ROLE PURPOSE
The Education Cluster Co-coordinator will ensure a coherent and effective response to education needs being addressed by agencies and organizations engaging in Education interventions, as required by the activation of the National Inter-clusters Coordination (ICN). She/he will lead this initiative by working closely with the education stakeholders (children, families, communities, authorities, SCI Education TA, education institutions and INGOs and UN agencies) to provide an effective, timely and strategic collective response to the current humanitarian situation in DRC and specifically supporting the EIE sectoral plan.
The Education Cluster Co-coordinator will work impartially, serving the needs of all members of the education sector and should work closely with our co-lead (UNICEF), UN OCHA, National Inter-clusters Coordination (ICN). The Education Sector is accountable to the ISCG through the lead agencies (Save the Children and UNICEF).
KEY ACCOUNTABLITIES
Cluster Coordination:
- Assume overall responsibility for co-leadership of the Education Cluster in DRC;
- Work closely with other key members of the Education Cluster at both national and provincial levels, including UNICEF, OCHA, MoEPST (Ministry of Education, primary, secondary and technical), PROVED (provincial education), donors, INGOs, NNGOs and all other sector members;
- Secure commitments from humanitarian actors responding to or supporting the emergency response;
- Support both multi-sectoral and education specific needs assessments and use existing secondary data to inform sector response planning;
- Lead the updating of the Education sector workplan, and coordinate the harmonisation of response activities, ensuring that activities prevent overlapping and duplication;
- Ensure that inter-agency response strategy for Education reflects key findings from needs assessments, identifying gaps, and formulating a sector-wide interagency response plan, considering the cross-cutting areas from other sectors or clusters;
- Ensure that information is shared amongst sector members, and that information from other sectors and clusters is made available to cluster members to improve planning, integration and implementation;
- Ensure clear and effective communication occurs between the field actors, provincial coordination and the national cluster;
- Contribute to regular ICN sitreps and take an active part in ICN coordination meetings;
- Ensure education is explicitly included and prioritized in all multi-sector assessments and reports, including ISCG Sitreps;
- Track and monitor cluster members fundraising for Education specific interventions and ensure that members are aware of funding opportunities;
- Consult and identify how the education sector should facilitate the move towards early recovery and plan an exit strategy for the cluster member interventions.
Developing and maintaining collaborative relationships:
- Display neutrality and act as the representative of all education Cluster members;
- Establish clear objectives between the team mates and monitors progress and performance;
- Foster collaborative, transparent and accountable relationships through wide diversity of partners;
- Use negotiation and conflict resolution skills to support positive outcomes for the Education Sector as a whole;
- Develop and maintain a strong and positive relationship with UNICEF, our Education Cluster co-lead;
- Engage a continuous and positive relationship with national and international NGOs;
- Elaborate clear objectives in supporting the five (5) provincial clusters and ten (10) thematic WGs which operate inside the national coordination.
Capacity Building:
- Assess technical capacities of member of the Education Cluster and use the results to develop with the partners a 6-month capacity development plan to support the standardisation of tools and the overall quality of the sector-wide education response;
- Identify learning and training funding and opportunities to ensure the implementation of the Education Sector capacity building plan;
- Identify key challenges and set appropriate support to the coordination structures at the levels of provincial clusters, thematic WGs, Geographical WGs.
- With Education Cluster members increase capacity in disaster preparedness and response as part of the contingency plan for the potential crisis that affect the whole DRC country.
- Ensure sector members are aware of relevant minimum standards, policies and guidelines already contextualised and support further adaptation of global standards and technical resources to the specific needs of the response in the priority areas in DRC.
Information Management
- Through the line management of the Education Cluster Information Manager, ensure quality and timely data are available to inform strategic decision-making of the ICN and other relevant stakeholders engaged in the education response;
- With support of the GEC, ensure IM provides needs assessment and gap analysis (across other sectors and within the sector) and analysis to identify and address (emerging) gaps, obstacles, duplication, and cross-cutting issues;
- Make suggestion and engage discussion internally in the EC team members to improve the quality of the data collection, treatment and results.
General:
- Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures;
- Develop a regular, transparent and useful collaboration with SCI education team including staff working for the education coordination.
SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS: SCI Values in Practice
Accountability:
- holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
- holds colleagues accountable to deliver on their responsibilities.
Ambition:
- sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and takes responsibility for their own personal development.
- widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
- Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
Collaboration:
- builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
- values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength.
- Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
Creativity:
- develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
- Willing to take disciplined risks.
Integrity:
- honest, encourages openness and transparency, demonstrates highest levels of integrity.
- Be able to influence others to engage in behaviour of integrity.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Prior experience of working within cluster coordination;
- Familiar with the context and the need in Education sector in DRC;
- Previous first phase emergency response experience is essential;
- Education to MSc/MA/ level in Education (or a related field) or equivalent field experience;
- Excellent communication skills, including ability to facilitate diverse groups;
- Excellent negotiation and conflict-resolution skills;
- Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact, and diplomacy;
- A high level of written and spoken French and English;
- Demonstrable ability to work and represent views across different stakeholders taking part in the Education Cluster;
- Experience of high-level coordination and chairing of meetings;
- Demonstrable understanding of international humanitarian response and coordination mechanisms;
- Understanding of opportunities to provide integrated or cross-cutting humanitarian interventions with other sectors and Clusters;
- Understanding of opportunities to support the World Humanitarian Summit Agenda such as localisation and development-humanitarian nexus;
- Understanding of the “Education Cannot Wait” Multi-Year Resilient Programming’s funding process and other funding mechanisms;
- Experience of applying INEE Minimum Standards and other relevant frameworks and standards in education in emergencies);
- Experience in assessing Education Sector partners’ capacities to inform the development and roll out of capacity building plan to improve quality of the Education responses.
Desirable
- Strong influencing skills and experience in advocacy;
- Experience or knowledge of working and living in DRC;
- Ability of written and speaking local language of DRC;
- The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances;
- Good experience in Child Protection sub-thematic and its integration into the education interventions.
