supporting humanitarian actions in Iraq, working closely with other clusters within the IASC closely with all cluster members other IASC Clusters working within the Iraq Inter Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) within its mandate to together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies in Iraq.

Purpose for the job

The humanitarian crisis in Iraq continues to affect the lives of millions of children and remains one of the largest, most volatile in the world. The pace of displacement over the past three years is nearly without precedent. As of the beginning of 2017, over three million Iraqis are currently displaced, living in 3,700 locations across the country, and over 240,000 Syrian refugees currently reside in Iraq. As a result of the recent operation to retake Mosul City, over one million additional people have been cumulatively displaced, with an additional 160,000 additional civilians possibly forced from their homes before the operations in Hawiga and Tel Afar and West Anbar are concluded. The scale of the emergency response, and the level of complexity in negotiations and engagement with the various levels of Government (Federal, KR-I, Governorate, camp-based) and other implementing partners demands that UNICEF engage a full time Education Cluster/Sector Coordinator.

The main purpose of the Education Cluster Coordinator post is to provide leadership and facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective education response in Iraq through a mobilized and adequately resourced group of agencies, organizations, NGOs, local communities etc., and to assist the state authorities in Education Cluster visioning, strategy formulation and the articulation of a ‘Road Map’ to provide adequate education responses to emergency-affected populations (both IDPs and refugees).

The Education Cluster Coordinator is expected to provide the following:

• Support country level leadership and facilitate coordination of humanitarian Education actors
• Provide strategic guidance in the planning and implementation of the education cluster response and its technical components, in line with the Iraq Humanitarian Response Plans and international humanitarian standards
• Act as an interface between the humanitarian education partners and duty bearers to ensure education related needs of the affected population are properly covered
• Ensure prioritisation, evidence- based actions and gap filling to enhance and accountable, predictable and effective education response to the affected population

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

The post holder has joint responsibility with the Cluster Co-Coordinator (Save the Children Iraq) to coordinate and support partners at the national and sub-national levels for the efficient management and functioning of the education in ermegencies response, encompassing the following:

• Maintain an appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanism and strengthen pre-existing coordination systems to increase predictability and accountability;
• Build complementarity of partner actions, avoiding duplication and addressing gaps in education programming;
• Lead on the development and implementation of an overall strategy for the Education Cluster, as well as area-specific response plans as necessary;
• Oversee partner reporting, analysis of partner data, use of data for decision-making and sharing of important information with key stakeholders;
• Oversee and harmonise education-specific and multi-sector needs assessments and secondary data reviews;
• Ensuring vital Information Management (IM) tasks and functions are carried out by the Cluster IM colleagues, to support the information needs of Cluster partners’ and OCHA, including monthly Dashboards, google mapping of 5W data, full reporting on Activity Info, updating the Cluster website, maintaining updated contact list, etc.
• Support advocacy on ‘back to learning’ campaigns;
• Oversee the appropriate training of partners, including on collection of data related to attacks on education, fundraising for education, teacher training topics, how to manage a temporary learning space, etc;
• Finalise Iraq’s Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Minimum Standards, including their launch, roll-out and implementation across Iraq.
• Ensure adequate resources are mobilized and are equitably allocated for the effective functioning of the Education Cluster and its response;
• Maintain flexibility within the Cluster to respond to changes in the operating environment, evolving requirements, capacities and participation;
• Interact with other Clusters (including through inter-cluster coordination fora), humanitarian actors, donors and government counterparts for operational planning, engagement and active contribution of operational partners;
• Be accountable to the affected population through effective and inclusive consultative and feedback mechanisms;
• Monitor performance of the core cluster functions;
• Ensure effective communication, reporting, engagement and coordination between national and sub-national cluster coordinators and focal points

The post holder is accountable to:

• UNICEF’s Representative through the Chief of Field Operations, who will in turn ensure that the post holder is provided with all necessary support and guidance
• Education Cluster participants, who will in turn ensure that they deliver on their agreed minimum commitments
• Education Cluster Coordination Team members, who will in turn support the post holder in line with their terms of reference
• Education Cluster Sub-national Focal Points, who will in turn support the post holder in line with their terms of reference.
• Inter-cluster coordination bodies established by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT)/UNOCHA
• Affected populations through agreed mechanisms.

Impact of Results

An efficient and effective Education Cluster will improve UNICEF Iraq in achieving its goals, by:

• Working as a platform to ensure Education in Emergencies (EiE) service delivery, driven by the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and other strategic priorities;
• Identifying and finding solutions for emerging gaps, duplication, operational obstacles and cross-cutting issues;
• Formulating priorities on the basis of analysis;
• Measuring UNICEF’s performance against the Cluster strategy, agreed targets and results
• Building capacity of national and international partners in EiE response and contingency planning, many of whom are implementing partners of UNICEF
• Identifying concerns that contribute to Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and HCT messaging and action, and undertaking advocacy on behalf of the Cluster partners, including UNICEF.

Competencies and level of proficiency required

Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies

• Communication  – (II)
• Working with people – (II)
• Drive for results – (II)

Functional Competencies

• Leading and supervising – (I)
• Formulating strategies and concepts – (II)
• Analyzing – (III)
• Relating and networking – (II)
• Persuading and influencing – (II)
• Deciding and iniating action  - (II)
• Applying Technical Expertise – (III)

Recruitment Qualifications

Education

University degree, preferably at an advanced level, in a subject area relevant to Education in Emergencies or humanitarian programming. Extensive work experience relevant to this post may be considered as a replacement for formal qualifications. Formal training in Cluster coordination an advantage.

Experience

8 years progressively responsible humanitarian work experience with UN and/or NGO, including inter-agency coordination of an Education in Emergencies response.

Language

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of the local language is an advantage.

Remarks

* The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.

* Please note that Baghdad is a non-family duty station.

Employment is conditional upon receipt of medical clearance, any clearance required, the grant of a visa, and completion of any other pre-employment criteria that UNICEF may establish. Candidates may not be further considered or offers of employment may be withdrawn if these conditions are unlikely to be met before the date for commencement of service.