Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

The FAO Coordination Office for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) Programme implements the Country Programming Framework for Palestine to enhance the wellbeing of Palestinian people by making the agrifood system more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable in alignment with national policies and strategies and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSCDF).

Launched at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit by the European Union, FAO and WFP, the Global Network Against Food Crises is an alliance of humanitarian and development actors united by the commitment to tackle the root causes of food crises and promote sustainable solutions through shared analysis and knowledge, strengthened coordination in evidence-based responses and collective efforts across the Humanitarian, Development and Peace (HDP) nexus.

HDP nexus means strengthening the coherence between humanitarian, development and peace efforts to effectively reduce the humanitarian caseload. This is critical in context where funding for humanitarian action is outstripped by growing needs, such as in Palestine.

For countries to exit from food crises, humanitarian, development and peace actors must work across the nexus to effectively reduce people’s needs, risks and vulnerabilities, supporting prevention efforts and thus, shifting from delivering humanitarian assistance to ending need, while ensuring that humanitarian assistance per se be defined and delivered in accordance with the principle of aid effectiveness.

As such, the GN’s country-level support envisages the deployment of technical and analytical capacities to support humanitarian and development partners in the design and implementation of a coherent set of actions, combining sustainable and resilient food systems and economic inclusion approaches.

Among the key development partners and humanitarian actors, Food Security Sector (FSS) of Palestine, established in 2013, is to build stronger partnerships to support sustainable, comprehensive, locally-owned food security interventions (food, agriculture livelihood support and cash for work) in Palestine, drawing on both humanitarian and development funding streams, local expertise and leveraging the comparative advantages of a wide range of NGOs, civil society and international organizations.
The FSS coordination structure is articulated in a Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) and a Thematic Platform (TP). The FSAU coordinates and guides the analysis of risks, needs, gaps, and response related to food security, livelihoods and resilience of Palestinians in close collaboration with relevant Palestinian Government’s technical departments. The TP is articulated in Technical Working Groups (TWGs), vetting panels, and general meetings to promote inclusive engagement of all partners. It supports the elaboration of minimum standards and guidelines and best practices, suggests interventions for developing technical capacities of FSS partners and facilitates communication.

The Food Security Sector Coordinator ensures functionality and inclusiveness of the coordination structure working closely with all FSS members and coordinating with other humanitarian partners, national/local authorities, and other relevant actors. S/He works impartially with all members of the Food Security Sector and serves and represents the group as a whole within the humanitarian coordination system. S/he promotes the adoption of participatory and community-based approaches ensuring adequate attention to cross-cutting and cross-sectoral issues (e.g. gender, age, AAP, human rights, and environment), also contributing to generating a shared understanding of what sustainable and resilient food systems entail in the national and local context.

The FSS attends or support the role of agency heads in interagency fora, including the HCT, the ICCG and related matters. For these meetings, the coordinator will seek to ensure food security issues receive appropriate visibility and focus by inputting for the agenda, preparing comprehensive points for the sector, and provide follow up to the meetings. The FSS Coordinator is assisted by two Operations Coordinators based in Gaza and West Bank.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Head of Office and WFP Country Director, the direct Supervision of the FAO Head of Programme, with technical guidance from relevant FAO/WFP HQ teams. At country level, s/he will work in close collaboration with key development partners and humanitarian actors.

Technical Focus 

Through his/her work, the Coordinator will adopt the Global Network approach by ensuring that synergies are created between relevant areas of work as well as facilitating coordination with stakeholders at regional and global level.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Coordinate and contribute to need assessments and surveys relevant to the FSS including IPC;
•    Ensure that information related to activities carried out by FSS partners are regularly collected and shared using appropriate tools, including updating and sharing of the 4Ws (Who-is-doing-What-Where-When);
•    Coordinate sector-wide analysis, needs assessments, and emergency preparedness activities, including engagement in the on-going debate on HDP Nexus in Palestine, also facilitating the inclusion of the contributions of relevance.
•    Facilitate inclusive, evidence-based dialogues to generate a shared understanding of what sustainable and resilient food systems entail in national and local contexts, and identify agreed priority interventions;
•    Represent and/or ensure proper representation of the FSS in inter-cluster meetings, HCT Advocacy Working Group meetings, HCT Gender Working Group meetings, Humanitarian Program Cycle coordination meetings and others relevant platforms – this includes working to ensure food security issues are part of the agenda, that contributions of stakeholders be heard at country-level, that a comprehensive and coherent viewpoint is offered including agriculture livelihood, cash and food assistance issues, and that issues are followed up on after the meetings (;
•    Assist the FSS lead agencies in effectively contributing to the Humanitarian Country Team by supporting the development of the agenda and providing comprehensive points in advance of the meetings;
•    Lead and coordinate monitoring of Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) implementation in accordance with timeline and deliverables identified by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and tracking shortfalls and articulating their urgency;
•    Assure support to the allocation of funds from the Humanitarian Pooled Funds (HPF);
•    Coordinate FSS partners’ efforts in ensuring continuous risk monitoring (political, environmental, economic and natural) through the FSS Dashboard;
•    Ensure adequate documentation and exchange of information within and outside the humanitarian coordination systems, by maintaining updated the FSS website, responding to inter-cluster requests for information, providing monthly summary of activities for the donor and quarterly summary reports for FSS partners and other relevant activities;
•    Advance global knowledge on food systems transformation in fragile contexts and HDP nexus implementation through the contribution to joint global learning events organized by the Global Network against Food Crisesand other relevant partners.
•    Supervise the work of two Operations Coordinators in the West Bank and Gaza Strip including their support to the organization, facilitation, documentation of and follow up to the TP’s activities (for Consultants only);
•    During emergencies, supporting the rapid collection of 4Ws and situational analysis of agriculture livelihoods, cash and food assistance projects as well as funding opportunities;
•    Act as supervisor for colleagues with the appropriate contract modality and category;
•    Perform related duties as needed to ensure effective functioning and representation of the FSS.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced University degree in in economics, development, agronomy, food security, disaster management, social sciences or other related field. A bachelor’s degree with 2 years of additional experience may be considered as equivalent.
•    At least five years of professional experience in humanitarian sector at a mid- or senior level with emphasis on coordination with external partners.
•    Working knowledge (Level C) of English.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Extent and relevance of experience in monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning in humanitarian, development and peace programmes/settings.
•    Demonstrated knowledge of methodologies and technologies relevant to MEAL practice.
•    Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) findings into programming decision-making products.
•    Ability to travel across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.