Role Overview:
The NGO Co-coordinator of the Food Security Sector at the sub-national level for Al-Hasakah, Ar- Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor operates in alignment with the IASC Generic Terms of Reference for Sector Co- coordinators and the core functions of the Global Food Security Cluster (gFSC). The primary responsibility of this role is to co-lead food security coordination efforts alongside other sub-national coordinators and the national team (which also includes a dedicated Information Management support team). This role will involve collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders across the following core functions:
Key Responsibilities and Core Functions:
1.    Support Humanitarian Service Delivery,
2.    Inform Strategic Decision-Making,
3.    Plan and Implement Sector Strategies,
4.    Monitor and Evaluate Sector Performance,
5.    Build Capacity of Sector Members,
6.    Support Advocacy on Critical Food Security Issues, and
7.    Ensure Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP)

Roles and Responsibilities
Focusing on the designated geographical area of responsibility (Al-Hasakah, Ar-Raqqa, and Deir ez- Zor), the NGO Co-coordinator, in collaboration with subnational coordinators (CLA contracted), will:

1.    Support Inclusive Humanitarian Service Delivery:
    Ensure equitable and inclusive service-delivery by engaging all food security partners, particularly local and national NGOs, with special attention to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations.
    Facilitate proactive and participatory sub-national coordination meetings. This includes preparing agendas, invitations, minutes, and tracking follow-up actions.
    Coordinate with local authorities to foster shared understanding of needs, response priorities, and operational plans.
    Identify needs, severity, geographical scope, and People in Need in consultation with partners and contribute to strategic planning processes.
    Inform partners of available funding opportunities, such as the Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF), and Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPF), and encourage alignment with identified response priorities.
    Contribute to the identification of technical and operational support needs and help strengthen national NGO and civil society capacity through targeted support.
    Represent FSS in relevant national and technical working groups, ensuring synergies with other sectors (e.g., Nutrition, Health, WASH, Protection) and thematic working groups (e.g., Agriculture, Livestock).
    Support the subnational coordinators (CLA contracted) with other tasks, as required.
    As well as in collaboration with Information Management Officers (IMOs), review and present sub-national response data (5Ws and other tools) to:
o    Identify gaps in coverage (to be presented during monthly operational meetings).
o    Prevent duplication by informing partners of overlap and redirecting efforts where needed.

o    Track coverage and response, using 5Ws and other tools, and present findings in monthly meetings.

2.    Inform Strategic Decision-Making
    Facilitate evidence-based decision-making by supporting joint assessments, needs analyses, and the timely provision of accurate and disaggregated data on food security conditions.
    Draft key updates and reporting inputs (daily, weekly, or monthly) on food security issues for sector dissemination.
    Collaborate as well with the IMO team to co-develop periodic food security emergency capacity assessments to inform preparedness and advocacy efforts.
    Promote participation in multisectoral and sector-specific needs assessments at sub-national level (e.g., by OCHA, IOM, UN agencies, and NGOs).
    Contribute to the preparation of inputs for food security appeals and pooled funding applications (e.g., SHF, HRP, CAP) at the sub-national level.
    Support the development of strategic priorities and project prioritization criteria.
    Co-facilitate transparent and participatory peer review processes for pooled funding proposals.
    As well as collaboration with relevant technical working groups of the sector, provide technical support to national NGOs to improve the quality and relevance of project proposals and enhance access to funding mechanisms.

3.    Planning and Implementing Sector Strategies, Including Contingency Planning and Preparedness
    Contribute to the development and implementation of strategic response plans, including contingency planning and emergency preparedness, by strengthening the participation of NGOs in emergency responses to ensure strategic coverage, quality, and alignment with the overall response strategy.
    Support the drafting of contingency and preparedness plans for the food security sector at subnational level and contribute to inter-agency planning efforts, as and when needed.
    As well as collaboration with relevant technical working groups of the sector, promote and disseminate technical guidance and standards among partners to support quality programming and alignment with sector strategies.

4.    Monitoring and Evaluating Sector Performance
    Support the monitoring of response implementation and the evaluation of sector performance, ensuring accountability and continuous improvement in service delivery.
    Analyze 2024 Cluster Coordination Performance Monitoring (CCPM) feedback and work closely with national and subnational coordination teams, to develop a responsive action plan with measurable milestones.
    Conduct after-action reviews of key emergency responses and preparedness activities to extract lessons learned and inform future operations.
    Monitor progress on the sub-national action plan and workplan through regular quarterly reviews.

5.    Capacity Development in Preparedness and Contingency Planning
    Prepare and facilitate training and/or other capacity-related support to strengthen the technical and operational capacities of local actors, with a focus on preparedness and resilience.
    Conduct regular field visits to monitor implementation, reinforce technical standards, and provide hands-on support to partners.
    Identify and document capacity-development needs and gaps from partner engagement (e.g., coordination meetings, bilateral consultations).

    Promote awareness of the Food Security Sector’s mandate, coordination tools, and core functions
across the NGO community in Syria, especially among national NGOs.

6.    Advocacy
    Collaborate with partners to advocate for funding, access, and policies that address the most urgent food security needs in the region, and amplify the voice of affected communities, especially those at risk of being marginalized.
    Jointly lead the sub-national advocacy and support the representation of the food security sector at sub-national advocacy forums, including with OCHA, SN-ISCG, donors, and other stakeholders.
    Draft and submit operational advocacy briefs, messages, and talking points based on field realities and partner inputs to national coordinators.
    Support the development of external communication materials in line with national and global strategies; and encourage partner contributions to sector-wide visibility efforts.
7.    Ensure Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP)
    Promote accountability throughout the programme cycle by enabling inclusive participation, ensuring transparent communication, and supporting feedback and complaint mechanisms that reflect the needs and preferences of crisis-affected populations.
    Promote AAP in conjunction with the inclusion of cross-cutting issues (e.g., protection, gender, disability inclusion, environment, early recovery, nutrition) and appropriate participatory and community-based approaches in assessments, analysis, planning, implementation and monitoring.
    Document and disseminate good practices in AAP from NGO partners to inform collective learning and program improvement.
Working Relationships:
The NGO Co-Coordinator will operate in an impartial and collaborative manner, engaging with all Food Security Sector partners to ensure inclusive and balanced representation. The Co-coordinator will work in close coordination with the WFP and FAO Sub-National Coordinators based in Qamishli and Deir ez-Zor, as well as with OCHA, other sector leads, and inter-sector coordination bodies active in Northeast Syria. In the absence of the UN-appointed Sub-National Coordinator, and with the approval by the national coordination team in Damascus, the NGO Co-coordinator may be designated as the Officer-in-Charge (OiC), assuming full leadership responsibilities for the Food Security Sector in Northeast Syria.
Structure and Reporting Lines
The NGO Co-coordinator will report administratively to the hosting NGO. For all his/her roles and responsibilities specified above, the Co-coordinator will operate under the overall strategic guidance and supervision of the national coordinators in Damascus and work as a team with the CLA contracted subnational Coordinators.
The exact share of roles and responsibilities among the Position Holder and the CLA contracted subnational Coordinators will be laid out in Area Level Workplan, updated periodically and endorsed by the national coordinators.