Cluster Coordinator – Copperbelt University and Northern Technical College (Lusaka, Zambia) contract

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Lusaka

Standard Duration of Assignement : [[8 months with possibility of extension ]]

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Level : Level 5

Duration of contract : 1 year

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 06-01-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

This position falls under the authority of the Regional Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa, the Regional Advisor, Education for Health and Well-Being and direct supervision of the Team Leader and Senior National Programme Officer, Education for Health and Well-Being, Zambia. The Cluster Coordinator is responsible for providing direct support in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the Our Rights, Our Future, Our Lives (O3 Plus) project for the realization of positive health, education and gender equality outcomes for young people in Higher and Tertiary Institutions of Zambia. Under the Cluster approach, the position will be based at the Copperbelt University (CBU) in Kitwe which is the lead institution for the Northern Technical College (NORTEC) and CBU Cluster participating in the project. A Cluster comprises two institutions in the same geographic location by district or province. There will be dual reporting and accountability for the Cluster Coordinator, between UNESCO and host institutions.

The O3 PLUS Cluster Coordinator shall perform the following tasks:

(i) Institutionalization of Life Skills and Health Education (LSHE) in Higher Tertiary and Education Institutions (HTEIs)

• Working directly with college and university authorities, support the institutionalization of Life Skills and Health Education (LSHE), Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) service provision and prevention of / response to sexual and gender-based violence for young people in tertiary institutions, including Young People Living with HIV and young people with disabilities.
• Support the capacity building of the Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions (HTEIs) to deliver quality and effective LSHE through training of health care workers, lecturers, tutors, and peer educators/mentoring programs.

(ii) Capacity building in HTEIs to promote improved health services provision

• Facilitate capacity strengthening of campus health facilities to offer a trusted standard package of youth-friendly health services for students, along with sustained referral mechanisms to specialist care and support services as needed.
• Coordinate and liaise with all SRH/LSHE/GBV stakeholders to ensure wide coverage of programme service delivery for increased uptake and impact.
• Re-invigorate existing structures to ensure students have access to comprehensive SRH information and services through strengthening collaboration between HTEIs and relevant ministries, facilitating mobile health services and ‘in-reach’ programs by external service providers and implementation of a scorecard framework for assessing quality of service provision.

(iii) Implementation on laws and policies on sexual and gender-based violence

• Support the development, implementation and effective enforcement of laws and policies to protect students from sexual and gender-based violence that they may encounter in and around campus.

(iii) Implementation on laws and policies on sexual and gender-based violence.

• Support the development, implementation and effective enforcement of laws and policies to protect students from sexual and gender-based violence that they may encounter in and around campus.

(iv) Facilitation of working knowledge sharing platforms

• Contribute to the establishment of a knowledge-sharing platform, providing an opportunity for institutions to collaborate, network, share knowledge and provide collective suggestions on issues related to health and well-being, practice and programs and evidence-based research.
• Establish cluster-level working groups including staff/senior leadership, student representation and active Civil Society Organization (CSO) service providers.
• Lead the compilation of SRH/LSHE/GBV innovations, stories of change and learnings for sharing in relevant local and national level Education, HIV, SRH, Gender and other important platforms.
• Coordinate LSHE/SRH monthly and quarterly work plan review meetings at cluster level.
• Ensure timely narrative and financial reporting on project and budget portfolio falling under the incumbent’s responsibility, both within UNESCO and to external donors as appropriate.

(v) Support research, monitoring and evaluation

• Support operations research, monitoring & evaluation around LSHE/SRH for young people in tertiary institutions to enhance evidence-based planning and implementation of programmes.
• Any other duties as may be reasonably required by UNESCO and HTEIs leadership

Education
•    A Masters Degree in Education, Social Sciences, Public Health or a relevant field is required.

Work Experience
•    At least three (3) years of progressively responsible, professional work experience in developing, coordinating, implementing and monitoring projects on sexual and reproductive health, Gender Based Violence Prevention, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, HIV and AIDS programmes for young people.
•    Experience in working with Government ministries, Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions, international/national Non-Governmental Organizations and UN Agencies.

Skills and competencies
•    Strong knowledge of the country context, with a particular focus on education and public health 
•    Experience in Project management
•    Extensive professional knowledge and experience on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, including GBV, CSE, HIV and AIDS programming
•    Strong interpersonal skills and experience in partnership building
•    High level of technical writing skills on issues related to SRH programmes for young people;
•    A track record in programme coordination, ability to manage budgets and report on  implementation;
•    Excellent organizational, networking and partnership building skills, tact and discretion;
•    Experience in training, coordination and/or institutional and human capacity building;
•    Experience in monitoring and evaluation;
•    Excellent strategic and analytical skills;
•    Good computer and other IT skills including proficiency in MS office packages.

Languages
•    Fluency (oral and written) in English.
•    Fluency in at least one of the local languages

•    Significant technical expertise and experience in UNESCO’s key leadership and main partner responsibilities within the UNAIDS division of labour and familiarity with UNAIDS
•    Experience working in the higher and tertiary education sector