Food Security Cluster (FSC) Co-Coordinator

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Organizational Setting

The conflict in Cabo Delgado Province continues to exacerbate the food insecurity crisis in Northern Mozambique. Since December 2023, the conflict continues to deteriorate, expanding to new districts, bringing the number of people still displaced in Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa Provinces to more than 700,000. Furthermore, more than 630,000 people have returned to their areas of origin in the past year, requiring assistance to rebuild their livelihoods and assets.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), food insecurity in Mozambique during the lean season has been worsening due to a combination of climatic shocks, conflict, and the depletion of food reserves. Nearly 5 million people experienced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between October 2024 and March 2025. In August 2024, a drought appeal was launched, targeting 1.4 million people in the most affected districts to respond to the worst drought in at least 40 years.

In December 2024, tropical cyclone Chido made landfall on the coast of southern Cabo Delgado/norther Nampula provinces, causing widespread damages. According to the National Institute for Natural Disaster (INGD) more than half a million people have been affected in Cabo Delgado, and almost 200,000 in Nampula. Preliminary and further assessments confirmed that the agriculture sector suffered significant damage. Cyclone Chido is the fourth major cyclone to hit Mozambique in five years.

In this context, FAO co-leads the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster together with the World Food Programme, as mandated by the Inter-Agency standing Committee (IASC). The objective is to ensure a timely, coherent and effective food security response by mobilizing stakeholders to respond in a strategic manner to a humanitarian crisis. The Food Security Cluster Coordinator (CC) is one of the core Food Security Cluster (FSC) Coordination team members and plays a vital role in ensuring timely, coherent and effective food security interventions by mobilizing stakeholders to respond in a coordinated and strategic manner to a humanitarian crisis.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Mozambique, the FSC-Co Coordinator will report to the FAO Head of Field Office in Cabo Delgado. He/she will work impartially with all members of the FSC and represents the group as a whole, and not a specific agency. S/he will work closely with the UN Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator and the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) or their designated official as required. Together with the rest of the FSC team in the country, the FSC co-coordinator will also liaise regularly with the global Food Security Cluster (gFSC) in Rome.

Technical Focus

The objective of the national Food Security Cluster Co-Coordinator 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

• Co-organize action/output oriented bi-monthly Cluster meetings and feeding that to national cluster.
• Co-represent the cluster at provincial Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) and at the CCCM Cluster Service Providers Meeting.
• Provide orientation to Partners about the Cluster strategy and conduct trainings as required.
• Participate and support food security needs assessment and analysis.
• Engage in inter-cluster activities to include the development or review of assessment tool e.g. multi-sectoral needs or site assessments and rapid response missions whenever necessary.
• Co-coordinate with partners to harmonize the process of beneficiary selection and implementation of synergies between food assistance to livelihoods interventions.
• Co-coordinate with national/local authorities, state institutions, local civil society and other relevant actors as needed.
• Contribute to development of cluster plans, objectives and indicators that directly support realization of the overall response’s strategic objectives.
• Contribute to development and coordinate implementation of various cluster recommended technical standards, SOPs and protocols for avoiding duplication and identifying gaps.
• Disseminate information concerning strategic decisions, plans and recommendations made by cluster and CLAs to the provincial partners.
• Contribute to the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) through identification of needs, severity, geographical scope, and Persons in Need, supporting the National FSC Coordinator and IMO, and in consultation with the cluster partners.
• In coordination with the National FSC coordination and the other FSC co-coordinator, undertake planning and strategy development by contributing to the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) through coordinating the design of the response strategy and logframe, in consultation with the cluster partners ; support the review of FSC partners projects submitted on the HPC online system, based on the agreed inclusion criteria (where relevant).
• Follow up on the implementation of response plans and strategies.
• Ensure that cross-sectoral issues such as gender, age, early recovery, accountability to affected populations (Linha Verde Complain and Feedback Mechanisms and others), protection, environment and HIV & AIDS are mainstreamed and appropriately reflected in all FSC programmes.
• Provide updates on the status of the provincial cluster coordination while highlighting key challenges and lessons learnt.
• Support identification of capacity-building needs and opportunities for Food Security partners and contribute to capacity building.
• Contribute to advocacy on behalf of the cluster, cluster members, and affected people.
• Collaborate with the IMOs and act as the focal point for ensuring that 5Ws data/information/matrices of interventions are completed and regularly updated.
• Ensure the maintenance of an updated contacts /mailing lists of humanitarian organizations engaging with the FSC cluster in the area of operation.
• Participate in any relevant meetings on IM, cash working group and community engagement.
• Regularly, share cluster updates with the partners.
• Review and update the livelihood strategy of the FSC for the IDPs crisis response in the three northern provinces

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in food security, agriculture, economics, humanitarian affairs, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in humanitarian response and in food security related topics is mandatory.
• Working knowledge of English.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience with inter-agency coordination is desirable.
• Working knowledge of Portuguese is an asset.
• Ability to work and plan at both an operational and strategic level
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to an evolving and complex humanitarian context
• Ability to express and summarise ideas orally and in writing in a diplomatic and inclusive manner
• Ability to interact with a number of different stakeholders and represent the FSC in strategic meetings and discussion
• Ability to lead workshops, meetings and to present outcomes on behalf of a group of stakeholders
• Good understanding of food security assessments, surveys, and monitoring and evaluation.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
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• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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