Syria: Food Security and Livelihoods Technical Coordinator

Oct 6, 2018 | ACTED
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Since 1993, as an international non-governmental organization, ACTED has been committed to immediate humanitarian relief to support those in urgent need and protect people’s dignity, while co-creating longer term opportunities for sustainable growth and fulfilling people’s potential. ACTED endeavors to respond to humanitarian crises and build resilience; promote inclusive and sustainable growth; co-construct effective governance and support the building of civil society worldwide by investing in people and their potential. ACTED’s mission is to save lives and support people in meeting their needs in hard to reach areas. With a team of 4,600 national staff 400 international staff, ACTED is active in 37 countries and implements more than 500 projects a year reaching over 14 million beneficiaries.

ACTED Syria

Since 2012, ACTED has been implementing projects with vulnerable communities in Syria with a two-fold approach: ACTED provides life-saving support to vulnerable displaced persons, returnees, and host communities across Syria, through multi-sectorial rapid emergency services, and implements a wide range of resilience building interventions. Thus, ACTED has been able to strengthen its links with Syrian local communities and to develop an in-depth knowledge of local dynamics. A team of 900+ is currently working in theNorth and South Syria, with a coordination office in Amman.

You will be in charge of

Internal FSL Technical Support and Coordination 

Coordination

  • Support the development and maintenance of a coherent FSL strategy across ACTED’s areas of intervention in Syria
  • Promote harmonization of approaches and methodologies across the different FSL projects by developing and monitoring use of common tools as well as creating opportunities for experience sharing and learning
  • Brief Project Managers and Project Coordinators about main FSL issues, and updating them on a regular basis.

Technical Leadership

  • Define FSL project implementation modalities and methodologies (including, but not limited to technical specifications, identification and registration of beneficiaries, distribution and sensitization), through the review and enhancement of ACTED’s FSL SOP’s.
  • Lead the review and development of all technical tools related to FSL sector, guidance notes, training packages, and beneficiary selection tools projects.
  • Analyse the appropriateness, adequacy and potential impact of all interventions in the FSL sector based on known contexts and needs
  • Provide technical support to the Project Managers and other FSL staff to ensure that all ACTED FSL projects are implemented to the same high standards
  • Liaise with FSL technical staff on a regular basis to ensure technical assistance is provided to projects when needed
  • Research innovative and appropriate best practices for dryland agriculture, in particular methodologies that could help farmers develop resilience to external threats like climate change.
  • Disseminate tools, research, best practices and lessons learned internally and externally through publications, networks, working groups, events, and conferences.

Staff Capacity Building

  • Participate in the recruitment and training of FSL sector staff members
  • In coordination with Project Managers identify individual training needs and ensure access to training and professional development opportunities appropriate to the skill gaps and needs
  • Provide training to projects teams on ACTED activities and FSL best practices
  • Develop training material for different trainings to share within the FSL project teams
  • Develop capacity-building programmes for local actors (including partner NGOs and relevant local services providers) on FSL

External Relations

  • Act as key ACTED representative on Food Security Sectors in Syria
  • Ensure external representation of ACTED in FSL sector, vis-à-vis country and local authorities, other project stakeholders, donors and partners
  • Participate in and report (internally) on FSL technical and sectoral meetings, clusters and working groups involving all relevant stakeholders such as donors, NGOs, UN Agencies, inter-governmental institutions
  • Ensure effective coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders and partners, i.e. NGOs, civil society organizations, community groups, and government counterparts who are working on FSL
  • Identify opportunities to collaborate and coordinate efforts with other organizations to ensure our activities build upon – rather than replicate – the work of others.

Project Development

  • Collect and analyse primary and secondary data related to the FSL sectors for Syria
  • Analyse the activities in the FSL sectors and relevant stakeholders
  • Identify the needs of the most vulnerable populations through regular visits and literature review, and through the design and implementation of relevant needs assessments in close collaboration with, Programme teams ad) and AMEU
  • Lead FSL project conceptualization workshops
  • Provide technical inputs into proposal design and ensure new or adapted projects for the FSL sector focus on maximizing efficiencies, impact and integrated approaches

Expected skills and qualifications

Essential

  • BSc or MSc in agricultural sciences, animal husbandry, rural development or similar (relevant field experience can substitute for academic qualifications but not vice-versa).
  • 5 years of experience in food security and livelihood project management in an international relief or development setting, ideally working on: agricultural systems; livestock development; natural resource and land degradation management; resilience to climate change
  • At least 2 years of practical experience working on farms, ideally mixed production units in arid conditions, and must have included livestock management.
  • Experience working on business and entrepreneurial development projects
  • Ability to capitalise on past experience and information available within the organisation in order to become self-sufficient and autonomous quickly.
  • Demonstrated communication and organizational skills
  • Ability to train and coach both international and national staff
  • Flexibility and ability to multi-task under pressure
  • Proven ability to work creatively and independently both in the field and in the office
  • Advanced proficiency in written and spoken English

Desirable

  • Experience of co-chairing clusters or technical working groups
  • Experience of working in the Middle East
  • Ability to speak Arabic