Health Cluster Coordinatoor

TITLE: Health Cluster Co-coordinator

TEAM: Programme Development and Quality

LOCATION: Afghanistan

GRADE: INT 4

CONTRACT LENGTH: 12 months

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: Level 2: The post holder will have minimum contact with children and/or young people because they work mainly with the health cluster and its leadership i.e. the World Health Organization;



ROLE PURPOSE:

The overall purpose of Health Cluster Co-coordinator is to work closely with the Health Cluster leadership and members to improve the timeliness and impact of appropriate humanitarian health assistance for crisis-impacted communities and to strengthen the collective health outcomes of the response.

The Health Cluster Co-coordinator (Co-HCC) will be expected to support the implementation of, monitor and evaluate performance against the six core cluster functions and accountability to affected populations. The Co-HCC will ensure that partners participate in and assume their minimum commitments to the health by placing Affected Populations at the centre of decision-making and action

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND TARGET OUTPUTS

Specifically, the Health Cluster Co-coordinator will:

1. The Health Cluster Co-coordinator should act as a focal point for receiving NGO concerns to raise these with the Health Cluster Coordinator and the Cluster Lead Agency to strengthen accountability and transparency of the cluster’s decisions and work.

2. Represent the interests of the health cluster in discussions with stakeholders on priorities, resource mobilization and advocacy. Taking additional steps to ensure that the resource mobilization and advocacy efforts fairly represent and benefits NGOs as well as the UN agencies in support of the agreed health cluster strategy.

3. Strengthen pre-existing sectoral coordination by maintaining appropriate links and dialogue with national and local authorities, local civil society and other relevant actors, respecting their respective mandates and programme priorities. Taking reasonable measures to proactively engage with and support local NGOs to participate in cluster coordination and at each phase of the Humanitarian Programme Cycle. Ensuring that the health cluster position is informed by the NGO perspective.

4. Lead and/or co-lead, coordinate and conduct health needs assessments with the health partners and other sectors in particular, but not limited to, WASH, Nutrition, Food Security and Protection.

5. Contribute effectively to inter-cluster coordination forums and cooperate with other clusters, Government counterparts, and relevant authorities (as appropriate) in planning, coordination, and operational activities, ensuring that the NGO community is contributing to and sharing responsibilities.

6. Ensure protection and early recovery are mainstreamed and awareness of the different needs and capacities of women, girls, boys and men of all ages, people with disabilities, and other diversity characteristics such as ethnicity and religion are informing what we do, how we do it and with whom to promote meaningful access, safety and dignity in all phases of the health sector response.

7. Participate actively in gap analysis, priority setting reinforcing the complementarity of partner actions by avoiding duplication and gaps.

8. Ensuring adequate reporting and effective information sharing, reflecting the agreed minimum standards are in place and that all partners contribute on a regular basis to enable appropriate monitoring and evaluation and review the impact of the cluster activities and progress against the strategic Health Cluster objectives.

9. Participate in participate in reviews of coordination mechanisms and their adaptation over time to reflect the evolving crisis and the capacities of local actors.

10. Convene and facilitate regular health cluster meetings, ensuring that discussions are participatory and results oriented. Ensure that the NGO members of the cluster are kept fully informed of the meetings and any decisions that may take place outside of regular health cluster meetings.

11. Promote the leadership roles of NGOs within the cluster and ensure that all health cluster working groups have active national and international NGO participation to help ensure that NGOs support and influence the clusters work.

12. Promote/support training and capacity building of health sector personnel, of partners and national authorities.

13. Ensure adequate contingency planning and preparedness for new emergencies and seasonal adaptation of responses that reflect the actual and potential to scale-up capacities of all partners (local and international).

14. Act as Health Cluster Coordinator OIC whenever needed.



KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

The Health Cluster Co-coordinator from Save the Children International (SCI) is expected to work with and remains accountable to the Health Cluster Coordinator as per the defined ToRs.

Overall accountability for cluster performance rests with WHO as Cluster Lead Agency.

Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

• The SCI Co-coordinator position should act, and be perceived, as impartial and fair representatives of the cluster as a whole, not as representatives of their particular agency.
  
• When a SCI co-coordinator is attending a meeting in more than one capacity, it must be made clear when they are acting as a SCI representative, rather than as a co-coordinator.
  
• Co-coordinators will excuse themselves from meetings (e.g.: CHF Peer Review Teams) when issues directly related to their own agency are under discussion.
  
  Expected Commitments from WHO, Cluster Lead Agency
  
• WHO and the SCI co-coordinator should work together according to the ‘Principles of Partnership’, endorsed by the Global Humanitarian Platform.
  
• WHO is expected to support the role of SCI co-coordinator, including through:
  
  o Advocating for donors to provide required funding for co-coordinator positions.
  
  o Sharing relevant information with the co-coordinator.
  
  o Ensuring the co-coordinator is invited to participate in all relevant meetings and discussions.
  
  o Enabling the co-coordinator to access global-level cluster resources, as required.
  
  Dispute Resolution
  
• The relationship between the cluster lead agency, cluster coordinator, co-coordinator and cluster partners should be based on transparency, respect and a commitment to resolve disputes by mutual agreement.
  
  Between the Health Cluster Coordinator and Health Cluster Co-coordinator
  
• If an issue between a Health Cluster Coordinator and Health Cluster Co-coordinator cannot be resolved by the individuals concerned, it should be brought to the attention of the WHO Head of Office and SCI Country Director for resolution.
  
• Where appropriate (e.g.: if the issue is of a technical nature, or there is a relevant global-level agreement), the advice of the Global Health Cluster may be sought.
  
• If necessary, the guidance of the Humanitarian Coordinator may be sought.
  
  Between Cluster Partners and the Health Cluster Co-coordinator
  
• If an issue between the SCI co-coordinator and Health Cluster Partners in the cluster cannot be resolved directly, it should be brought to the attention of the Health Cluster Coordinator.
  
• If appropriate, the guidance of the WHO Head of Office and the SCI Country Director may be sought.
  
  Qualifications & Job Requirements
  
  Essential
  
• Master’s degree in public health, Medicine, Health Policy, International Development, or related field.
  
• Minimum 5-7 years’ experience in health coordination, humanitarian health programming, or multi-agency coordination.
  
• Strong understanding of the cluster approach, Humanitarian Programme Cycle, and humanitarian health standards.
  
• Experience working with government health authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, and local civil society in emergency or protracted crises.
  
• Proven experience conducting or coordinating health and multi-sector needs assessments.
  
  Technical Skills
  
• Knowledge of public health in emergencies, PHC systems, and Sphere/IASC guidelines.
  
• Strong coordination, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
  
• Ability to analyze health gaps and priorities and translate findings into strategies.
  
• Good information management and reporting skills.
  
• Understanding of protection, gender, disability inclusion, and safeguarding mainstreaming in health response.
  
  Leadership & Competencies
  
• Ability to act impartially and neutrally, avoiding conflicts of interest.
  
• Strong communication, negotiation, and consensus-building skills.
  
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt coordination to changing contexts.
  
• Experience supporting capacity building of health partners, including local NGOs.
  
  Other Requirements
  
• Fluency in English; knowledge of Dari/Pashto is an asset.
  
• Ability to travel to field locations.
  
• Ability to act as OIC for the Health Cluster Coordinator when required.
  
• Strong commitment to humanitarian principles, Code of Conduct, and principles of partnership.