Education Cluster Information Management Officer

Terms of Reference for Consultants & Individual Contractors

Title of ConsultancyEducation Cluster Information Management OfficerPurpose To establish and maintain an effective information management and communication mechanism for the Education Cluster in order to ensure a coherent and effective education response during the current and future humanitarian crises.Consultancy Classification Level P2Location Juba, South Sudan with possible travel to the fieldDuration 3 months Start Date 15 August 2014 Funding Source (WBS, Grant and GL Code) SM 140248

Background

The Cluster approach ensures clear leadership and accountability in international responses to humanitarian emergencies. It does so 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 organized and more accountable and professional, so that it can be a better partner for the affected people, host governments, local authorities, civil society and resourcing partners.

Violence broke out in Juba on 15 December 2013, and quickly spread to other locations. During the first 6 weeks of the crisis, Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states saw heavy fighting between Government and opposition forces. Other states have been indirectly affected as they have become hosts to thousands of displaced people seeking safety. An agreement to cease hostilities was signed on 23 January 2014, but its impact on the humanitarian situation has not been significant. More than one million people have been displaced by the conflict so far. Thousands have been killed or wounded in the fighting. Hundreds of thousands have lost their livelihoods and access to basic social services. Many have been targeted due to their ethnic background. Aid agencies estimate that the impact of violence to date, has affected at least 3.8 million people in the country

The Education Cluster under the leadership of the South Sudanese Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), currently coordinates the education response. An Education Cluster is functioning at the national level, led by the MoEST and co-led by UNICEF as the Cluster Lead Agency and Save the Children, sub-State level clusters and sub-clusters are active in all 10 states. Out of the 453,000 persons in need, the Education Cluster targets 275,111 children, adolescents, teachers and other education personnel affected by the conflict between July and December 2014. Education in Emergencies activities target the most vulnerable and crisis-affected children and adolescents residing in displacement sites and host communities in rural and urban areas.

A well-run cluster including information management is a formal deliverable of the Cluster Lead Agency and forms part of the agency’s work. UNICEF, as highlighted in their Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, is fully committed to the inter-agency humanitarian reform and supports this through the provision of leadership and participation in assigned clusters and sectors. The IASC Guidance on Responsibilities of Cluster/Sector Leads and OCHA for Information Management details that cluster lead agencies need to establish IM focal point (s) who should have sufficient expertise and an ability to work with different partners and clusters, and allocate the necessary human and financial resources for Information Management to ensure this.

Justification

The Information Officer is a core member of the Education Cluster Coordination team. Currently the Cluster has a junior national Information Management (IM) Officer who would greatly benefit from support from an experienced and highly skilled International IM Officer. This is due to the increased needs as a consequence of the current emergency. The International IM Officer’s main role would be to build capacity and mentor the National IM Officer.

Specific Tasks

The international IM Officer will train the national IM Officer to support the UNICEF Cluster Coordinator and Save the Children Co-Coordinator, playing a vital role in the establishment of a comprehensive and field level user-friendly information management system that will allow collection, analysis, and sharing of information that is important for Education Cluster partners to make informed, evidence-based, strategic decisions on:

1. The education needs of affected populations;
2. The prioritization of these needs;
3. Trends analysis;
4. Key need gaps, and;
5. Existing capacity to be used in support of the identified prioritized response needs

Expected Deliverables

Strengthening systems

1. Update 3 Ws and 5 Ws (collection of data from the partners and analysis and dissemination of information in humanitarian response info website;
2. Identify and update Education Cluster partners, including contact list and mailing list; and
3. Maintain Education Cluster website to disseminate key achievements, mission reports, guidance, etc.Monitoring and Reporting
4. Develop field-level user-friendly reporting formats in consultation with key stakeholders; and
5. Produce and disseminate situational reports on behalf of the Education Cluster. Capacity Building
6. Preparation and implementation of action plan for coach National Information Management Officer, Education cluster focal points and partners on information and knowledge management;
7. Assist Education Cluster partners to meet cluster information needs through minimising requirements, adopting simple tools, and providing timely, relevant information to meet their coordination needsStandards
8. Support the Education Cluster in the establishment and agreement of common standards and indicators for monitoring the progress and effectiveness of humanitarian response within the Cluster. Standards and indicators should take into account national standards or guidelines as well as existing globally agreed standards such as INEE Minimum Standards.

Inter-Cluster Coordination

1. Proactively gather information from other clusters/organizations/military which may be of use to the education cluster including movement of returnees, security updates, provision of shelter for IDPs and returnees;
2. eed data and situational updates into inter-cluster reporting and OCHA-led humanitarian situation reports;
3. Collaborate closely with and other clusters on cross-cluster IM and analysis at the strategic level through the establishment of systems and processes needed for effective information sharing with cluster partners; and
4. Represent the Education Cluster in IM focal point meetings led by OCHA.

Any other tasks that may be required to achieve the key objectives of this assignment.

Reporting

The IM Officer will directly report to the UNICEF Lead Agency Education Cluster Coordinator.

Expected background (Qualifications & Experience)

1. Advanced University degree or equivalent in relevant fields such as: information technology, information systems, geographic sciences, engineering or communication, humanitarian affairs or education;
2. Minimum of three years’ experience in emergency contexts preferably as UN or NGO at middle management level (South Sudan experience an advantage);
3. Extensive knowledge of the IASC Cluster system in an emergency context;
4. Extensive experience in information management, knowledge management, database management or a related field;
5. Proven statistical, analytical and technical skills, including: excellent knowledge of MS Excel and MS Access, experience of data mining, file management, analysis and report generation, knowledge of web-based applications, particularly google groups, google sites, google fusion tables, ability to present information in comprehensive tables, graphs and charts;
6. Knowledge of education in emergencies. An understanding and training in INEE Minimum Standards for education in emergencies and cluster coordination is desired;
7. Work experience in South Sudan, preferably, experience working in the current crisis;
8. Proven ability to work with diverse groups of stakeholders and to develop consensus and partnerships;
9. Fluency in English (verbal and writing).

General Conditions:

· Terms of payment: Monthly payment upon completion of the following deliverables:

o Updated 5Ws for the Education Cluster

o Progress report on capacity building of National IM Officer (according to the set action plan)

o Monthly Situation Report on Education Cluster achievements and gaps

· Note that final payment to a consultant is dependent on the completion of deliverables.

Policy both parties should be aware of:

Ø No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant.

Send application to:

Human Resources Officer UNICEF South Sudan Country Office, Juba. OR PREFERABLY: Email:jubavacancies@unicef.org.

How to apply:

Application should include:

Submission should include the following:

1. Application letter
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Personal History Form (P11
4. Expected monthly fee for the assignment

How to apply: Application letters from qualified and experienced individuals, accompanied by updated CV in English and a completed United Nations Personal History Form, (which can be downloaded from our website atwww.unicef.org/employ) should be sent to the address below by on or before Friday, 08 August 2014.

How to apply:

How to apply: Application letters from qualified and experienced individuals, accompanied by updated CV in English and a completed United Nations Personal History Form, (which can be downloaded from our website atwww.unicef.org/employ) should be sent to the address below by on or before Friday, 08 August 2014.